Both houses of Congress passed a new bill to enact stronger investigations into sexual assaults in the military and include more protection for victims, the New York Daily News reported.
The bill, which was pushed by several female senators, passed in the Senate on Thursday with a vote of 84-15 and passed in the House last week. The legislation includes combat pay, ships, aircraft, and bases and provides a 1 percent pay raise to military personnel.
It also would prevent military commanders of overturning jury convictions, require a civilian review if a commander decides to not prosecute a case, and require that any member of the military be convicted of a sexual assault or be dishonorably discharged or dismissed.
"This bill is not a Christmas gift to our troops and their families," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI). "Supporting our troops and their families is what we owe them. It's the least we can do, for they are the gift, they are the gift to this country, to this nation and to all of its people."
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, especially Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), were vocal about their concerns for victimized members of the military and how their superiors deal with the issues.
"Not every single commander necessarily wants women in the force. Not every single commander believes what a sexual assault is. Not every single commander can distinguish between a slap on the ass and a rape because they merge all of these crimes together," Gillibrand said.
The White House has expressed their support for the bill in addition to the president, who said in a statement that "as commander in chief, I've made it clear that these crimes have no place in the greatest military on earth."
"Yet, so long as our women and men in uniform face the insider threat of sexual assault, we have an urgent obligation to do more to support victims and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes as appropriate under the military justice system."
