# The Brandon Act: Plain Language Summary

The Brandon Act creates a new confidential reporting system for military members who want to raise concerns about their commanders or the military chain of command without fear of retaliation. Essentially, it gives service members a private way to report problems—whether that's misconduct, abuse, discrimination, or other serious issues—to an inspector general (an independent investigator within the military) while keeping their identity protected from their immediate supervisors.

Here's why this matters: Military members traditionally report problems through their chain of command, meaning they tell their direct supervisor or someone above them. But if the problem involves that supervisor or someone higher up, or if a service member fears speaking up will hurt their career, they might stay silent. The Brandon Act changes this by allowing military personnel to bypass the normal chain of command and report directly to an inspector general's office confidentially. The military cannot punish, threaten, or retaliate against someone for making a report under this system.

The bill is named after Brandon Caserta, a U.S. Air Force member whose story highlighted the dangers service members face when they try to report problems through traditional channels. This law recognizes that sometimes the people causing the problems are the same people in the chain of command, so there needs to be an alternative route for complaints. The confidential reporting system helps protect military members' careers and safety while ensuring serious issues get investigated by someone independent who isn't part of the problematic situation.

Brandon Act

Kelly, Mark

Brandon Act This bill modifies the regulatory requirement for referrals by commanding officers and supervisors of members of the Armed Forces for mental health evaluations. Specifically, the regulations must (1) establish a phrase that enables the member to trigger a referral for a mental health evaluation, (2) require a commanding officer or supervisor to make such referrals as soon as practicable following disclosure by the member of the established phrase, and (3) ensure that the process protects the confidentiality of the member.