Military whistleblowers – including those who step forward in cases of sexual assault – would have greater protection, under a provision included in the Senate version of the 2017 defense-spending bill. Under the measure, whistleblowers would be protected from reprisals and retaliations, according to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., its sponsor. Service members whose military records were blemished wrongly because they stepped forward would have an avenue to correct that injustice as well, Boxer said. Commanders no longer would be able to launch retaliatory investigations against service members who file whistleblower complaints. The measure drew bipartisan support.