Bill > S4600

This bill, called the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act, aims to improve the Department of Defense's response to sex-related offenses. Key provisions include: 1) Establishing an Office of the Chief Prosecutor to determine whether sex-related charges should be referred to trial by court-martial, with the Chief Prosecutor's decision being binding. 2) Allowing the Office of the Chief Prosecutor to order preliminary hearings for allegations of sex-related offenses. 3) Authorizing certain senior officers to convene general and special courts-martial for sex-related offenses, outside the chain of command of the accused or victim. 4) Creating a new punitive article for sexual harassment in the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and requiring independent investigations of sexual harassment complaints. 5) Establishing a process for confidential reporting of sexual harassment. 6) Allowing claims by service members and DoD employees against the U.S. government for personal injury or death arising from sex-related offenses, negligence in preventing such offenses, or negligence in investigating them. The bill also requires reports on the military's sexual harassment/assault response programs and a GAO study on how the Armed Forces handle cases of members absent without leave or on unauthorized absence.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/4600/all-info