Texas House Could Nudge Congress to Pass Vanessa Guillen Bill
It's been almost a year since Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillen was murdered, and the fight to pass legislation aimed at preventing future tragedies continues.
The I Am Vanessa Guillen Act would make sexual harassment a punishable crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, make it possible for soldiers to file confidential complaints, and establish a process for independent investigations of those complaints.
The bill seems to have strong bipartisan support, so why is it taking so long for it to be passed by Congress?
That's the question a Texas House committee hopes to have answered.
KDBC-TV's Christian Flores reports that the Texas House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs met Monday morning to discuss passage of a resolution that would urge Congress to pass the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act.
Guillen's case brought national attention to Fort Hood, which has seen the deaths and disappearances of several soldiers in recent years. Her case, in particular, shone a light on the need for fundamental changes to how sexual harassment claims are made and investigated in the military and how complainants should be protected from reprisal.
Army Spc. Aaron Robinson is believed to have been responsible for Guillen's murder. He died in a confrontation with the police on July 1, 2020. The woman accused of helping him desecrate and hide Guillen's remains, Cecily Aguilar, still awaits trial.
Sure Congress has their hands full with the pandemic and border situations, but let's get this done. The safety, dignity, and lives of our military members are at stake.