Title: To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a comprehensive anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a policy to end harassment and sexual assault, including sexual and gender-based harassment, at its facilities. The VA must also designate points of contact at each VA facility, Veterans Integrated Service Network, and at the Central Office of the VA to receive reports of harassment and sexual assault.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4554 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4554

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a comprehensive anti-
harassment and anti-sexual assault policy of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 2019

  Ms. Brownley of California introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Veterans Affairs to establish and implement a comprehensive anti-
harassment and anti-sexual assault policy of the Department of Veterans 
                                Affairs.

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

SECTION 1. ANTI-HARASSMENT AND ANTI-SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY OF THE 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 533. Anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policy
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
establish a comprehensive policy to end harassment and sexual assault, 
including sexual and gender-based harassment, at all facilities of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs. This policy shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) Responses to incidents of harassment and sexual 
        assault committed by any veteran or other public visitor within 
        a facility of the Department.
            ``(2) Responses to incidents of harassment and sexual 
        assault of any veteran or other public visitor within a 
        facility of the Department.
            ``(3) A process for reporting and responding to harassment 
        and sexual assault described in paragraph (1).
            ``(4) A process for reporting and responding to harassment 
        and sexual assault described in paragraph (2).
            ``(5) A mandatory reporting requirement applicable to any 
        employee or contractor of the Department who witnesses 
        harassment or sexual assault within a facility of the 
        Department.
            ``(6) Mandatory annual training for employees and 
        contractors of the Department regarding how to report and 
        address harassment and sexual assault described in paragraphs 
        (1) and (2).
            ``(7) Annual distribution of anti-harassment and anti-
        sexual assault educational materials by mail or email to each 
        individual entitled to a benefit under a law administered by 
        the Secretary.
            ``(8) The prominent display of anti-harassment and anti-
        sexual assault messages in each facility of the Department, 
        including how to report harassment and sexual assault at such 
        facility.
            ``(9) The posting of anti-harassment and anti-sexual 
        assault banners on websites of the Department, including 
        eBenefits.va.gov and myHealthEVet.va.gov.
    ``(b) Points of Contact.--The Secretary shall designate, as a point 
of contact to receive reports of harassment and sexual assault--
            ``(1) at least one individual at each facility of the 
        Department, with regards to that facility;
            ``(2) at least one individual employed in each Veterans 
        Integrated Service Network (`VISN'), with regards to facilities 
        in that VISN; and
            ``(3) at least one individual employed at the Central 
        Office of the Department to track reports of harassment across 
        the Department, disaggregated by facility.
    ``(c) Reporting.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to 
the Committees on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of 
Representatives an annual report on harassment and sexual assault in 
facilities of the Department. Each such report shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) Results of harassment and sexual assault programming, 
        including the End Harassment program.
            ``(2) Results of studies from the Women's Health Practice 
        Based Research Network related to harassment and sexual 
        assault.
            ``(3) Data collected on incidents of sexual harassment and 
        sexual assault.
            ``(4) A description of any actions taken by the Secretary 
        during the year preceding the date of the report to stop 
        harassment and sexual assault at facilities of the Department.
            ``(5) An assessment of the implementation of the training 
        required in subsection (a)(5).
            ``(6) A list of resources the Secretary determines 
        necessary to prevent harassment and sexual assault at 
        facilities of the Department.''.
    (b) Technical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by adding after the item relating to section 
532 the following new item:

``533. Anti-harassment and anti-sexual assault policy.''.
    (c) Deadline.--The Secretary shall carry out section 533 of such 
title, as added by subsection (a), not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act.
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