Stansbury Signs on to Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) signed on to the Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act, which was reintroduced yesterday by Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), Chair of the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee, and Congressman Michael R. Turner (R-OH), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

The first bill Rep. Stansbury cosponsors – it is bipartisan, bicameral legislation seeking to move the decision to prosecute serious crimes in the military, including sexual assault, from the chain of command.

“For years, survivors and families of victims have called for action on sexual assault in the military and the process for justice,” said Stansbury. “I am proud to cosponsor the Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act to remove major crimes, including sexual assault, from the chain of command and instead, turn them over to independent prosecutors to make the decision on whether to try a servicemember. This is a critical piece of reforming the military justice system–one that we owe to our servicemembers to pass swiftly.”

Find more information about the legislation here.

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