Ahead of House Vote, Courtney Urges Support for Coast Guard Safe-to-Report Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ahead of a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) spoke on the House floor to urge his colleagues to codify the Coast Guard Safe-to-Report policy, which would protect Coast Guard personnel and Coast Guard Academy cadets from punishment for minor offenses when reporting an incident of sexual assault. The Safe-to-Report policy is included in the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which is schedule for a vote in the House tomorrow.

For the last decade, Courtney has worked to institute safeguards to prevent and address the serious issue of sexual assault in the Coast Guard. In 2024, under then-Commandant Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard administratively adopted a safe-to-report policy. Congressional action will ensure the safeguards are codified into law.

“The [Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025] includes a Safe-to-Report policy, which will protect members [of the Coast Guard] reporting sexual assault,” Courtney said. “Coast Guard officers are some of the finest, most talented people… we need to make sure that there is a statutory structure in place to make sure that any of this type of activity, people will be able to report it and get a remedy and a response, in some cases, punishment, to make sure that people are not hindered because of this unacceptable conduct.”

Click here to view and download Rep. Courtney’s remarks. 

Background on Safe-to-Report Policy

The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act required the Department of Defense to implement Safe-to-Report policy for collateral misconduct involving a midshipman or cadet who is the victim of an alleged sexual assault at Department of Defense Military Academies, which does not include the Coast Guard Academies.

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 action will ensure safeguards are codified into law. 

Full Transcript

 “Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House of Representatives will be taking up H.R. 4275, the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2025. That is the biannual legislation that updates and codifies changes and reforms to America's oldest continuous maritime service the Coast Guard. It's actually called the First Fleet because technically, actually, the Coast Guard is older than the U.S. Navy.

“This bill contains many good bipartisan provisions that, again, are addressing many of the challenges that the Coast Guard faces every day, whether it's drug interdiction, obviously doing the work in terms of our coastal littoral regions of the country and making sure that, you know, we have safe passage of commercial and civilian maritime activity.

“Included is a provision to reach out to a great ally, Finland, to update and modernize our icebreaker fleet, which, again, our Polar Star large icebreaker is now 50 years old, and it is long past due, particularly with the challenges in the Arctic with Russia and China, to make sure that we update and modernize our Coast Guard and icebreaking fleet.

“This bill also contains a long overdue provision to reform the Coast Guard statutes regarding protecting victims of sexual assault and harassment, both within the Coast Guard service and also the Coast Guard Academy.

“I represent New London, Connecticut, which is home to the Coast Guard Academy. It's an outstanding institution that builds future leaders for the Coast Guard. It actually has a large international contingent of allies such as Iceland, Pacific Island nations that come to learn really at the cutting edge institution in terms of coastal activities that are there.

“But like all the military academies, there has been a shadow of, unfortunately, activity regarding female cadets over the years that have had to really put up with totally unacceptable conduct. And, really, forcing them into almost an impossible position in terms of reporting this activity over the years. 

“The bill includes a Safe-to-Report policy, which will protect members reporting sexual assault. Again, sometimes incidents occur where there may be minor misconduct issues that both the victim and the perpetrator are involved in. And that risk of being punished for those minor misconduct has really inhibited people to come forward and report sexual assault.

“This is an issue which was the subject of exhaustive hearings at the Oversight Committee over, really the last eight years. Our dear belated Congressman Elijah Cummings conducted many of those hearings. There were brave whistleblowers that came forth. Doctor Kim Young-McLear, who is now retired Commander in the Coast Guard, testified before that committee and talked about again some of the hard experiences that she went through.

“Other military academies, West Point, Annapolis, have actually adopted Safe-to-Report policies. And tomorrow's bill will get the Coast Guard Academy in line with those institutions. The bill also extends the Safe-to-Report policy to the entire Coast Guard personnel, the entire service. That was done administratively by the last commandant of the Coast Guard Linda Fagan, who, again, I think was very focused in terms of trying to make sure that the Safe-to-Report policy was going to be in place to eradicate activities that really harms the readiness and effectiveness of the Coast Guard women.

“Coast Guard officers are some of the finest, most talented people that, again, are doing the important work of the Coast Guard. And we need to make sure that there is a statutory structure in place to make sure that any of this type of activity, people will be able to report it and get a remedy and a response, in some cases, punishment, to make sure that, again, people are not hindered because of this unacceptable conduct.

“So tomorrow, when we take up this bill, it is going to be a day in which, again, those brave women who came forward to testify and report their experience, and sometimes watch their dreams and their careers, and because of the fact that they were subjected to really, you know, just unacceptable pressure and retaliation for reporting, by law that is now going to be a thing of the past. Long overdue. And again, I just want to again take a moment to publicly thank Commander Young-McLear and her colleagues for having the courage to step forward and make sure that the Congress is aware of this situation and will end it. Tomorrow's bill. I yield back.”

###