House Armed Services Committee Chair Adam Smith (D-Wash.) plans to bring a stand-alone military justice reform bill to the committee in mid-July, he told reporters Tuesday, according to The Hill. The issue is also on the table as part of the defense authorization bill, he said.

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) is the sponsor of the bill, a companion to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s legislation. It would remove the handling of major crimes from the chain of command.

Military leaders, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have expressed support for removing sexual crimes away from commanders, but there’s still resistance among some of them to changing the process for non-sex-related crimes.

“I’ve spoken with Sen. Gillibrand several times. She’s made a reasonably compelling case about it, about why it should be all felonies, why it is a cleaner way to do it,” Smith said. “But I am listening to experts and examining arguments to figure out what the best approach is.”

CQ Roll Call photo by Sarah Silbiger