Michigan lawmakers back push to reform military prosecution of sexual assault View Comments Washington — After years of debate, Congress appears poised to remove military commanders from decisions about whether to prosecute sexual assault cases in the armed services, giving that authority instead to independent military lawyers outside the chain of command. The move has bipartisan support among members of the Michigan's congressional delegation, who say they've lost confidence in the military leaders' ability to rein in the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the ranks. "It just hasn't worked. We haven't seen the improvements," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a member of the Senate's Democratic leadership.