This bill requires the Coast Guard to establish a "safe-to-report" policy that protects sexual assault and sexual harassment victims from punishment for minor misconduct they may have committed around the time of the incident. The policy would apply to all Coast Guard members, reservists, and cadets at the Coast Guard Academy and would be modeled after similar Department of Defense policies. Under the bill, minor violations of military law discovered during a sexual assault or harassment investigation would generally not be prosecuted if they occurred close in time to or were directly related to the incident, unless aggravating circumstances exist that threaten military discipline. The Coast Guard Commandant would be required to develop regulations defining what qualifies as minor misconduct and to establish a tracking system for these incidents. The legislation aims to encourage victims to report sexual misconduct without fear of being punished for their own conduct, such as minor violations of curfew or alcohol policies that may have occurred during the assault or harassment.
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