Milit. Sexual Trauma/Study Comm./Pilot Prog.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 1060

Short Title: Milit. Sexual Trauma/Study Comm./Pilot Prog. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Applewhite, Theodros, and Chitlik (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
May 4, 2026
*S1060-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA M ILITARY SEXUAL TRAUM A 2
STUDY COMMISSION AND TO CREATE A MILITAR Y SEXUAL TRAUMA 3
SUPPORT PILOT PROGRAM. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. Legislative Findings. – The General Assembly finds all of the 6
following: 7
(1) Sexual assault and harassment within military populations undermines 8
readiness, unit cohesion, survivor well-being, and family stability. 9
(2) Members of the National Guard and o ther reserve components face distinct 10
barriers due to part -time service, geographic dispersion, and transitions 11
between State and federal duty status. 12
(3) Access to trained response personnel is critical, particularly for geographically 13
dispersed or isolated units. 14
(4) Service members, veterans, and military families may experience difficulty 15
navigating available military and civilian support systems. 16
(5) North Carolina has a compelling State interest in supporting 17
military-connected populations. 18
(6) Establishing a State -level pilot program to connect survivors to existing 19
providers while incorporating military-informed peer support and navigation 20
will strengthen access to care, improve service utilizations, and inform future 21
statewide implementation without duplicating existing services. 22
SECTION 2. Definitions. – As used in this act, the following definitions apply: 23
(1) Military sexual trauma. – Sexual assault or repeated threatening sexual 24
harassment during military service. 25
(2) Reserve components. – Defined in 38 U.S.C. § 101. 26
SECTION 3.(a) Military Sexual Trauma Study Commission. – There is established 27
the North Carolina Military Sexual Trauma Study Commission (Commission). The Commission 28
shall have the following functions and duties: 29
(1) Study the following subject matters with regard to military sexual trauma: 30
a. The prevalence of military sexual trauma among active duty military 31
personnel and reserve components. 32
b. Barriers to reporting military sexual trauma such as retaliation and 33
confidentiality concerns. 34
c. Coordination gaps between federal, State, and civilian systems for 35
reporting and reduction of military sexual trauma. 36
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 1060-First Edition
d. Availability and accessibility of support services. 1
e. Jurisdictional challenges on and off military installations. 2
f. Impact on women in military service and military spouses and 3
dependents. 4
g. Challenges specific to reserve components and National Guard 5
transitions to active duty. 6
h. Capacity of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to serve 7
as a coordinating entity in the support of those affected by military 8
sexual trauma. 9
(2) Submit a final report to the General Assembly on the Commission's findings 10
and any legislative recommendations no later than April 1, 2027. 11
SECTION 3.(b) Membership. – The North Carolina Military Sexual Trauma Study 12
Commission shall consist of 14 members. The makeup of the Commission is as follows: 13
(1) Two members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 14
(2) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 15
(3) One member currently serving with the North Carolina National Guard. 16
(4) One member currently serving with a non-National Guard reserve component 17
of the Armed Forces. 18
(5) One member currently employed by the Department of Military and Veterans 19
Affairs. 20
(6) One member currently employed by the Department of Health and Human 21
Services. 22
(7) One member currently employed by the Administrative Office of the Courts. 23
(8) Two members with expertise in military justice. 24
(9) Two members currently involved with sexual trauma survivor advocacy 25
organizations. 26
(10) One member who is a licensed mental health professional. 27
The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall provide staff support, 28
logistical assistance, and subject-matter expertise to the Commission. 29
SECTION 3.(c) Termination. – The North Carolina Military Sexual Trauma Study 30
Commission shall terminate upon submission of its final report required pursuant to Section 31
3(a)(2) of this act. 32
SECTION 4.(a) Pilot Program. – The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs 33
shall partner with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop and implement the 34
Military Sexual Trauma Support Pilot Program (Pilot Program), a two -year pilot program 35
providing support to victims of military sexual trauma. The Pilot P rogram shall consist of the 36
following initiatives: 37
(1) Creating and implementing a 24/7 confidential hotline to report instances of 38
military sexual trauma. 39
(2) Providing trauma -informed counseling to covered individuals affected by 40
military sexual trauma. 41
(3) Providing legal referral services to covered individuals affected by military 42
sexual trauma. 43
(4) Providing emergency assistance to covered individuals affected by military 44
sexual trauma. 45
(5) Conducting outreach to active duty, reserve components, veter ans, and 46
military families. 47
(6) Acting as a liaison between covered individuals affected by military sexual 48
trauma and federal partners. 49
(7) Coordinating with the Sexual Assault and Prevention Office and response 50
programs of the United States Department of Defense. 51
General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 1060-First Edition Page 3
(8) Establishing training standards in consultation with the Department of Health 1
and Human Services and advocacy organizations. 2
(9) Maintaining a directory of services available to those affected by military 3
sexual trauma. 4
SECTION 4.(b) Covered Individuals. – This act applies to the following groups: 5
(1) Active duty service members stationed in North Carolina. 6
(2) Members of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, 7
including members of the North Carolina National Guard. 8
(3) Veterans. 9
(4) Military spouses and dependents. 10
SECTION 4.(c) Peer Support Network. – As part of the Pilot Program, the 11
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall establish a peer support network. The network 12
shall consist of volunteers who are covered individuals under this section. All volunteers shall be 13
trained in trauma-informed care, military culture competency, and confidentiality laws. The peer 14
support network shall be accessible through a confidential hotline as well as online platforms. 15
SECTION 4.(d) Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator. – The Department of Military 16
and Veterans Affairs shall designate a Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator to be responsible for 17
oversight of the Pilot Program, interagency coordination, and policy recommendations. 18
SECTION 4.(e) Statewide Data Coordination. – The Department of Military and 19
Veterans Affairs shall serve as the central coordinating entity for military sexual trauma data. 20
Subject to limits to access of federal investigative records, the Department of Mil itary and 21
Veterans Affairs shall: 22
(1) Aggregate anonymized data. 23
(2) Track utilization of military sexual trauma support services. 24
(3) Identify trends of military sexual trauma among active duty and reserve 25
components. 26
(4) Publish annual reports on its fin dings in a conspicuous location on the 27
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs website. 28
SECTION 4.(f) Evaluation and Reporting. – The Department of Military and 29
Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, shall 30
evaluate the Pilot Program and shall provide an interim report of the Pilot Program to the General 31
Assembly no later than March 1, 2027, and a final report no later than March 1, 2028. The final 32
report shall include information on the utilization of the Pi lot Program, outcomes, and 33
continuation and expansion recommendations, as applicable. 34
SECTION 4.(g) Termination. – The Pilot Program shall terminate on June 30, 2028, 35
unless unanimously extended by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the 36
Department of Health and Human Services. 37
SECTION 5. National Guard Reporting Channels. – The North Carolina National 38
Guard shall establish confidential reporting channels for military sexual trauma. All reports shall 39
be anonymized by removing all identifyi ng information and reported to the Department of 40
Military and Veterans Affairs annually. 41
SECTION 6. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 42
Military and Veterans Affairs the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in recurring fun ds 43
beginning in the 2026 -2027 fiscal year to be used for implementation of the Military Sexual 44
Trauma Study Commission and the Military Sexual Trauma Support Pilot Program. There is 45
appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human S ervices the sum 46
of two million dollars ($2,000,000) in recurring funds beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year to 47
be used for implementation of the Military Sexual Trauma Study Commission and the Military 48
Sexual Trauma Support Pilot Program. 49
SECTION 7. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026. 50