Servicemember Safety and Security Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-2058
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2021-06-15
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Criminal justice information and records

Government information and archives

Government studies and investigations

Military facilities and property

Military personnel and dependents

Missing persons
Latest action: action_date: 2021-06-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (text: CR S4548)

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-06-15
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Servicemember Safety and Security Act of 2021</strong></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Defense to instruct each military department to review its policies and procedures for reporting members of the Armed Forces who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing.</p> <p>Military installations must update the policies and procedures related to absent or missing service members with a focus on force protection, enhanced security for members living on base, and prioritizing the reporting of missing service members to local and federal law enforcement at the earliest reasonable time.</p> <p>The commander of each military installation must establish a protocol for sharing information with local and federal law enforcement agencies about service members who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Each military installation must submit the established protocol to the relevant installation command.<br> </p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2058 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 15, 2021 Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Sinema , Ms. Ernst , and Mr. Lankford ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To improve the safety and security of members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Servicemember Safety and Security Act of 2021 . 2. Measures to improve the safety and security of members of the Armed Forces (a) Comprehensive review of missing persons reporting The Secretary of Defense shall instruct the Secretary of each military department to undertake a comprehensive review of the department's policies and procedures for reporting members of the Armed Forces absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. (b) Review of installation-Level procedures The head of each military installation command shall— (1) direct each military installation under its command to review its policies and procedures for carrying out the reporting activities described under subsection (a); and (2) update such installation-level policies and procedures with a view towards force protection, enhanced security for members of the Armed Forces living on base, and prioritizing reporting at the earliest reasonable time to local law enforcement at all levels, and Federal law enforcement field offices with overlapping jurisdictions with military installations, when members are determined to be missing. (c) Installation-Specific reporting protocols (1) In general The commander of each military installation shall establish a protocol for sharing information with local and Federal law enforcement agencies about members of the Armed Forces that are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. The protocol shall provide, by memorandum of understanding (MOU) or otherwise, for the commander to immediately notify all local and Federal law enforcement agencies with jurisdictions in the immediate area of the military installation when the status of a member assigned to such installation has been changed to absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. (2) Reporting to military installation command The commander of each military installation shall submit the protocol established pursuant to paragraph (1) to the relevant military installation command.