U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Richard Blumenthal, Colleagues Introduce Safe-to-Report Legislation for the U.S. Coast Guard

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 12, 2024 — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) recently joined Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and a bipartisan group of their colleagues in introducing legislation to protect survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment at the United States Coast Guard Academy (CGA) and throughout the entire Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard Academy Safe-to-Report Act would require the Coast Guard to implement a safe-to-report policy to protect servicemembers and cadets from punishment for minor infractions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice when reporting incidents of sexual abuse.

“Protecting survivors of sexual assault and ensuring that all cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy have a safe environment to learn and train is of the utmost importance. Congress has already made it clear that this type of reprehensible conduct has no place in our military or on the campuses of our other service academies. It’s critical that the same standards and protections are in place at the Coast Guard Academy, so that perpetrators can be held accountable and survivors can get justice,” said Senator Britt.

“We are sounding a call to action. Coast Guard survivors of sexual assault and harassment need and deserve safeguards—long overdue protections when they come forward against their attackers,” said Senator Blumenthal. “Survivors are now understandably afraid they’ll be punished when reporting cases of sexual misconduct. They should be supported in their recovery and pursuit of justice and receive help needed to heal. This legislation holds the Coast Guard Academy accountable by enshrining safe-to-report policies and ensuring proper protections. Recent history dramatically shows how at-risk Coast Guard members are to sexual harassment and assault—supporting prompt passage of the Coast Guard Academy Safe-to-Report Act.”

In addition to Senators Britt and Blumenthal, the bill was introduced by Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.).

Complimentary legislation is led in the House of Representatives by U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), who introduced the bipartisan Coast Guard Academy Safe-to-Report Parity Act in August.

The full text of the bill can be found here.

Background:

• Recently, the Coast Guard established a safe-to-report policy to protect servicemembers reporting cases of sexual assault. While this policy is a positive step forward, the Coast Guard Academy Safe-to-Report Act goes further, establishing safeguards for members of the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Academy cadets who experience sexual harassment. In addition, by making this policy a statutory requirement, this legislation aligns the Coast Guard with other military services that were required to implement similar policies in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021.
• By requiring the implementation of a safe-to-report policy, the Coast Guard Academy Safe-to-Report Act ensures that survivors cannot be punished for certain minor offenses, including drinking and violating curfew, when reporting cases of sexual abuse.

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