Thornberry on Passage of Private Act

PASSES THE HOUSE 418-0

Washington, DC, May 24, 2017
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following comments on the bipartisan passage of the PRIVATE Act. The bill protects troops from nonconsensual sharing of intimate images by other military members. It also gives the military additional tools to prosecute perpetrators and to prevent offenses in the future by defining when private photo sharing is a criminal act, which is not as clear as it should be in current military law. The Chairman said:

Today, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following comments on the bipartisan passage of the PRIVATE Act. The bill protects troops from nonconsensual sharing of intimate images by other military members. It also gives the military additional tools to prosecute perpetrators and to prevent offenses in the future by defining when private photo sharing is a criminal act, which is not as clear as it should be in current military law. The Chairman said:

"I continue to be disturbed by deplorable acts that degrade our service members. I am encouraged, however, that the House took swift and significant action to begin addressing the issue by strengthening the UCMJ to ensure that personnel are protected and that perpetrators are held appropriately accountable. I credit Rep. McSally's strong leadership in bringing Members together and in getting action quickly on this measure."