After A Multi-Year Effort, U.S. House Passes Courtney-Led Policy to Protect Coast Guard Servicemembers from Sexual Assault
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which includes a Safe-to-Report policy that Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) has worked for years to make law. The Safe-to-Report policy would protect Coast Guard personnel and Coast Guard Academy cadets from punishment for minor offenses when reporting an incident of sexual assault. Yesterday, Courtney urgedhis colleagues to support this measure in a speech on the House Floor.
Since U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadets and faculty brought this serious issue to Rep. Courtney and his office’s attention in 2018, Courtney has worked to institute safeguards to prevent and address sexual assault across the Coast Guard. In 2024, Courtney’s bill to institute the Safe-to-Report policy across the Coast Guard was passedby the House as part of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, but the bill was not signed into law before the end of the 118th Congress. Also in 2024, under then-Commandant Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard administratively adopted a Safe-to-Report policy. Passage of Safe-to-Report in Congress will ensure the safeguards are codified into law.
“The serious issue of sexual assault in the Coast Guard was brought to light because of the brave servicemembers and cadets who came forward to testify and report their experiences. These women were subjected to unacceptable pressure and retaliation. Under the leadership of former Commandant Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard administratively adopted protections for servicemembers reporting sexual assault. By codifying the Safe-to-Report policy into law, Congress will give these protections a statutory structure and take a critical step to ensuring the entire service is better protected from sexual assault and harassment,” Courtney said. “I applaud Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership, Chairmen Graves (R-MO) and Ezell (R-MS), and Ranking Members Larsen (D-WA) and Carbajal (D-CA) for their leadership in working with me to advance Safe-to-Report in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 4275). I urge the Senate to pass this bill and get it to the President’s desk to be signed into law.”
More Background on Courtney’s Multi-Year Effort to Make the Safe-to-Report Policy Law at the Coast Guard
In 2019, Rep. Courtney hosted Commander Kimberly Young-McLear, Ph.D. of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as his guest for the State of the Union Address. In 2018, Commander Young-McLear suffered retaliation after she made complains about being the target of workplace bullying for years while teaching at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense to implement Safe-to-Report policy for collateral misconduct across the entire Armed Forces, which does not include the Coast Guard.
In August of 2023, Rep. Courtney introduced legislation to ensure that the Coast Guard Academy implements identical policy to prevent cadets from punishment for minor offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice when reporting an incident of sexual assault. Individuals could be fearful to report sexual assault because of concern they could be in violation of minor misconduct rules around the time of the assault. Safe-to-report policies ensure reporting individuals are not punished for minor offenses when reporting these incidents. Minor offenses include underage drinking and violating curfew, for example.
In February of 2024, Rep. Courtney and leaders on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure introduced the Coast Guard Protection and Accountability Act, which included the Safe-to-Report policy.
In March of 2024, the Committee passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, which included the Coast Guard Protection and Accountability Act.
In May of 2024, the House passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, but the bill was not signed into law before the end of the 118th Congress.
On July 15th, the Committee approved the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 for the 119th Congress, including the Safe-to-Report policy in the bill.
While the Coast Guard independently adopted a safe-to-report policy in 2024 under then-Commandant Linda Fagan, Congressional passage will ensure safeguards are codified into law.
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