Tester’s Bill to Protect Survivors of Military Sexual Assault From Retaliation

Senator Jon Tester is sponsoring a bill to strengthen whistle blower protections and enhance safeguards for survivors of military sexual assault and other military members.

“Our military men and women should never be afraid to speak out for fear of retaliation,” Tester said.  “This bill takes important steps to ensure service members are able to speak out against incidents of sexual assault, waste, fraud or other illegal activities without it unfairly tarnishing their military record or putting their job at risk.”

The Legal Justice for Servicemembers Act changes the burden of proof standards, provides service members the right to request an appeal hearing, requires the Defense Department to develop uniform procedures for conducting whistle blower investigations, and ensures service members have the same whistle blower protections as civilians.