A bill to require a comprehensive review of the adequacy of the training, qualifications, and experience of the Department of Defense personnel responsible for sexual assault prevention and response for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to review the adequacy of the training, qualifications, and experience of each member of the Armed Forces and civilian DOD employee who is currently responsible for sexual assault prevention and response within the Armed Forces. Includes in such review an assessment of the adequacy of the training and certifications required of Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and Sexual Assault Victim Advocates by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.

Requires the Secretary, upon a determination that any member or civilian employee responsible for sexual assault prevention and response does not have the training, qualifications, or experience required to discharge such responsibilities, to take appropriate responsive actions that include: (1) retraining or recertification, or (2) reassignment and replacement of the member or employee.

Directs the Secretary, following the review required by this Act, to prescribe in regulations: (1) appropriate minimum levels of training, qualifications, and experience for such personnel; and (2) requirements for improvements in training, including of Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and Sexual Assault Victim Advocates.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 964 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 964

  To require a comprehensive review of the adequacy of the training, 
 qualifications, and experience of the Department of Defense personnel 
 responsible for sexual assault prevention and response for the Armed 
                    Forces, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 15, 2013

Mrs. McCaskill (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following 
   bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require a comprehensive review of the adequacy of the training, 
 qualifications, and experience of the Department of Defense personnel 
 responsible for sexual assault prevention and response for the Armed 
                    Forces, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ADEQUACY OF TRAINING, 
              QUALIFICATIONS, AND EXPERIENCE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
              PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION AND 
              RESPONSE FOR THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Comprehensive Review Required.--
            (1) Review of personnel.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
        carry out a review of the adequacy of the training, 
        qualifications, and experience of each member of the Armed 
        Forces and civilian employee of the Department of Defense who 
        is currently responsible for sexual assault prevention and 
        response within the Armed Forces for the discharge of such 
        responsibility.
            (2) Assessment of certain elements of prevention and 
        response program.--In carrying out the review under paragraph 
        (1), the Secretary shall also conduct an assessment of the 
        adequacy of the training and certifications required for 
        certain such personnel by section 584 of the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (Public Law 112-81; 125 
        Stat. 1433; 10 U.S.C. 1561).
    (b) Responsive Personnel Actions.--If as a result of the review 
under subsection (a), the Secretary determines that any member or 
civilian employee described in that subsection does not have the 
training, qualifications, or experience required to discharge the 
responsibility referred to in that subsection, the Secretary shall take 
appropriate responsive actions, including--
            (1) re-training or re-certification of such member or 
        civilian employee; or
            (2) reassigning such member or civilian employee to duties 
        other than sexual assault prevention and response and replacing 
        such member or civilian with a member or civilian employee 
        qualified to discharge such responsibility.
    (c) Responsive Actions Regarding Program Elements.--Upon completion 
of the review under subsection (a), the Secretary shall prescribe in 
regulations the following:
            (1) Appropriate minimum levels of training, qualifications, 
        and experience for members of the Armed Forces and civilian 
        personnel of the Department for the discharge of 
        responsibilities for sexual assault prevention and response 
        within the Armed Forces.
            (2) Such requirements for improvements in the training 
        provided to members and civilian employees referred to in 
        paragraph (1) as the Secretary considers appropriate, including 
        improvements to the training and certifications referred to in 
        subsection (a)(2), in order to ensure that such members and 
        civilian employees are properly trained and certified to 
        discharge responsibilities for sexual assault prevention and 
        response within the Armed Forces.
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