Detroit Free Press: Michigan congressman pushes for reforms in way military handles sexual assaults
Detroit Free Press reports:
U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls, has so far had little luck getting Republican leadership in the House to move forward with the bill and failed to get it attached to the annual defense authorization act. But he has continued to rack up signatures in support of the legislation.
Today, Benishek noted that he’s got 48 signatures in support of the bill from a group that includes Democrats and Republicans. Of that number, eight of Michigan’s nine Republican members of Congress have signed on — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Howell, being the only one not to do so as yet — and one Democrat, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township.
“It’s clear that we need to reform the way the military handles sexual assault cases,” Benishek said. “Our bipartisan coalition in Michigan is evidence that both sides agree that sexual assault cases should be handled by independent military prosecutors.”
Benishek’s effort mirrors that underway across the Capitol in the Senate, where Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, has been gathering support from Democrats and Republicans alike in an attempt to pass her own legislation. But her efforts have run afoul of opposition by Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich.
