Rothfus Votes to Support Strong Defense, Servicemembers, Military Families

Press Release

Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Keith Rothfus [PA-12] released the following statement after voting for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):

"Providing for a strong defense and supporting our servicemembers and military families are some of Congress's most important responsibilities," said Rothfus. "This bipartisan legislation ensures that the military is ready to respond to challenges around the world and provides our men and women in uniform with the resources they need to complete their missions. The NDAA also provides funding to continue to modernize our National Guard and Reserve Components.

"More than 171,000 military retirees and family members lost their Tricare Prime coverage on October 1, 2013. To address this, I co-sponsored legislation (H.R. 1971) to direct the Secretary of Defense to provide beneficiaries with the opportunity to retain coverage. As part of the NDAA, these military retirees and family members will have the opportunity to remain on Tricare Prime. In addition, the NDAA rejects the Administration's proposals to increase or establish new Tricare fees.

"Importantly, the bill better protects servicemembers from sexual assault, prosecute offenders, and provide support services to victims."

Information on Efforts to Combat Sexual Assault in the Military from House Armed Services Committee:

The legislation includes over 30 provisions or reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice related to combatting sexual assault in the military. These reforms would strip commanders of their authority to dismiss a finding by a court martial- a power they have held since the earliest days of our military. It would also prohibit commanders from reducing guilty findings to guilty of a lesser offence. Where servicemembers are found guilty of sexual assault related offenses the NDAA establishes minimum sentencing guidelines. Currently, such guidelines only exist in the military for the crimes of murder and espionage. Personnel records will now include information on sex-related offenses. Recognizing that victim support is as vital as prosecution, the NDAA would allow victims of sexual assault to apply for a permanent change of station or unit transfer, while authorizing the Secretary of Defense to inform commanders of their authority to remove or temporarily reassign servicemembers who are the alleged perpetrators of sexual assault. The NDAA requires the provision of victims' counsels, qualified and specially trained lawyers in each of the services, to be made available to provide legal assistance to the victims of sex-related offenses. The NDAA adds rape, sexual assault, or other sexual misconduct to the protected communications of servicemembers, with a Member of Congress or an Inspector General- and expands those protections for sexual assault crimes. The NDAA eliminates the 5 year statute of limitations on rape and sexual assault. To better protect victims' rights, the NDAA reforms the Article 32 process to avoid destructive fishing expeditions and properly focus on probable cause. A number of victim's rights policies are enshrined in statute. Finally, to ensure that the military is better positioned to deal with the crisis of sexual assault within its ranks, the NDAA requires the Secretary of Defense to assess the current role and authorities of commanders in the administration of military justice and the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

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