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Columbia County Observer

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US Senator Bill NelsonU.S. Senator Bill Nelson - Update
April 26, 2012

Sexual Assault in the Military

Senator Nelson wrote to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta about the growing issue of sexual assault in the military. DoD has designated April as sexual assault awareness month.

Senator Nelson urged the Secretary to take a no-tolerance policy towards sexual assault. Nelson also urged the Secretary to create a cross-services department with personnel specially trained in sexual assault investigations. Right now these cases are handled by the same investigators that work on a wide range of criminal and military crimes. This request follows a letter Senator Nelson and other legislators sent to DoD last month, requesting that all investigative files pertaining to sexual assaults be kept for at least 50 years, and ideally for the lifetime of the victim. This would ensure that any future claims relating to sexual trauma would be backed up by the case files.

For more information
Lynn Bannister: Director of Outreach
111 North Adams St
Tallahassee, FL  32301
850-942-8415 / 850-942-8450 (fax)
billnelson.senate.gov

Support for Buffett Rule

 Last week, Senator Nelson voted for the Paying a Fair Share Act (S. 2230), which would have required taxpayers making more than $2 million per year to pay an effective tax rate of at least 30 percent.

The proposal is a legislative version of the “Buffett Rule” proposed by President Obama late last year and named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who has criticized the current tax system for coddling the rich. The bill seeks to ensure that millionaires and billionaires do not pay a lower tax rate than average, middle-class Americans.

The bill did not receive enough votes to overcome a filibuster in the Senate.

Supporting Israel’s Iron Dome Defense System

Senator Nelson, along with Senators Boxer and Kirk, introduced a bipartisan bill to authorize further assistance to Israel for the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

The Israeli Defense Forces recently reported that the Iron Dome achieved a success rate of more than 90 percent—intercepting rockets bound for residential neighborhoods, busy road junctions, shopping centers, and crowded streets in southern Israel. However, Israel still remains vulnerable to attacks from Hamas and Hezbollah, as recent rocket attacks have shown.

Senator Nelson’s bill will encourage the Administration to support and work closely with the Israeli government as it builds additional Iron Dome systems.

Additional Security Cooperation with Israel

Senator Nelson cosponsored S. 2165, the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012.

This bipartisan bill seeks to enhance Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) as well as measures to strengthen U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation on missile defense, homeland security, energy, intelligence and cyber-security. The bill also reaffirms the unwavering commitment to the security of Israel as a Jewish state as well as our nation’s commitment to forge a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that results in two states living side-by-side in peace and security. April 24, 2012

70th Anniversary of the Doolittle Raid

Senator Nelson cosponsored, S. Res. 418, a resolution commending the 80 brave men known as the “Doolittle Toyo Raiders” for outstanding heroism, valor, skill, and service to the United States during the bombing of Japan on April 18, 1942, during the Second World War. These Army B-25 crews were trained at Eglin Air Force Base by a Navy pilot from NAS Pensacola.

This work by the Columbia County Observer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.

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