On the recordJune 13, 2013
I'm very disappointed that the Rules Committee chose to disallow my amendment from being heard today. The amendment that I offered, in conjunction with Representative Benishek and Representative Gabbard, simply allowed for victims of sexual violence in the military to have an opportunity to seek justice in court, in the light of day, without fear of retribution or recrimination from their superiors. This amendment, Mr. Speaker and Members, would have taken the policy outside of the chain of command so that victims of sexual assault would have the opportunity to seek justice, and that those perpetrators who have committed sexual assault against their fellow servicemembers would be held accountable, accountable for the acts which they have committed. In this instance, Mr. Speaker and Members, this amendment would ensure that the victims could report the crimes, seek justice without fear of retribution or, even worse, having a superior who ignores or downplays the severity of the incident which has occurred.
