NY Daily News: Levin Plans Replacement for Gillibrand Military Sexual Assault Bill
New York Daily News reports:
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin plans to replace a measure from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand that would take prosecution of sexual assault out of the military chain of command with an alternative provision that will replace the New York Democrat’s bill.
Levin, a Michigan Democrat, told reporters he will offer an alternative measure that requires automatic review of any general’s decision not to prosecute sexual assault at the next level of command during the committee’s markup of an annual defense authorization billWednesday.
Passage of Levin’s alternative will likely kill Gillibrand’s measure.
Gillibrand, who chairs an Armed Services Personnel subcommitee, is expected to win that panel’s approval of her measure Tuesdayafternoon.
Her bill removes the power of senior officers to overturn findings by military courts. It responds to an increase in reported rapes and other sexual crimes across the Armed Services, and to controversial instances in which generals exercised power to overturn military courts’ convictions
