Victims Protection Act of 2013 2013-11-21 Introduced in Senate 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.
]]> text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.