FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Murray Press Office (202)
224-2834
Wednesday, June
12, 2013 Ayotte Press Office (202) 224-3324
MURRAY-AYOTTE
MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT LEGISLATION INCLUDED IN DEFENSE BILL
Bipartisan
legislation would provide trained military lawyers to victims of sexual assault
in all service branches
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Senators Patty Murray
(D-WA) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) announced today that key provisions of their
bipartisan legislation – the Combating Military Sexual Assault Act – are
included in the National Defense Authorization Act being considered this week by
the full Senate Armed Services Committee. The Murray-Ayotte measure would
provide victims of sexual assault in all military branches with a Special
Victims’ Counsel (SVC), a trained military lawyer to assist the victim
throughout the legal process. The bill also includes provisions authored by
Senators Murray and Ayotte that enhance responsibilities for the Pentagon’s
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office and provide Sexual Assault
Response Coordinators to members of the National Guard and Reserve.
“Our legislation to provide victims with a
dedicated legal counsel absolutely gets to the heart of effectively addressing
the tragic epidemic of sexual assault in our military,” said Senator Murray. “As I told Secretary Hagel and General
Dempsey this morning, Congress must act on legislation to give victims the
protections they deserve to seek justice, while giving the Pentagon the tools to
deal with this growing crisis. I am pleased the Senate Armed Services Committee
agrees and has included our
legislation to help victims every step of the way
through what is a deeply personal and painful process. I want to thank Senator
Ayotte for being such an outstanding partner and for all she has done to push
this bill forward in committee. While I believe the overall legislation is
practical and will make a difference, there will always be more work to do and I
am committed to continuing this fight on behalf of our nation’s heroes of the
past, present and future.”
“This is not
something that we’re going to pass today and then forget about,” said
Senator Ayotte during today’s committee markup of the defense authorization
bill. “Because many of us will continue to serve on this committee and we’ll
expect to understand how this system is working, we’ll expect to hear real
metrics back as to whether victims can come forward, how many victims are coming
forward, and how they are treated within this system. And this will not be the
last time the military hears from Congress on this issue.”
In a statement
endorsing the Murray-Ayotte SVC legislation, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff General Martin Dempsey said, “The Air Force Special Victims’ Counsel (SVC) pilot
program, while very new, has shown positive results and provides a robust
support program for victims of sexual assault. Hundreds of victims have
availed themselves of SVC services in the Air Force in just the past several
months since it was implemented. Many of those victims who initially filed
restricted reports of sexual assault decided to change their report to
unrestricted, allowing full investigation of the offenses committed by their
assailant. As the early reports have been so promising, I expressed in my
May 20, 2013, letters to Senators Levin and Inhofe that the proposed SVC
legislation had merit. I support providing victims of sexual assault this
important resource.”
The
Murray-Ayotte Combating Military Sexual Assault Act (S.871) takes additional
steps aimed at reducing sexual assaults within the military and helping the
victims of these crimes. The legislation would address a number of gaps in
current law and policy and would build upon the positive steps the Pentagon has
taken in recent years to address this problem.
The Murray-Ayotte bill currently has 37 bipartisan
cosponsors.
The
Combating Military Sexual Assault (MSA) Act of
2013 legislation would:
· Provide
victims of sexual assault with Special Victims’ Counsel (SVC) – a military
lawyer who will assist sexual assault victims throughout the process.
· Enhance
the responsibilities and authority of DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and
Response (SAPR) Office so that it can better oversee efforts to combat MSA
across the Armed Forces and regularly track and report on a range of MSA
statistics, including assault rate, number of cases brought to trial, and
compliance with appropriate laws and regulations within each of the individual
services.
· Refer
cases to the general court martial level when sexual assault charges are filed
or to the next superior competent authority when there is a conflict of interest
in the immediate chain of command.
· Bar
sexual contact between instructors and trainees during and within 30 days of
completion of basic training or its equivalent.
· Ensure
that Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARC) are available to members of the
National Guard and Reserve at all times and regardless of whether they are
operating under Title 10 or Title 32 authority.
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Meghan Roh
Press Secretary | New Media
Director
Office of U.S. Senator Patty
Murray
Mobile: (202) 365-1235
Office: (202) 224-2834