First Published: 6:12 AM PDT, April 30, 2021
A Senate bill to overhaul how military sexual assault and harassment cases are handled has an unlikely alliance of support.
U.S. senators said they would pass legislation that will take military sexual assault and harassment cases out of the hands of service commanders after years of trying to remove such investigations from the chain of command.
The Senate bill introduced Thursday created an unlikely alliance between legislators who are often at odds, including Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, who is leading the effort, and staunchly conservative Republican Ted Cruz.
The bill would turn prosecution of such crimes over to independent attorneys, something Gillibrand has advocated for years, but has never been approved by Congress. Demands for independent prosecutors have intensely escalated since the murder last year of Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen, who was fatally beaten with a hammer on base by a colleague after telling her family
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FILE PHOTO: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) walks during a break in the impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump continues in Washington, U.S., January 24, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. senators said on Thursday they expect to pass a law mandating a major shift in how the military handles cases of sexual assault, after years of thwarted efforts to take prosecution of such cases out of the hands of commanders.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat who has championed the policy shift for much of the past decade, led a group of Democrats and Republicans introducing legislation to make prosecution of such crimes the responsibility of independent military prosecutors.
/ Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst speaks at a press conference on the U.S. Capitol lawn on Thursday.
Iowa’s two U.S. senators have signed onto a proposal that would reform the way the military justice system handles sexual assault.
Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, both Republicans, joined Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for a press conference on the U.S. Capitol lawn to talk more about the bill. The New York Democrat wants to remove military commanders from prosecuting service members of sexual assault. Sen. Gillibrand says having commanders in control has discouraged service members from coming forward.
U S senators optimistic about changing how the military handles assault msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.