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House Passes Paulsen Backed Bill Combating Military Sexual Assault

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 27th, 2013 

House Passes Paulsen Backed Bill Combating Military Sexual Assault 

Legislation Strengthens Military Sexual Crime Whistleblower Protection Laws

Washington, D.C. – Representative Erik Paulsen (MN-03) released the following statement after the passage of H.R. 1864, legislation he co-sponsored to strengthen assault prevention and whistleblower protections for victims of sexual assault in the U.S. military. The initiative requires an Inspector General investigation into allegations of retaliatory actions taken against victims and whistleblowers who have reported instances of sexual assault. The bill garnered overwhelming bipartisan support, passing with a vote of 423 to 0. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) is authoring similar legislation in the Senate. It is estimated that more than 19,000 service members were victims of sexual assault in 2011 alone. Read the entire bill here.

“Incidents of sexual violence in our nation’s armed forces attack the very foundation of military tradition and cohesiveness,” said Rep. Paulsen. “The inadequate investigation of sexual assaults in our military and the lack of support for victims of sexual crimes is unacceptable. I have visited Minnesota service members serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world and can attest to their incredible courage and dedication. It is time to change the military’s culture of inaction when addressing sexual assaults.”

Rep. Paulsen recently met with Retired U.S. Army Major General Bob Shadley to discuss ways to ensure these criminals are identified, prosecuted, and removed from the chain of command. Major General Shadley (Ret.) is a Wayzata resident and expert on the subject of preventing sexual assaults in the military.

"I exposed sexual assault in the military in 1996 and I'm frustrated that it's still happening today,” said Major General Shadley. “I am however pleased to see aggressive action being taken by both the legislative and executive branches to attack this problem. It's a force protection issue and should be treated as such. Increasing the ability and confidence of victims to come forward is essential. 99% of people serving are good people. We must hold the 1% doing harm accountable."

For more information on Rep. Paulsen’s work in Congress visit www.paulsen.house.gov.

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