Bill
SB 1060
Establishes a NC two-year Military Sexual Trauma Pilot Program with hotlines, counseling, legal help, outreach, and interagency coordination to improve access for military-connecte
Short title: Milit. Sexual Trauma/Study Comm./Pilot Prog. (Public)
Status: Filed and Referenced in Senate (April 30, 2026)
Purpose and core intent
- Establishes the North Carolina Military Sexual Trauma Study Commission (the Commission) to study military sexual trauma (MST) and its systems of reporting, support, and coordination.
- Create a two-year Military Sexual Trauma Support Pilot Program to connect MST survivors with confidential, trauma-informed services and to improve access to support for military-connected populations in North Carolina.
- Target population includes active duty personnel, National Guard and reserve components, veterans, military spouses, and dependents within North Carolina.
Key provisions
1) Legislative findings
- Acknowledges that MST harms readiness, unit cohesion, survivor well-being, and family stability.
- Recognizes unique barriers for National Guard and reserve members due to part-time service and geographic dispersion.
- Emphasizes need for access to trained responders, especially for dispersed or isolated units.
- Highlights difficulties navigating military and civilian support systems.
- Argues for a state-level pilot to improve access to care and inform broader statewide implementation without duplicating existing services.
2) Definitions
- Military sexual trauma (MST): Sexual assault or repeated threatening sexual harassment during military service.
- Reserve components: Defined per 38 U.S.C. § 101.
3) Military Sexual Trauma Study Commission (Section 3)
- Purpose: Study MST prevalence, reporting barriers (retaliation, confidentiality), coordination gaps among federal, state, and civilian systems, availability of services, jurisdictional issues on/off installations, impact on women and families, challenges for reserve components and National Guard transitions, and the capability of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to coordinate support.
- Deliverable: Final report with findings and legislative recommendations due no later than April 1, 2027.
- Membership (14 members) includes:
- 2 appointed by Senate President Pro Tempore
- 2 appointed by Speaker of the House
- 1 NC National Guard member
- 1 member from a non-National Guard reserve component
- 1 DMVA employee
- 1 DHHS employee
- 1 Administrative Office of the Courts employee
- 2 military justice experts
- 2 MST survivor advocacy organizers
- 1 licensed mental health professional
- Staffing: DMVA to provide staff support and subject-matter expertise.
- Termination: Commission ends after final report (no later than 2027).
4) Military Sexual Trauma Support Pilot Program (Section 4)
- Administration: DMVA partners with DHHS to implement a two-year pilot.
- Components:
- 24/7 confidential hotline for reporting MST.
- Trauma-informed counseling for covered individuals.
- Legal referral services.
- Emergency financial or other immediate assistance.
- Outreach to active duty, reserves, veterans, and families.
- Liaison with federal partners.
- Coordination with DoD’s Sexual Assault and Prevention offices.
- Training standards developed with DHHS and advocacy groups.
- Maintaining a directory of MST-related services.
- Covered individuals: Active duty service members stationed in NC; reserve components (including NC National Guard); veterans; military spouses and dependents.
- Peer support network: Establishes trained volunteers (trauma-informed, military culture competent, confidential) accessible via hotline and online platforms.
- MST Coordinator: DMVA to designate a coordinator for oversight, interagency coordination, and policy recommendations.
- Statewide data coordination: DMVA to aggregate anonymized data, track service utilization, identify MST trends among active duty and reserves, publish annual reports on the DMVA website (subject to federal data access limits).
- Evaluation: DMVA and DHHS to evaluate; interim report due by March 1, 2027; final report by March 1, 2028 with findings and continuation/expansion recommendations.
- Termination: Pilot ends June 30, 2028 unless extended by mutual agreement of DMVA and DHHS.
5) National Guard reporting channels (Section 5)
- NC National Guard must establish confidential MST reporting channels.
- All reports must be anonymized and reported to DMVA annually.
6) Funding
- General Fund appropriations:
- DMVA: $1,000,000 per year (recurring) beginning FY 2026-2027.
- DHHS: $2,000,000 per year (recurring) beginning FY 2026-2027.
- Funds to be used to implement the MST Study Commission and MST Pilot Program.
7) Effective date
- Act becomes effective July 1, 2026.
Geographic and practical impact
- Specifically targets military-connected populations in North Carolina, including NC active duty personnel stationed in NC, NC National Guard members, reservists, veterans, and military families.
- Creates state-level infrastructure for MST support, coordination with federal partners, and data collection/monitoring to inform future policy and program expansion.
Significant procedural/timeline notes
- Commission final report due by April 1, 2027.
- Pilot program runs through June 30, 2028, with interim and final evaluations due by March 1, 2027 and March 1, 2028 respectively.
- Annual anonymized data reporting to be published by DMVA.
- Funding authorized to start in FY 2026-2027, with ongoing recurring appropriations.
Overall assessment
SB 1060 proposes a structured, state-level response to military sexual trauma in North Carolina through (1) a dedicated study commission to assess needs and gaps, and (2) a two-year pilot program to provide hotlines, counseling, legal referrals, emergency assistance, outreach, and interagency coordination, with a focus on accessibility for dispersed military populations. The act also creates a formal data-sharing framework, a peer-support network, and mandates confidential reporting channels within the National Guard, supported by specified recurring funding.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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