A pair of senators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow US service members to sue the military over sexual assault in what would be a significant development in the fight against sexual misconduct in the armed forces.

Background

The Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act, co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Sen. John Kennedy, would allow service members to sue the military in cases of rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, sexual assault of a child, sexual harassment and the wrongful distribution of intimate images.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that within the first 10 years of the legislation being active, “there would be 120,000 people who would file successful claims under this bill,” a Democratic Senate aide told CNN.

Local Connection

A high-profile case at Fort Hood, Texas, where the military has brought charges against an Army gynecologist who has been accused by dozens of women of secretly recording patients, conducting unnecessary procedures during their exams and other sexual misconduct, is a prime example of when the legislation could be used.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.