A bill signed into Pennsylvania law on Monday by Governor Tom Wolf mandates that every college and university in the state must develop an anonymous online system for students and employees to report sexual assaults.

The law, which will take effect in one year, also pardons those who report an assault from any drug- or alcohol-related violations set by the institution, according to the Associated Press.

While the law will affect colleges and universities across the state, Penn State will remain largely unaffected, as the university already meets the standards set by the law.

Penn State's Title IX office offers several reporting options for those who wish to report sexual misconduct, harassment or discrimination. Reporters can choose to remain anonymous or identify themselves.

In addition, Penn State students who report sexual misconduct "typically will not" face disciplinary action if they are in violation of drug and alcohol possession or consumption rules, according to Penn State policy.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said this is the first law of its kind in the nation, according to the Associated Press.

While reporting systems vary at each institution, most larger colleges and universities in the state have already developed some sort of anonymous reporting system.

At Penn State, both individuals who report that they were sexually assaulted and third-party reporters can submit an online report form, file an in-person report with the Office for Sexual Misconduct Prevention & Response or make an anonymous report through the Penn State Hotline. Individuals can also file a police report with University Police or State College Police, depending on where the assault allegedly occurred.

Penn State's online reporting system, which was developed in 2012, requires the reporter to disclose the nature of the report, location of the incident, alleged behaviors that occurred and a description of the incident or misconduct.

All other information — including the reporter's name, the individuals involved in the incident and the incident's specific location — is not required to file an online report.

All Penn State employees are required to report sexual misconduct when they become aware of it unless they are designated by the university as a confidential employees, such as professional or pastoral counselors.

In addition, each time a sexual assault is reported, the university reviews the report in accordance with the Clery Act. Penn State then decides whether or not to issue a university-wide Timely Warning about the reported assault based on the Clery Act guidelines.

During the 2018-2019 academic year, the university issued 12 Timely Warnings about reported sexual assaults.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article said the university issues a Timely Warning each time a sexual assault is reported. The article has been updated to accurately reflect how the university determines whether to send a Timely Warning.