[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 70 (Thursday, April 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2221]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mrs. 
        Feinstein):
  S. 4113. A bill to provide for the independent investigation and 
prosecution of sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military 
Justice, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Sexual 
Harassment Independent Investigations and Prosecution Act, also known 
as the SHIIP Act, which addresses longstanding systemic problems in the 
way that the military investigates and prosecutes sexual harassment. I 
thank Senators Booker, Gillibrand, and Feinstein for being original 
cosponsors and Representative Speier for introducing this important 
legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  It has been 2 years since Army SPC Vanessa Guillen was murdered after 
she reported being sexually harassed by another servicemember. Her 
tragic death was the catalyst to an investigation that led the 
Independent Review Commission to recommend key changes to the way the 
Department of Defense handles sexual assault and sexual harassment. 
Some of these changes, including the codification of sexual harassment 
as a crime, were established last year through the Fiscal Year 2022 
National Defense Authorization Act. Others, unfortunately, were left 
out.
  We must continue to build on the important work of the Independent 
Review Commission and the steps taken in the Fiscal Year 2022 National 
Defense Authorization Act for the sake of our servicemembers. This 
includes codifying the requirement that any sexual harassment or 
assault complaint to be reviewed by a third-party investigator outside 
the chain of command. This change is essential to restoring the trust 
between soldiers and their superiors. Servicemembers would no longer 
have to fear their voices being stifled or dismissed altogether.
  That is why I am introducing the SHIIP Act to require that all 
complaints of sexual assault and harassment be reviewed by a specially 
trained investigator outside the chain of command. The provisions in 
this legislation will move prosecutorial decisions on sexual harassment 
cases to the new special trial counsel, created by the Fiscal Year 2022 
National Defense Authorization Act, and require that independent sexual 
harassment investigators be outside the chain of command and trained to 
investigate sexual harassment. These changes are essential to ensure 
servicemembers feel safe reporting any misconduct and that their 
complaints are investigated properly.
  I urge my colleagues to pass the SHIIP Act as another step forward 
toward restoring faith in the military justice system.
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