National Guard and Reserve Equal Access to Legal Services Act

National Guard and Reserve Equal Access to Legal Services Act - Expands eligibility for legal assistance provided by the Armed Forces special victims' counsel for eligible members and dependents who are victims of sex-related offenses to include a member of a reserve component who is a victim of an alleged sex-offense committed by a member of the Armed Forces during: (1) a period in which the individual served on active duty, full-time National Guard duty, or inactive-duty training; or (2) any period, regardless of the duty status of the individual, if the circumstances of the alleged sex-related offense have a nexus to the military service of the individual based on the membership in the Armed Forces of either the victim or the member who allegedly committed such offense.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4863 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4863

 To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide certain members of 
   the reserve components of the Armed Forces who are victims of sex-
      related offenses with access to a special victims' counsel.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2014

  Mr. Kline (for himself, Mr. Paulsen, and Mr. Turner) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide certain members of 
   the reserve components of the Armed Forces who are victims of sex-
      related offenses with access to a special victims' counsel.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Guard and Reserve Equal 
Access to Legal Services Act''.

SEC. 2. ACCESS TO SPECIAL VICTIMS' COUNSEL.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 1044e of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(a) Designation; Purposes.--(1) The Secretary concerned shall 
designate legal counsel (to be known as `Special Victims' Counsel') for 
the purpose of providing legal assistance to an individual described in 
paragraph (2) who is the victim of an alleged sex-related offense, 
regardless of whether the report of that offense is restricted or 
unrestricted.
    ``(2) An individual described in this paragraph is any of the 
following:
            ``(A) An individual eligible for military legal assistance 
        under section 1044 of this title.
            ``(B) An individual who is--
                    ``(i) not covered under subparagraph (A);
                    ``(ii) a member of a reserve component of the armed 
                forces; and
                    ``(iii) a victim of an alleged sex-related offense 
                as described in paragraph (1) that was allegedly 
                committed by a member of the armed forces--
                            ``(I) during a period in which the 
                        individual served on active duty, full-time 
                        National Guard duty, or inactive-duty training; 
                        or
                            ``(II) during any period, regardless of the 
                        duty status of the individual, if the 
                        circumstances of the alleged sex-related 
                        offense have a nexus to the military service of 
                        the individual based on the membership in the 
                        armed forces of either the victim or the member 
                        who allegedly committed such offense.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (f) of such section is 
amended by striking ``eligible for military legal assistance under 
section 1044 of this title'' each place it appears and inserting 
``described in subsection (a)(2)''.
    (c) Construction.--The amendments made by this section may not be 
construed to authorize any additional benefit to a member of a reserve 
component of the Armed Forces other than the access to a Special 
Victims' Counsel under section 1044e of title 10, United States Code, 
as so amended.
                                 <all>