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Press Release
June 17, 2009
Contact: Aaron Hunter 202-225-2040
Rep. Susan Davis Shapes Annual Defense Bill to Reflect the ‘Year of the Military Family’
WASHINGTON – As Chairwoman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, Congresswoman Susan Davis successfully led an effort to improve the quality of life for our service members and their families. The provisions were included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bill which provides congressional authorization for spending programs within the Department of Defense. The NDAA was approved by the House Armed Services Committee late last night on a unanimous, bipartisan vote.
Following through on Congress’ pledge to improve the lives of our men and women in uniform, Davis and her subcommittee pushed for initiatives such as a 3.4 percent pay raise to further reduce the gap between military and private sector raises and $1.95 billion to allow for family housing programs that will help expand and improve on current housing for military families.
The military personnel section of the NDAA also included a pilot program for federal government internships for military spouses, authorization of Impact Aid funding to help schools with large enrollments of military children, and a renewed focus on reducing sexual assault and harassment within the Department of Defense.
“Our country has been in conflict for nearly eight years and service members and their families are bearing the brunt of multiple deployments,” Davis said. “We have a responsibility to care for those who serve our nation and the families who support them, given the sacrifices they are making in defense of our nation.”
The NDAA provides the resources to keep Americans safe and protect our national interests. It restores military readiness, refocuses the strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, facilitates the safe and responsible redeployment of American forces from Iraq, eliminates waste in the defense spending process, and maintains strong oversight of the Department of Defense.
Other measures in the bill include the prohibition of putting new hires into the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), expansion of TRICARE health coverage to reserve component members and their families for 180 days prior to mobilization, and the establishment of a Department of Defense School of Nursing to help reverse the nursing shortage in the military.
A detailed summary of the NDAA is available at http://armedservices.house.gov. The bill now moves to the full House of Representatives for consideration.
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