WASHINGTON — Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is partnering with New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on legislation aimed reforming how the military deals with sexual assault.
The pair introduced legislation Tuesday that instructs the Department of Defense to study and make recommendations on the required rank, training and experience for sexual assault response coordinators, which varies between branches of the military, in an effort to professionalize the position.
“America’s service members make untold sacrifices on our nation’s behalf, and it is our responsibility to ensure those who need support can get it,” Hawley said in a statement.
“This legislation would aid the Department of Defense in identifying next steps to professionalize the role of Sexual Assault Response Coordinator throughout all branches of the military — a role that requires adequate training, resources, and support to provide service members with the best care possible.”
Hawley’s partnership with Gillibrand is notable because other Democrats, including those who have previously partnered with Hawley on tech policy or economic issues, have largely distanced themselves since he led an unsuccessful effort to overturn the Electoral College results in January.
Both senators are members of the Armed Services Committee.
Gillibrand said in a statement she was “proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation as we work to eradicate the scourge of sexual assault in our military.”
Lory Manning, a retired Navy captain and director of government operations and for Service Women’s Action Network, said the legislation is a “good starting point, but a report by itself isn’t going to solve much.”
Manning said the various branches of military handle the position differently. In some cases, the role is filled by civilians, while in others it’s filled by officers. She said it would help for the coordinators to have access to military commanders, a recommendation hopes would result from the proposed study.
The bill’s introduction comes a little more than a week after Hawley signed on as a co-sponsor of Gillibrand’s sweeping bill to overhaul how the military handles sexual assault cases by moving prosecutorial decisions out of the chain of command to independent military prosecutors.
Hawley’s decision to sign onto the bill, which is also backed by the Kansas City region’s three other senators, helped it reach 61 sponsors, which will put it above the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Gillibrand has been trying to pass the legislation for eight years.
Hawley’s predecessor, former Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, had opposed Gillibrand’s push to take prosecutorial decisions out of the chain of command and helped block it from moving forward in 2014 in favor of an alternative bill, which preserved commanders’ court-martial authority.
