WASHINGTON, D.C. –– U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced today that he would vote for a bipartisan amendment offered by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) aimed at addressing sexual assaults in the military. Brown issued the following statement:

“While the military has taken some important steps to address sexual assault, far too many American service members have faced unwanted sexual contact and assaults. And far too few feel they can report an assault without adverse consequences to their careers, “Brown said. “We should do everything we can to root out this problem in all our institutions, civilian and military.”

According to the Department of Defense, an estimated 26,000 instances of unwanted sexual contact occurred in the military last year, but only 3,374 of these sexual assaults were reported. Gillibrand’s amendment would allow military prosecutors to decide whether to prosecute sexual assaults in the military.

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