Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) recently cosponsored legislation to reduce the estimated incidents of unwanted and unreported sexual contact that occurs in the military.
Upton said he wants to end the statistic that 62 percent of the women who reported assaults to the Defense Department indicated they suffered some level of social, administrative or professional retaliation.
The legislation, the Military Justice Improvement Act of 2013, would give the decision of whether a sexual assault case goes to trial to an authority outside the victim’s chain of command.
The bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) and in the Senate by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
“Our military’s current system is broken and failing to protect those who have sacrificed so much to keep their nation safe and secure,” Upton said. “This bipartisan legislation will help fix that problem and create a safer environment for all who answer our nation’s call.”
If the bill becomes law, it would also require a commanding officer who receives a report of sexual assault in his chain of command to immediately refer the report to the appropriate investigative officer. In addition, the legislation would prohibit a commanding officer from overturning a conviction or changing a guilty finding to a lesser offense.