Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) expects the Senate will vote this fall on her bill to overhaul the military justice system, The Hill reported. The bill would remove sexual assault and other major crimes from the chain of command.
The bill has key Republican support in the House and enough backers in the Senate to avoid a filibuster, but Armed Services Committee leaders have blocked the bill from coming to the floor.
“Right now, we are trying to deal with COVID relief, infrastructure and the Biden families plan,” Gillibrand said. “So we have a lot of work that has more urgency, and so we will probably have our vote on this in the fall.”
She said President Joe Biden has indicated his support of the bill.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley have said they support reforming the process for sexual assault allegations, but some senior Pentagon officials have expressed concern over Gillibrand’s broader approach that also covers other major crimes.
Army photo by Senior Airman Christopher Muncy