State lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill that would make California the first state to define when “yes means yes” while investigating sexual assaults on college campuses.

The Senate unanimously passed SB 967 as states and universities across the U.S. are under pressure to change how they handle rape allegations. The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has not indicated his stance on the bill.

Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, said his bill would begin a paradigm shift in how California campuses prevent and investigate sexual assault. Rather than using the refrain “no means no,” the definition of consent under the bill requires “an affirmative, unambiguous and conscious decision” by each party to engage in sexual activity.

“With this measure, we will lead the nation in bringing standards and protocols across the board so we can create an environment that’s healthy, that’s conducive for all students, not just for women, but for young men as well too, so young men can develop healthy patterns and boundaries as they age with the opposite sex,” de Leon said before the vote.

The bill was co-authored by co-authored by Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach.

“Our students deserve better,” she said this week. “They have the right to be free from violence and sexual assault — everyone does.”

Advocates for victims of sexual assault supported the change as one that will provide consistency across campuses and challenge the notion that victims must have resisted assault in order to have valid complaints. Some critics say the legislation is overreaching and sends universities into murky, unfamiliar legal waters.

The bill would apply to all California post-secondary schools, public and private, that receive state money for student financial aid. The Cal State University and University of California systems are backing the legislation after adopting similar consent standards this year.

The bill also requires colleges and universities to adopt “victim-centered” sexual-assault response policies and implement comprehensive programs to prevent assault.

The bill passed the state Assembly on Monday by a 52-16 vote.

The 23-campus California State University endorsed the legislation in an Aug. 25 letter to de Leon. Karen Y. Zamarripa, assistant vice chancellor of advocacy and state relations, said SB 967 would establish a uniformed level of responsibilities for all California colleges and universities regarding sexual assault.

“The CSU recognizes that this is a complicated and delicate issue that needs to be addressed in the correct manner,” Zamarripa said.

Other critics of SB 967 say the “one-in-five” women statistic comes from a 2007 federally funded Campus Sexual Assault Study that used broad definitions of sexual violence to exaggerate the prevalence of the problem on college campuses.

“If that figure is accurate, we should be calling in the National Guard,” said Samantha Harris, director of policy research at the Philadelphia-based nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. “If you told me I had a 20 percent chance of being raped, I would not be stepping foot there. If this is truly the number, parents should not be sending their daughters there.”

Harris and other critics said there is a lack of due process for the accused in college judicial systems under Title IX, with campuses being required to investigate allegations of sexual assault or risk being accused of creating a hostile learning environment under federal civil rights laws.

The preponderance of the evidence standard is a major point of criticism. Harris said the bill shifts the burden of proof onto the accused.

“So instead of being innocent until proven guilty, it’s the accused students demonstrating they obtained affirmative consent to be exonerated,” she said.

Devon Graves, chairman of the Board of Directors and a political science major at Cal Poly Pomona, said the bill provides a clear definition of consent and it’s important for all campuses in the CSU system to have a uniform policy when investigating allegations of sexual assault.

A key component of the bill is its provision for outreach programs on campus concerning sexual assault, Graves said.

“We took a position of support on the bill because we believe it’s important for students to understand prevention efforts that are being taken for sexual assault, and the support that is provided for students,” he said.

Still, the bill was met with some skepticism by two students at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson. Namely, they questioned how ongoing consent plays out during sexual encounters.

“I think it would make things awkward, like why are you asking? What’s wrong now?” said Grace Paredes, a health science major at CSUDH. “I just think it’s a little weird.”

Jesse Castillo, a 22-year-old microbiology major, said the bill is well-intentioned, but questioned whether it’s too invasive.

“That doesn’t normally happen when someone’s engaged (in sex),” he said. “It would be a business meeting, not an intimate moment.”

Staff Writer Josh Dulaney and The Associated Press contributed to this report.