House bill seeks to add more sexual assault nurses to hospitals
Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, told the House Health Services Committee on Thursday that House Bill 134 seeks to ensure every Kentucky hospital has a sexual assault nurse examiner on staff while Kentucky nurse Melissa Gilpin looks on. A high-res version can be found here.
FRANKFORT — A Kentucky lawmaker told the House Health Services Committee on Thursday that 1 in 4 Kentucky women will be the victim of rape or an attempted rape in their lifetime.
Rep. Rebecca Raymer, R-Morgantown, hopes House Bill 134 will expand the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) across the commonwealth, so survivors won’t have to travel far from home to report their assault.
Raymer said she first learned of Kentucky’s SANE access problem two years ago. When the issue was brought to her, only about 25 hospitals were accredited as SANE-ready.
“I heard accounts about a woman who had been a victim of a sexual assault,” she said. The woman “came to a hospital and then was told there was not a SANE on staff. And unfortunately, that woman chose not to go to the other facility, and did not get the kit, and did not report the rape.”
Last year, Raymer sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 20, which directed the Legislative Research Commission to study access to sexual assault nurse examiners and submit a report on its findings in December 2025.
Raymer said HB 134 is a result of that report. The legislation would direct the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services to employ a statewide sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator.
The coordinator would identify and recruit potential SANEs, organize and facilitate comprehensive SANE training programs, and establish and maintain relationships with key hospitals, law enforcement, rape crisis centers and more.
Additionally, HB 134 would require the cabinet to develop and maintain a state registry of SANEs by Dec. 1.
Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, D-Louisville, said she’s aware many hospitals have faced issues when it comes to being SANE-ready.
“Would this ask every hospital to be SANE-ready?” she asked.
Raymer said the legislation’s goal is to ensure every Kentucky hospital is SANE-ready.
According to the bill, the cabinet would be required to collaborate with the Kentucky Hospital Association, the Kentucky Board of Nursing, the Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee, and others to develop a statewide strategic plan to ensure SANE coverage for all Kentucky hospitals.
The plan would be due to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services by Dec. 1.
The House Health Services Committee unanimously approved HB 134. It now heads to the Kentucky House floor for consideration.