HR 1529 · 112th Congress 2011–2013, ended

Defense STRONG Act

Introduced Apr 13, 2011 Originated House Sponsor Niki Tsongas D-MA

Latest action · May 18, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedApr 13, 2011
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act (Defense STRONG Act) - Amends the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to require the Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to be appointed from general or flag officers or Department of Defense (DOD) employees in a comparable Senior Executive Service position.

Requires the assignment within each military brigade or equivalent unit level of at least one full-time Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and one full-time Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, allowing the Secretary of the military department concerned to assign additional coordinators and/or advocates based on the demographics or needs of the unit. Allows only members of the Armed Forces (members) or DOD civilian personnel to be assigned as coordinators or advocates as of October 1, 2013. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a professional training and certification program for such coordinators and advocates.

Entitles any member, or dependent of a member, who is the victim of a sexual assault to legal assistance provided by a military legal assistance counsel and coordinator and advocate services, regardless of whether the member elects unrestricted or restricted (confidential) reporting of the assault. Makes privileged any communications between a member or dependent and a coordinator, advocate, legal counsel, or person staffing a helpline.

Directs the Secretary to establish a system for tracking and maintaining for at least 100 years any medical, investigative, and other records prepared or obtained by DOD in connection with a sexual assault involving a member or dependent. Requires permanent access to such records by the victim.

Requires the transfer from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of certain medical records in anticipation of a member's discharge, release, retirement, or medical treatment.

Provides for the expedited consideration of, and priority for, an application by victims of sexual assault for a permanent change of station or unit transfer based on humanitarian conditions.

Requires each military department Secretary to develop a curriculum to provide sexual assault prevention and response training and education for members and civilian employees of that department.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the inclusion of a sexual assault prevention and response training module at each level of professional military education, and (2) require managers of specialty skills associated with first responders to integrate sexual assault response training in initial and recurring first responder training courses.

Cosponsors 40

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 13, 2011 to Sep 12, 2012; 18 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
D-IA	Bruce L. Braley	Original	Apr 13, 2011
R-WA	Cathy McMorris Rodgers	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-NY	Charles B. Rangel	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-ME	Chellie Pingree	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-NY	Edolphus Towns	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-MO	Emanuel Cleaver	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-CA	Jackie Speier	Original	Apr 13, 2011
R-FL	Jeff Miller	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-IN	Joe Donnelly	Original	Apr 13, 2011
R-TX	K. Michael Conaway	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-CA	Lynn C. Woolsey	Original	Apr 13, 2011
R-OH	Michael R. Turner	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-AZ	Raúl M. Grijalva	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-CT	Rosa L. DeLauro	Original	Apr 13, 2011
R-MD	Roscoe G. Bartlett	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-NJ	Rush Holt	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-OH	Tim Ryan	Original	Apr 13, 2011
R-AZ	Trent Franks	Original	Apr 13, 2011
D-DC	Eleanor Holmes Norton		Apr 14, 2011
R-NJ	Frank A. LoBiondo		Apr 14, 2011
R-NJ	Jon Runyan		Apr 14, 2011
D-NM	Martin Heinrich		Apr 14, 2011
R-PA	Todd Russell Platts		Apr 14, 2011
D-NY	Anthony D. Weiner		May 2, 2011
D-MN	Betty McCollum		May 2, 2011
D-CA	Fortney Pete Stark		May 2, 2011
D-WI	Gwen Moore		May 2, 2011
D-MA	James P. McGovern		May 2, 2011
D-CA	Laura Richardson		May 2, 2011
D-NY	Maurice D. Hinchey		May 2, 2011
R-NC	Walter B. Jones		May 2, 2011
D-GA	Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr.		May 11, 2011
D-RI	James R. Langevin		May 11, 2011
D-OR	Earl Blumenauer		May 24, 2011
R-WA	Jaime Herrera Beutler		Jun 2, 2011
D-CA	Lucille Roybal-Allard		Jun 2, 2011
D-TN	Steve Cohen		Jul 7, 2011
R-IL	Robert T. Schilling		Nov 3, 2011
D-NY	Kathleen C. Hochul		Dec 14, 2011
D-ME	Michael H. Michaud		Sep 12, 2012

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Armed Services Committee	Referred Apr 13, 2011
	Military Personnel Subcommittee	Referred May 18, 2011

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

May 18, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
Apr 13, 2011Introduced in House
Apr 13, 2011Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: The constitutional authority of Congress to enact this legislation is provided by Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution (clauses 12, 13, 14, 16, and 18), which grants Congress the power to raise and support an Army; to provide and maintain a Navy; to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces; to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia; and to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the foregoing powers.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H2666.

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
S 1018	Defense STRONG Act	Related bill	May 18, 2011

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend title 10, United States Code, and the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to provide for implementation of additional recommendations of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services.
Short Titles as Introduced: Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act; Defense STRONG Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Apr 13, 2011Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.