WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators reached final agreement Monday on a Pentagon policy bill that would strengthen protections for military victims of sexual assault and keep the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, open over President Obama's strenuous objections, as Congress rushed to wrap up work for the year. The new measure would prevent commanding officers from overturning sexual assault verdicts, expand a special victims counsel program for the survivors of sexual assault throughout the military and make retaliation for reporting assault a crime. Significantly, for criminal complaints, including sexual assault, courts of investigation - known as Article 32 hearings - would act more like preliminary hearings looking for probable cause to pursue a court-martial. The measure is the first change to law governing sexual assault in the military in years, stemming from the furor that has erupted over the rising numbers of sexual assaults in the military; there were 3,553 sexual assault complaints reported in the first three quarters of this fiscal year, a nearly 50 percent increase over the same period a year earlier.
Source: NEW YORK TIMES
Swirl >>
One Billion Rising the 2014 campaign to end violence against women - THE GUARDIAN
Protesters Block Google Bus Demand 1 Billion - HUFFINGTON
GOP Discord Leaves Defense Spending Bill in Limbo - NATIONAL JOURNAL
DealBook Sysco to Buy Rival US Foods in Deal Valued at 35 Billion - NEW YORK TIMES
House Committee to Introduce Bill to Spur Federal Agency Spectrum Sales - WALL STREET JOURNAL
Bilfinger to pay 32 million over US corruption charges - REUTERS
SanofiAventis To Buy Genzyme For 20 Billion - CBS NEWS
Bill Porter an Exceptional Salesman Who Inspired a Film Dies at 81 - NEW YORK TIMES
No comments:
Post a Comment