| 1 | 1 | | 87R7895 TBO-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Neave H.C.R. No. 36 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The brutal murder of Vanessa Guillén and the |
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| 7 | 7 | | reaction from service members on social media highlight the |
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| 8 | 8 | | military's inadequate response to sexual harassment, sexual |
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| 9 | 9 | | assault, and missing persons; and |
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| 10 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Fort Hood soldier Vanessa Guillén had been missing |
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| 11 | 11 | | for more than two months before her remains were discovered, and the |
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| 12 | 12 | | murder investigation received widespread attention when law |
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| 13 | 13 | | enforcement identified the suspect, a fellow military member whom |
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| 14 | 14 | | Guillén was planning to formally accuse of sexual harassment; this |
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| 15 | 15 | | prompted countless members of the U.S. military to share their |
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| 16 | 16 | | personal experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault on |
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| 17 | 17 | | social media with the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen; and |
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| 18 | 18 | | WHEREAS, A close look at current military laws and policies |
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| 19 | 19 | | reveals concerning flaws, including conflicts of interest when |
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| 20 | 20 | | commanding officers make charging decisions, investigations being |
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| 21 | 21 | | made by untrained service members, and limited options for |
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| 22 | 22 | | reporting sexual harassment; too many military members have been |
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| 23 | 23 | | failed by this system, and immediate action is imperative to avoid |
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| 24 | 24 | | another tragedy; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | WHEREAS, To correct these issues, the I am Vanessa Guillén |
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| 26 | 26 | | Act has been introduced in Congress with bipartisan support from |
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| 27 | 27 | | the U.S. House of Representatives; if passed, the legislation would |
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| 28 | 28 | | ensure that necessary changes are made, such as transferring |
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| 29 | 29 | | charging decisions for sex-related offenses to a chief prosecutor, |
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| 30 | 30 | | requiring independent investigations that are conducted by trained |
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| 31 | 31 | | investigators, and establishing a confidential reporting option |
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| 32 | 32 | | for sexual harassment that can convert to a formal complaint at any |
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| 33 | 33 | | time; in addition, it would direct the Government Accountability |
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| 34 | 34 | | Office to evaluate response procedures relating to missing service |
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| 35 | 35 | | members; and |
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| 36 | 36 | | WHEREAS, The brave men and women who fight for our nation |
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| 37 | 37 | | deserve access to justice, and Congress should listen to the |
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| 38 | 38 | | service members calling for change in the aftermath of Vanessa |
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| 39 | 39 | | Guillén's murder; now, therefore, be it |
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| 40 | 40 | | RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 41 | 41 | | hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to pass |
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| 42 | 42 | | the I am Vanessa Guillén Act; and, be it further |
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| 43 | 43 | | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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| 44 | 44 | | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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| 45 | 45 | | the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 46 | 46 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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| 47 | 47 | | members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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| 48 | 48 | | this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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| 49 | 49 | | memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |
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