Resolution pays tribute to Guillén
A day before the first anniversary of the killing of Vanessa Guillén, the Texas House overwhelmingly passed a resolution Wednesday paying tribute to the Houston Army soldier’s life and vowing to change the system that led to her death.
By a 146-0 vote, lawmakers passed HCR 51, which calls on Congress to pass reforms to overhaul the military’s response to missing service members and how it investigates sexual harassment and sexual assault.
“This resolution will not bring back Vanessa Guillén, but it will recognize the loss of this precious Texan and will bring the family some comfort knowing that we support them and we acknowledge this horrific loss,” state Rep. Christina Morales, DHouston, told the Texas House in a speech shortly before the legislation passed.
Guillén, a 2018 graduate of César E. Chávez High School, was stationed at Fort Hood when she went missing for 70 days after telling family members she was being sexually harassed by a sergeant on the base. A work crew found
her remains in a rural area 30 miles from the post. Investigators said a fellow soldier killed Guillén and buried her with help from an accomplice.
Guillén’s death sparked a national outcry. Her family, their lawyer and crowds of supporters rallied behind the young soldier as an example of the U.S. Army’s sluggish response to the loss of one of its own and a crisis of unpunished sexual harassment in the ranks.
In Congress, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, has been a catalyst in launching hearings into Guillen’s murder and the Army’s response. She’s pushing legislation called the “I Am Vanessa Guillén Act” that would make sexual harassment a crime within the Uniform Code of Military Justice and moving prosecution decisions of sexual assault and sexual harassment cases out of the chain of command.
Morales’ legislation in the Texas House urges Congress to pass the I Am Vanessa Guillén Act.
“Always remember Vanessa,” Morales said.