California Gov. Jerry Brown said on Sunday that he signed a bill making California the first state in the U.S. to clarify when "yes means yes" and develop a system of requirements for universities to follow when investigating sexual assault.

Last month, California lawmakers approved the bill as collegiate sexual assault has been a top issue in the national media, according to a report from the Associated Press. Gov. Brown was petitioned to sign the bill by women's advocacy groups.

Sen. Kevin de Leon submitted the bill and said he hopes to change the culture of dealing with sexual assaults at California colleges. Colleges and universities have been the subject of numerous reports indicating that sexual assault is rampant.

The idea behind the increasingly popular "yes means yes" charge is that coherent, lucid and voluntary consent is required when engaging in sexual activities. For years, the the focus has been on "no means no," The Washington Post reported.

Those in support of "yes means yes" say the problem with the old mantra is that, in certain situations, a person isn't always able to say "no." The bill states that someone who is drunk, drugged, unconscious or asleep cannot give consent.

"Every student deserves a learning environment that is safe and healthy," De Leon said in a statement. "The State of California will not allow schools to sweep rape cases under the rug. We've shifted the conversation regarding sexual assault to one of prevention, justice, and healing."

A spoken yes isn't required by the law and nonverbal actions -- such as a nod of the head or moving in closer -- count as consent.

"This is amazing," said Savannah Badalich, a student at UCLA. "It's going to educate an entire new generation of students on what consent is and what consent is not... that the absence of a no is not a yes."

The bill requires school faculty to be trained on how to review sexual assault reports and also requires access to counseling, health care services and other resources.