The Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act would give troops the right to file civil claims in a range of cases and when the military fails to prevent or properly investigate misconduct. (Jaimee Freeman/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — Service members who experienced sexual assault or harassment in the military would be allowed to sue the U.S. government under a new bipartisan bill introduced by two senators.
The Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act would give troops the right to file civil claims in a range of cases, including rape and the wrongful distribution of intimate images, and when the military fails to prevent or properly investigate misconduct.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and John Kennedy, R-La., introduced the measure on Wednesday.
“It makes no sense that civilians can seek justice from the government when the warriors who have sacrificed everything to protect our nation cannot,” Shaheen said in a statement. “Our landmark legislation would right this wrong.”
Current law bars service members from suing the government for injuries arising out of active-duty military service.
The bill would carve out an exemption for sexual misconduct, much like the 2019 SFC Richard Stayskal Military Medical Accountability Act, which allows service members to file claims against the military for medical malpractice.
Congress has passed numerous bills over the years to address sexual assault in the military, including the adoption of reforms to the Uniform Code of Military Justice that took such offenses out of a service member’s chain of command.
The military received 8,195 reports of sexual assault in fiscal 2024, which was 320 fewer than in 2023, according to the Defense Department’s most recent report on sexual misconduct.
Allowing service members to pursue “every possible legal recourse” is necessary to build on legislative progress and “root out the negligence that has allowed sexual harassment and assault to thrive in our military,” Shaheen said.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that 120,000 successful claims would be filed in the first decade if the legislation becomes law, according to a congressional aide.
Kennedy said the bill would create a long-overdue path for service members and veterans to seek justice.
“Our brave men and women in uniform deserve real accountability, not excuses,” he said.
