(TargetLiberty.org) – Every year, thousands of military men and women report incidences of sexual assault while in the armed services. According to the 2020 DOD Annual Report of Sexual Assault in the Military, the Defense Department received 6,290 reports of assault allegedly carried out by active-duty members during military service. Some members of Congress have been fighting to change the way rape allegations are handled by the military for years, and now they’ve reportedly reached a turning point.
On Sunday, May 16, The Hill reported lawmakers who did not support changes to the system in years past are now on board. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) announced on Friday that he was going to push a bill that changes the way the military handles sexual assault.
The new legislation would be a companion bill to the Senate’s Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act (MJIIPA), which now has 61 supporters.
Thank you @gillibrandny. True bipartisanship can be rare in Washington. I'm grateful for your tireless work on the #MJIIPA and to help lead this critical legislation in the House. https://t.co/4LEf0ubFrZ
— US Rep. Mike Turner (@RepMikeTurner) May 15, 2021
The legislation in the House and Senate takes away military commanders’ power to decide who’s prosecuted and who’s not. There have been allegations that many alleged rapists are only given a slap on the wrist. The power would be handed over to specially trained prosecutors instead. With support from so many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, it looks like the legislation has a good chance of passing.
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