H.R. 2711House118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

SAYFE Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 6:23 AM UTC

The Shielding America’s Youth From Exploitation (SAYFE) Act amends Title 10 of the U.S. Code to require the Department of Defense to provide an annual, age‑appropriate training program on preventing sexual abuse for students enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). The training is intended to educate JROTC students about grooming, bullying (including cyber‑bullying), appropriate relationships, signs of abuse, and digital abuse, and to give them contact information for local reporting and support resources.

Key Provisions

The Secretary of Defense, through the Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, must establish the annual JROTC sexual‑abuse‑prevention training.
The training must be age‑appropriate, evidence‑based, and cover grooming, bullying (including cyber), appropriate student‑instructor relationships, signs of inappropriate behavior, and digital abuse, plus provide local resource contacts.
Training must be delivered each year by an entity other than a JROTC administrator or instructor.
The Secretary must collect and maintain metrics to assess the training’s effectiveness.
The bill defines “sexual abuse” using the offenses listed in sections 920, 920b, 920c, or 930 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Armed Services Committee

April 19, 2023

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

April 19, 2023

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Armed Services Committee

April 19, 2023

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued April 19, 2023

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2711

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 19, 2023

Ms. Garcia of Texas (for herself, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Norcross, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Brown, Ms. Houlahan, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, and Ms. Escobar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

A BILL

To amend title 10, United States Code, to establish an annual training for students in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps regarding the prevention of sexual abuse.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Shielding America’s Youth From Exploitation Act or the SAYFE Act.

Annual training on the prevention of sexual abuse for students in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

Chapter 102 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

2037.

Training on prevention of sexual abuse

(a)

Establishment

The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, shall establish training for students enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps regarding prevention of sexual abuse.

(b)

Elements

The training established under this section shall—

(1)

be age-appropriate;

(2)

be evidence-based in polyvictimization research;

(3)

be comprehensive, including elements regarding—

(A)

grooming;

(B)

bullying, including cyberbullying;

(C)

appropriate relationships and interactions between such students and instructors;

(D)

signs of inappropriate behavior between adults and adolescents; and

(E)

digital abuse; and

(4)

provide such students with the contact information of local resources through which a student may report alleged sexual abuse or receive treatment and support for such abuse.

(c)

Provision

The Secretary shall ensure that each such student receives training established under this section—

(1)

from an entity other than an administrator or instructor of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; and

(2)

once each year.

(d)

Metrics

The Secretary shall establish and maintain metrics regarding the effectiveness of the training established under this section.

(e)

Sexual abuse defined

In this section, the term sexual abuse means an offense covered by section 920, 920b, 920c, or 930 of this title (article 120, 120b, 120c, or 130 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice).