Jackie Speier

What's so troubling here is, one, that it has been designated as being urgent. And urgent means it is a very serious national security risk.

I am, frankly, sick and tired that we have each service having a different set of standards.

I would have to agree with my other colleagues. In addition to the command definitely being held responsible, the failure of their role in stepping forward and recognizing the reported abuse, the evidence of abuse...

He should have absolutely been held accountable. Being found guilty of fraud and spousal abuse should have absolutely happened.

I do hold his command fully accountable for the eventual outcome because I had done everything right.

Such extraordinary courage and such painful memories that you had to live through once again, but in so doing you have provided us with a great deal of understanding of how ubiquitous this issue is.

This is a black eye on our U.S. military.

Until we have that higher level command and we hold a commander accountable for their career for failing to manage their forces, we are never going to get there.

What has played out here is really abuse of command discretion.

If they don't like that criteria, we can find other officers that want to have an Army or armed services that is respected.

They should not have discretion when it comes to abusing your spouse or your children.

I believe the military takes this problem seriously, but it is clear that leadership needs to address this threat with renewed urgency.

The DOD has not responded urgently.

We are here today because domestic violence has become a forgotten crisis in our military.

I want to welcome everyone to this hearing of the Military Personnel Subcommittee on domestic violence in the military.

Two out of the three victims today didn't even know you existed.

This legislation, and again, they are marking it up right now in the Judiciary Committee, is going to return to the consumer, return to the employee, the opportunity to not sign a forced arbitration agreement when they are at the most…

Oftentimes it does. In one of the cases that our colleague from New York reflected on, it was costing her hundreds of thousands of dollars. In this case I am going to speak about, the patient, the client at the nursing home had to pay…

That is absolutely correct. And it is really important for us to make the public aware that whether you know it or not you are probably signing these arbitration clauses every time you sign up for a particular program, a particular…

That is correct. Without being harsh here, it is rigged. You are not necessarily, in all likelihood, going to get a fair hearing. You are not going to have someone who is independent. Oftentimes they are employed by, selected by the…

A doctor's office. I am about to tell a story about a nursing home. Here is a patient in a nursing home who gets violated, and then there is this arbitration clause that prevents any kind of relief for that particular person who was a…

Well, again, the lack of fairness, because that particular arbitrator is chosen each time. That arbitrator is probably chosen because he or she finds in favor of the company, and the result is that fairness is thrown out the window.

Well, because there is no justice. Oftentimes, as we have pointed out, these arbitration claims end up benefiting the company as opposed to the individual. So few of them actually result in claims being paid out to the consumer or the…

She signed up for it and then decided she didn't want to do it and didn't read the fine print that said she had to go to arbitration?

So this is a consumer who went to get a package of three massages at Massage Envy?