Gov. Abbott Signs Vanessa Guillen Act Into Law

EL PASO, TX -- Over the weekend Governor Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 623, better known as the The Vanessa Guillén Act.

According to Texas Senator Cesar Blanco, who proposed the bill, the new law will allow service members to report sexual assault outside of the chain of command.

“Our military failed to protect Specialist Vanessa Guillén and countless others from sexual assault,” said Senator Blanco. “With my bill, Texas is leading by example in protecting our service members and providing justice to victims.”

S.B. 623 was named after Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen who was murdered by another soldier inside Fort Hood. According to the Guillen family,  their daughter had been sexually harassed by a superior while at the Army Post.

As her disappearance began to gather momentum online hundreds and hundreds of victims shared their stories of harassment and abuse while serving in different branches of the military. The hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillén became the rallying cry for many survivors.