On October 11, the House approved, by voice vote, H.R. 2074, the Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee passed the bill on September 8 (see The Source, 9/12/11).
Sponsored by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-NY), the legislation would require the secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to develop a comprehensive policy on reporting and tracking sexual assault incidents and other safety incidents that occur at VA medical facilities. The measure follows a GAO report that details the number of rapes and sexual assaults at VA facilities between 2007 and 2010.
