H.R. 2739: BE HEARD Act
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H.R. 2739: BE HEARD Act
115th Congress · introduced 2017-05-25 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2017-05-25 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. Turner, Michael R. [R-OH-10] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. 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.
Official title
BE HEARD Act
Plain summary
Building an Environment for Helpful, Effective, and Accessible Representation and Decision-making Act or the BE HEARD Act This bill directs the Department of Defense to develop specific training to assist Special Victims' Counsels in recognizing and dealing with the effect of gender differences on victim response to sexual assault. The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces may review for legal error a grant or denial of a petition for a writ of mandamus by the Court of Criminal Appeals upon petition of a sexual assault victim or the accused. Such review shall have priority of consideration to the maximum extent practicable. The bill states that: (1) the designation authority under the Uniform Code of Military Justice to appoint an individual to assume the rights of a victim who is under 18 years old or incompetent is discretionary, and (2) such designation is not required if the military judge determines that a victim who is under 18 years old can adequately represent his or her own interests.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. Turner, Michael R. [R-OH-10] · 8 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
James P. McGovern (D-MA), William R. Keating (D-MA), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Turner, Michael R. [R-OH-10] reported raising $1.3 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.
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 (1)
- 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).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr2739.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>
Record fed-us-cong115-hr2739 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115