Rep. Courtney’s Legislation to Protect Coast Guard Academy Cadets Advances in the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed Rep. Joe Courtney’s bill to prevent Coast Guard Academy cadets from punishment for minor offenses when reporting an incident of sexual assault. The provision passed 53-3 as part of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024.
“I’ve worked over the last decade to institute safeguards to prevent and address sexual assault across the Coast Guard—a serious issue that was brought to light because of the courageous cadets and faculty who brought this to my office’s attention in 2018. Committee passage of the safe to report policy marks a significant step forward by Congress and the Coast Guard to provide greater protections for military personnel reporting sexual assault and codifies protections that students have at all other military academies. I commend Commandant Fagan for adopting this policy even before Congress acted and her ongoing commitment to supporting and protecting all Coast Guard personnel,” said Rep. Joe Courtney. “I applaud Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leadership, Chairmen Graves (R-MO) and Webster (R-FL), and Ranking Members Larsen (D-WA) and Carbajal (D-CA), for their leadership in working with me to advance this important provision through the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.”
“As the demands on the Coast Guard continue to grow, we must increase our commitment to the servicemembers who carry out its critical missions,” Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) said. “The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024includes important provisions that will better protect servicemembers and fight sexual violence by holding the Coast Guard accountable for its sexual assault and harassment mitigation and prevention efforts. I commend the advocacy of Representative Courtney to advance these important protections for Coasties.”
“Every single day, the Coast Guard goes to work on the broad range of missions that keep our nation and its citizens safe. They mind the safety our seas and the security of our waters, protect our seafarers and our beachgoers, and reinforce our national defense,” said Ranking Member Carbajal (D-CA). “As a veteran and the top Democrat on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, I’m proud to build on our previous actions taken to protect our servicemembers doing these critical missions by advancing bipartisan legislation aimed at holding the Coast Guard accountable for reforms needed to eliminate sexual assault and sexual harassments from its ranks.”
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. 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.
Today, the Committee passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024, which included the Coast Guard Protection and Accountability Act.
Similar Safe-to-Report legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Blumenthal (D-CT) and Murphy (D-CT).