S. 3311: A bill to improve and enhance the capabilities of the Department of Defense to prevent and respond to sexual assault in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

111th Congress · introduced 2010-05-05 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2010-05-05 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

A bill to improve and enhance the capabilities of the Department of Defense to prevent and respond to sexual assault in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

Requires the officials authorized to receive a restricted reporting by a member of the Armed Forces (member) of an allegation of sexual assault without resulting in the initiation of an official investigative process to include judge advocates. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to modify the Military Rules of Evidence to provide a member the privilege to refuse to disclose in a military proceeding a confidential communication between a member and a Victim Advocate, if such communication was made to facilitate victim advocacy. Requires each Sexual Assault Response Coordinator to be a member on active duty or a full-time civilian DOD employee. Prohibits any contractor personnel from acting as Coordinators. Requires each military battalion to have at least one Victim Advocate who is either a member on active duty or a full-time civilian DOD employee. Directs the Secretary to carry out a training and certification program for such Coordinators. Requires the DOD position of Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to be a position in the Senior Executive Service. Directs the Secretary to standardize and update programs and activities relating to sexual assault prevention and response across the Armed Forces and the military departments. Requires the Secretary to ensure that training on sexual assault prevention and response is provided to members at each level of professional military education and is uniform across the Armed Forces.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

A bill to improve and enhance the capabilities of the Department of Defense to prevent and respond to sexual assault in the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Agencies named in this bill

Department of Defense: its federal spending and other bills that name it

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s3311.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s3311 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111