1. The Advisory Committee shall study practices that are nationally recognized and make recommendations regarding:
(a) Whether a need exists for additional sexual assault victims’ advocates for survivors and, if such a need exists, the Advisory Committee shall, in conjunction with centers of support for victims of sexual assault, organizations for advocates of survivors and other relevant programs or organizations, create a plan for how the State can provide additional sexual assault victims’ advocates to meet such a need, and determine the cost of such a plan.
(b) Whether the need exists to expand the right of a survivor to a sexual assault victims’ advocate beyond the forensic medical examination and with a law enforcement official interview, and if such a need exists, the Advisory Committee shall:
(1) Identify the scope and nature of the need; and
(2) Make recommendations on how to best fill such a need.
(c) Whether a need exists to provide ongoing evaluation of the implementation of the rights of survivors pursuant to the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights and, if such a need exists, the Advisory Committee shall:
(1) Identify the scope and nature of the need; and
(2) Make recommendations on how to best fill such a need, legislatively or otherwise.
(d) The effectiveness of the statewide program to track sexual assault forensic evidence kits pursuant to NRS 200.3788.
2. In fulfilling the duties prescribed by subsection 1, the Advisory Committee shall collect:
(a) Data regarding reporting of sexual assaults, arrests relating to sexual assaults, rates of prosecutions relating to sexual assaults, access to victims’ services for survivors and any other relevant data necessary relating to sexual assaults for the deliberations and recommendations of the Advisory Committee and, if such data does not exist, the Advisory Committee shall encourage the creation and maintenance of such data; and
(b) Feedback from stakeholders, practitioners and leadership of state and local law enforcement agencies, victims’ services, practitioners of forensic science and health care communities to inform the development of best practices for the future, or clinical guidelines regarding the care and treatment of survivors.
3. In undertaking the duties prescribed by subsection 1, the Advisory Committee may retain independent experts. Such experts may:
(a) Request files and records from any law enforcement official. The information obtained from such a request must be kept strictly confidential and reported only as aggregated or anonymized data.
(b) Conduct confidential interviews with law enforcement officials, medical providers, sexual assault victims’ advocates and other such persons with direct knowledge of the response process for sexual assaults.
(c) Provide recommendations to the Advisory Committee.
4. On or before September 1 of each even-numbered year, the Advisory Committee shall:
(a) Prepare a report that includes the results of the assessments, developments and recommendations pursuant to this section.
(b) Submit the report prepared to paragraph (a) to the Director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau for submission to the Legislative Commission.
(Added to NRS by 2019, 2847; A 2019, 2851, effective January 1, 2021)