Victims Protection Act of 2013
Latest action · Dec 9, 2013 Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 253.
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.
- IntroducedNov 21, 2013
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Victims Protection Act of 2013 - Revises or adds provisions concerning sexual assault prevention and response programs and activities within the Department of Defense (DOD), including provisions concerning:
- a prohibition on service within the Armed Forces by individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses;
- the inclusion of information on sexual-related offenses within military service records;
- increased responsibilities within DOD's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office;
- review of the adequacy of training for members of the Armed Forces (members) on sexual assault prevention and response;
- programs for the provision of a Special Victims' Counsel for victims of sexual assault;
- commanding officer responsibilities and actions with respect to sexual offenses involving members;
- the investigation of allegations of retaliatory personnel actions after protected communications regarding sexual assault;
- independent panel duties concerning the review and assessment of judicial proceedings of sexual assault cases;
- additional military department actions on sexual assault prevention and response;
- sexual assault prevention and response within the military service academies; and
- collaboration between DOD and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault.
Revises or adds provisions concerning court-martial actions for offenses involving sex-related crimes, including provisions concerning:
- elimination of the five-year statute of limitations on trial by court-martial;
- mandatory discharge or dismissal upon conviction for certain sex-related offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ);
- limitations on the modification of court-martial findings;
- a report on UCMJ modifications to prohibit sexual acts and contacts between military instructors and trainees; and
- the discharge, in lieu of court-martial, of members who commit sex-related offenses.
Outlines provisions concerning other military justice and legal matters, including provisions concerning:
- the prohibition of retaliation against members for reporting a criminal offense;
- the extension of crime victims' rights to victims of offenses under the UCMJ; and
- preliminary hearings on alleged offenses under the UCMJ.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Nov 21, 2013.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-NE | Deb Fischer | Original | Nov 21, 2013 |
| R-NH | Kelly Ayotte | Original | Nov 21, 2013 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 9, 2013Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 253.
- Nov 21, 2013Introduced in Senate
- Nov 21, 2013Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1197 | National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 | Related bill | Dec 9, 2013 |
| S 1917 | Victims Protection Act of 2014 | Related bill | Jun 20, 2014 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Advisory bodies
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Assault and harassment offenses
- Coast guard
- Congressional oversight
- Crime prevention
- Crime victims
- Crimes against women
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Criminal justice information and records
- Department of Defense
- Department of Justice
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Evidence and witnesses
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Government studies and investigations
- Lawyers and legal services
- Military command and structure
- Military education and training
- Military law
- Military personnel and dependents
- National Guard and reserves
- Performance measurement
- Personnel records
- Right of privacy
- Sex offenses
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 9, 2013Placed on Calendar Senate
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.