[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0910
     WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTIONS FOR MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS

  (Mrs. WALORSKI asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, according to the Department of Defense, 
in 2011, there were an estimated 19,000 victims of sexual violence in 
the military; however, only 2,700 servicemembers actually filed a 
sexual assault report. These numbers are daunting and completely 
inexcusable.
  Earlier this week, I was proud to introduce bipartisan legislation 
with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. This bill strengthens whistleblower 
protections for military sexual assault victims. These protections 
ensure victims of sexual crimes have the same rights as other military 
whistleblowers.
  Today, we have the opportunity to provide servicemen and -women with 
the peace of mind that they can report sexual violence without fear of 
retaliation. I encourage all my colleagues to support H.R. 1864 and 
help eradicate sexual violence from the Armed Forces.

                          ____________________