Rep.

Jackie Speier is pushing for several amendments to be included in the National Defense
Authorizations Act to address sexual harassment in the military, in response to Spc. Vanessa
Guillen's killing in Texas earlier this year.

"We are heartbroken and outraged by the horrific murder of SPC Vanessa Guillen at the hands of
another military service member," Speier, the chairwoman of the House Armed Services
Subcommittee on Military Personnel, says in a letter to her colleagues, "We are concerned about
many aspects of this case, including the length of time it took for the military to find SPC
Guillen. We are particularly troubled that SPC Guillen told her family that she had been harassed
by another service member but was too afraid to file a sexual harassment report."
On Capitol Hill, Speier has offered two amendments to strengthen military policies on sexual
harassment that Guillén's tragedy has highlighted the need for, she says.
The first requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the militarys
practices for investigating missing persons and compare them with the investigative services in
the civilian world, evaluating whether its using best practices.
The second requires the Department of Defense to establish a new, confidential reporting process
for sexual harassment that would be integrated with the militarys "Catch a Serial Offender"
program.
Guillen, 20, was last seen in the parking lot of her barracks at Fort Hood in April, according to
the US Army Criminal Investigation Command. Her remains were found last month, according
to her familys attorney, Natalie Khawam. Spc. Aaron Robinson, a 20-year-old soldier suspected
in the disappearance of Guillen, killed himself after police confronted him in Killeen, Texas,
authorities said July 1. Texas Rangers arrested another suspect, a civilian, in connection with the
case, according to the Criminal Investigation Command.
"Sexual harassment in the military is up; reporting is down. I think with Specialist Guillen's
reluctance to report it, it underscores the fact that retaliation is what they fear," Speier said in an
interview Monday with CNN, "a combination of retaliation and justice not being done."
Speier is scheduled to speak with Guillén's family this week as she pushes her amendments in
the National Defense Authorization Act while it is being negotiated on Capitol Hill.
"I must say, for the first time in the NDAA this year there is growing recognition that its not
working," Speier says, speaking of the bipartisan support she believes she has for these
amendments.
Rep. Jackie Speier is pushing for several amendments to be included in the National Defense
Authorizations Act to address sexual harassment in the military, in response to Spc. Vanessa
Guillén's killing in Texas earlier this year.

"We are heartbroken and outraged by the horrific murder of SPC Vanessa Guillen at the hands of
another military service member," Speier, the chairwoman of the House Armed Services
Subcommittee on Military Personnel, says in a letter to her colleagues, "We are concerned about
many aspects of this case, including the length of time it took for the military to find SPC
Guillen. We are particularly troubled that SPC Guillen told her family that she had been harassed
by another service member but was too afraid to file a sexual harassment report."
On Capitol Hill, Speier has offered two amendments to strengthen military policies on sexual
harassment that Guillén's tragedy has highlighted the need for, she says.
The first requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the military's
practices for investigating missing persons and compare them with the investigative services in
the civilian world, evaluating whether it's using best practices.
The second requires the Department of Defense to establish a new, confidential reporting process
for sexual harassment that would be integrated with the military's "Catch a Serial Offender"
program.
Guillen, 20, was last seen in the parking lot of her barracks at Fort Hood in April, according to
the US Army Criminal Investigation Command. Her remains were found last month, according
to her family's attorney, Natalie Khawam. Spc. Aaron Robinson, a 20-year-old soldier suspected
in the disappearance of Guillen, killed himself after police confronted him in Killeen, Texas,
authorities said July 1. Texas Rangers arrested another suspect, a civilian, in connection with the
case, according to the Criminal Investigation Command.
"Sexual harassment in the military is up; reporting is down. I think with Specialist Guillen's
reluctance to report it, it underscores the fact that retaliation is what they fear," Speier said in an
interview Monday with CNN, "a combination of retaliation and justice not being done."
Speier is scheduled to speak with Guillén's family this week as she pushes her amendments in
the National Defense Authorization Act while it is being negotiated on Capitol Hill.
"I must say, for the first time in the NDAA this year there is growing recognition that it's not
working," Speier says, speaking of the bipartisan support she believes she has for these
amendments.