U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, announced Friday that she will co-sponsor a bill to provide independent, evidence-based reviews of rape cases in the military.
When a service member is raped or sexually assaulted, she or he may report the incident to the commanding officer, who in some cases is the perpetrator. The Military Justice Improvement Act that Herrera Beutler supports would remove rape and sexual assault investigations from the military’s traditional chain of command and assign such cases to an independent and trained military prosecutor.
A similar bill in the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate is expected to pass next month, supporters of the legislation say.
An estimated 26,000 sexual assaults occurred last year in the military, which is a 37 percent increase when compared to the previous year, according to a report by the Pentagon.
