(1) Survivor communications with, and records maintained by, campus-affiliated advocates, shall be confidential.

(2) Records maintained by a campus-affiliated advocate are not subject to public inspection and copying and are not subject to inspection or copying by an institution of higher education unless:

(a) The survivor consents to inspection or copying;

(b) There is a clear, imminent risk of serious physical injury or death of the survivor or another person;

(c) Inspection or copying is required by federal law; or

(d) A court of competent jurisdiction mandates that the record be available for inspection or copying.

(3) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section and RCW 42.56.240(16) unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(a) "Campus-affiliated advocate" means a "sexual assault advocate" or "domestic violence advocate" as defined in RCW 5.60.060 or a victim advocate, employed by or volunteering for an institution of higher education.

(b) "Survivor" means any student, faculty, staff, or administrator at an institution of higher education that believes they were a victim of a sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking.

Finding—Intent—2017 c 72: "The legislature finds that the state, along with the federal government and the state's public colleges and universities, plays an important role in protecting college students on and off campus from violence, including sexual assault. This role includes protecting students from repeat offenders and ensuring that survivors can trust that their college or university has education record protocols that prioritize their safety on and off campus.

The legislature commends the final report produced by the task force established by Substitute Senate Bill No. 5719 in 2015. The task force brought together experts across a range of fields to highlight ways in which both institutions of higher education and the state can enact stronger policies around the issue of campus sexual assault. As representatives of our state's public colleges and universities said two years ago, this subject needs to be a high priority for the state and existing state law has gaps that need to be fixed. Therefore, the legislature intends to enact changes based on several recommendations contained within the report to the legislature." [ 2017 c 72 s 1.]