[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 8, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 27, 2010

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration of the bill (H.R. 5136) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the men and women 
in our armed forces and H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization 
Act for FY 2011. H.R. 5136 makes sound investments in our armed 
forces--strengthening our national security and providing needed 
resources and support for our men and women in uniform and their 
families.
  I am particularly pleased by the inclusion of twenty-eight provisions 
to ensure the Defense Department has the tools it needs to prevent and 
respond to sexual assault in the military. These important provisions 
will implement into law many of the recommendations of the Defense Task 
Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services, and the inclusion of 
these provisions in this bill makes this the single most comprehensive 
legislative package in history to address sexual assault in the 
military.
  Preventing sexual assault in the military is a persistent problem and 
an issue that I have worked on for many years. I firmly believe that 
the best way to effectively tackle a problem such as sexual assault in 
the military is to have accurate data, which is why I previously 
introduced legislation that would force the Department of Defense (DoD) 
to implement fully the Defense Incident-Based Reporting System (DIBRS). 
DIBRS collects statistics about crimes committed within the military 
services.
  Despite the clear need for a well-functioning system for reporting 
such crimes, DIBRS has yet to be completed. In the FY10 National 
Defense Authorization Act, I offered an amendment that was successfully 
adopted that required that the Secretary report to Congress on the 
Department's progress to completing DIBRS. Since that time, the Defense 
Department reports that the Navy has resumed full-time reporting and is 
working towards full compliance. I applaud the Department for its 
efforts and look forward to an accurate accounting of the crimes that 
are occurring in the U.S. military and the effective policies that will 
be implemented in response to ensure the safety of our military 
personnel.
  I have also introduced legislation, the Preventing Sexual Assaults in 
the Military Act, that would provide funding to process the backlog of 
DNA kits in the military, reduce the processing time, train medical 
personnel as SANEs, and ensure an adequate supply of rape kits to 
theaters of operation, academies, and domestic or overseas bases. 
Similar provisions passed in the FY05 Defense Authorization 
legislation, and I am very pleased to see that this bill before us 
today requires DoD to specifically budget for the sexual assault 
prevention and response program--a program that addresses these 
shortfalls.
  This bill before us today protects and supports our military service 
members, while strengthening the ability of the finest military in the 
world to respond to today's and future threats.
  I urge my colleagues to support it.

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