Good morning.
Wednesday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy with a high of 83. Sunrise is 5:55 AM and sunset 8:05 PM for 14h 09m 31s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 38.5% of its visible disk illuminated.
On this day in 1974, as a direct result of the Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office. Vice President Gerald Ford becomes president.
It’s not possible to defend properly while allowing injustices and injuries. And so, it is right and overdue that a state Senate committee hears bills that address WI National Guard’s handling of sexual assault. Baylor Spears reports:
The Senate Labor, Regulatory Reform, Veterans and Military Affairs committee heard testimony from Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Green Bay) and Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) about a package of bills that seek to change how the Wisconsin National Guard addresses sexual assault.
The proposed changes originated from a legislative council study committee, which met last year, that was tasked with developing legislation to address the Wisconsin National Guard’s sexual assault and sexual harassment. The committee, which included Wimberger and Kurtz, was formed in response to allegations that surfaced in 2019 and a report by the National Guard bureau of the Department of Defense that found the body’s programs and systems for handling allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment, were non-compliant with federal law and regulation, and were deficient or failing.
“While the Wisconsin National Guard under the Major General Paul Knapp’s leadership has been diligently working to implement the recommendations contained in the assessment, the study committee identified a number of areas in which legislation will complement the Guard’s genuine efforts to ensure that the men and women who volunteer to serve our state and nation are able to do so in an environment that takes their safety seriously,” Kurtz told the committee.
SB 166 would make several changes to the Wisconsin Code of Military Justice, including by implementing a policy that ensures that victims of offenses, under the code, are treated with dignity, respect, courtesy and fairness.
SB 167 would require the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to compile and submit annual reports. One report, which would be submitted to the governor and the Legislature, would focus on sexual assault and sexual harassment reported by members of the Wisconsin National Guard. The DMA would also need to submit a report that describes any substantive changes to the federal Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) during the prior federal fiscal year to the Legislature.
SB 168 would require the DMA to establish and maintain a case management system, which would ensure a way for the National Guard to track and manage casework related to misconduct within the Guard.
Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison), who also sat on the legislative council study committee, said in a statement that the bills are the “product of bipartisan collaboration.”
The Wisconsin Legislature should pass these bills and Gov. Evers should sign them. (Note: links to the bills in the cited reporting open into new windows for review of each bill.)
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