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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5257 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5257

  To provide for a career military justice litigation track for judge 
                     advocates in the Armed Forces.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2016

Mr. Zinke (for himself and Mr. DeSantis) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To provide for a career military justice litigation track for judge 
                     advocates in the Armed Forces.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Justice for Victims of Military 
Sexual Assault Act''.

SEC. 2. CAREER MILITARY JUSTICE LITIGATION TRACK FOR JUDGE ADVOCATES.

    (a) Career Litigation Track Required.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of each military department 
        shall establish a career military justice litigation track for 
        judge advocates in the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of 
        the Secretary.
            (2) Consultation.--The Secretary of the Army and the 
        Secretary of the Air Force shall establish the litigation track 
        required by this section in consultation with the Judge 
        Advocate General of the Army and the Judge Advocate General of 
        the Air Force, respectively. The Secretary of the Navy shall 
        establish the litigation track in consultation with the Judge 
        Advocate General of the Navy and the Staff Judge Advocate to 
        the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
    (b) Elements.--Each career litigation track under this section 
shall provide for the following:
            (1) Assignment and advancement of qualified judge advocates 
        in and through assignments and billets relating to the practice 
        of military justice under chapter 47 of title 10, United States 
        Code (the Uniform Code of Military Justice).
            (2) Establishing for each Armed Force the assignments and 
        billets covered by paragraph (1), which shall include trial 
        counsel, defense counsel, military trial judge, military 
        appellate judge, academic instructor, all positions within 
        criminal law offices or divisions of such Armed Force, Special 
        Victims Prosecutor, Victims' Legal Counsel, Special Victims' 
        Counsel, and such other positions as the Secretary of the 
        military department concerned shall specify.
            (3) For judge advocates participating in such litigation 
        track, mechanisms as follows:
                    (A) To prohibit a judge advocate from more than a 
                total of four years of duty or assignments outside such 
                litigation track.
                    (B) To prohibit any adverse assessment of a judge 
                advocate so participating by reason of such 
                participation in the promotion of officers through 
                grade O-6 (or such higher grade as the Secretary of the 
                military department concerned shall specify for 
                purposes of such litigation track).
            (4) Such additional requirements and qualifications for the 
        litigation track as the Secretary of the military department 
        concerned considers appropriate, including requirements and 
        qualifications that take into account the unique personnel 
        needs and requirement of an Armed Force.
    (c) Implementation Deadline.--Each Secretary of a military 
department shall implement the career litigation track required by this 
section for the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary 
by not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
    (d) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, each Secretary of a military department shall 
submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House 
of Representatives a report on the progress of such Secretary in 
implementing the career litigation track required under this section 
for the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretary.
                                 <all>
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