More efforts are underway to protect Coast Guard Academy cadets. The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
It included a bill put forward by CT Rep. Joe Courtney called the Coast Guard Protection and Accountability Act.
If passed, it will protect cadets who report a sexual assault from retaliation. The provision passed 53-3.
"I think that the Coast Guard Academy leadership recognize that this is a really important measure in terms of increasing recruitment and strengthening retention on the campus," Courtney (D-2nd District) said.
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Courtney said he's worked to institute safeguards to prevent and address sexual assault across the Coast Guard over the last decade. He said it's a serious issue that was brought to light "because of the courageous cadets and faculty" who brought the issue to his attention in 2018.
"Committee passage of the Safe-to-Report policy marks a significant step forward by Congress and the Coast Guard to provide greater protections for military personnel reporting sexual assault and codifies protections that students have at all other military academies," Courtney said in a statement.
This builds upon the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act which implemented a Safe-to-Report policy at Department of Defense military academies, but did not include Coast Guard academies.
