Victims Protection Act of 2013
Latest action. Read the second time. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 253.
Victims Protection Act of 2013 - Revises or adds provisions concerning sexual assault prevention and response programs and activities within the Department of Defense (DOD), including provisions concerning:
a prohibition on service within the Armed Forces by individuals convicted of certain sexual offenses;
the inclusion of information on sexual-related offenses within military service records;
increased responsibilities within DOD's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office;
review of the adequacy of training for members of the Armed Forces (members) on sexual assault prevention and response;
programs for the provision of a Special Victims' Counsel for victims of sexual assault;
commanding officer responsibilities and actions with respect to sexual offenses involving members;
the investigation of allegations of retaliatory personnel actions after protected communications regarding sexual assault;
independent panel duties concerning the review and assessment of judicial proceedings of sexual assault cases;
additional military department actions on sexual assault prevention and response;
sexual assault prevention and response within the military service academies; and
collaboration between DOD and the Department of Justice (DOJ) in efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault.
Revises or adds provisions concerning court-martial actions for offenses involving sex-related crimes, including provisions concerning:
elimination of the five-year statute of limitations on trial by court-martial;
mandatory discharge or dismissal upon conviction for certain sex-related offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ);
limitations on the modification of court-martial findings;
a report on UCMJ modifications to prohibit sexual acts and contacts between military instructors and trainees; and
the discharge, in lieu of court-martial, of members who commit sex-related offenses.
Outlines provisions concerning other military justice and legal matters, including provisions concerning:
the prohibition of retaliation against members for reporting a criminal offense;
the extension of crime victims' rights to victims of offenses under the UCMJ; and
preliminary hearings on alleged offenses under the UCMJ.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on November 21, 2013. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 9, 2013: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 253.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Claire McCaskill (D-MO) introduced it on November 21, 2013, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on November 21, 2013, 4677 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4659 days ago, on December 9, 2013.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers