[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 169 (Thursday, November 20, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORT OF THE CONFERENCE AGREEMENT ON THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT 
                              (H.R. 1588)

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                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 7, 2003

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Conference 
Agreement on the Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1588), and in support 
of our armed forces and the service men and women who defend our great 
country, and their families.
  Unlike the Iraq War Supplemental, which I opposed, the FY04 Defense 
Authorization bill is not a ``blank check'' for the Administration. 
Rather, this bill was carefully drafted to address many of our 
military's most pressing needs. This legislation provides a substantial 
pay raise for service members, boosts military special pay and extends 
enlisted and reenlistment bonuses. Additionally, this legislation 
extends the military's TRICARE health coverage to National Guard and 
Reservists and their families if such service members have been called 
to active duty. We need to assure our military that as we continue to 
support their readiness capabilities, we remember the personal well 
being of the men and women in uniform as well as their families.
  The FY04 Defense Authorization bill also addresses the disabled 
veterans tax, or ``concurrent receipt'', by ensuring a significant 
number of disabled veterans will no longer be subjected to this unjust 
tax. As a cosponsor of H.R. 303, the Retired Pay and Restoration Act, I 
would have preferred the Defense Authorization bill include full 
concurrent receipt for all disabled veterans. However, this compromise 
is an important step forward and will allow the House to continue 
working toward the full elimination of the disabled veterans tax.
  While I am supporting passage of this authorization, there are 
several provisions of this legislation that I oppose. The first regards 
civil service protections for civilian employees at the Department of 
Defense (DOD). H.R. 1588 gives the DOD broad authority to strip almost 
700,000 civilian employees of fundamental rights relating to due 
process, appeal and collective bargaining rights. This means the DOD 
will be able to fire employees with no notice and no opportunity to 
respond, prevent discrimination actions from being heard by the Equal 
Employment Opportunity Commission, strip employees of their right to 
join a union and repeal the laws preventing nepotism. Civil service 
employees at DOD have defended our nation bravely and made enormous 
sacrifices to support the military effort in Iraq. DOD should not be 
given unlimited authority to trample on their basic rights.
  H.R. 1588 also unnecessarily weakens long-standing environmental 
protections at our military facilities by lowering the accountability 
standard DOD must follow when recovering imperiled species under the 
Endangered Species Act. The new standard fails to ensure the DOD's 
conservation plans are actually effective in assisting the recovery of 
imperiled species. H.R. 1588 also creates a far less protective 
definition of `harassment' of marine life by military activities under 
the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This new definition allows DOD to 
avoid ensuring its activities are conducted in a manner to minimize 
harm to marine life such as whales, dolphins, and sea lions.

  Although I fully appreciate the importance of military training and 
readiness, the DOD has not made the case that exemptions to important 
and long-standing environmental laws are necessary or that training is 
greatly impaired because of those laws. Furthermore, the President 
already has the authority to waive environmental laws if he deems it a 
matter of national security, and not once has a waiver requested by the 
President been turned down. Until our national security is at stake, no 
government agency--including the DOD--should be above laws that 
preserve our air and water and sustain America's wildlife.
  This measure also authorizes $9.1 billion for the unproven and 
untested National Missile Defense system. This costly program fails to 
address the rising threat of a chemical or biological weapons attack by 
terrorists and will divert precious resources away from the very real 
human investments needed to keep our military, intelligence agencies 
and domestic security agencies strong. I have voted time again to 
remove funding for the National Missile Defense system, but the 
Republican Majority defeated each attempt. It is a mistake to fund this 
unproven program while our citizens at home are without the appropriate 
resources they need to respond to a terrorist attack on American soil.
  I have met with National Guard members, Reservists and regular 
military personnel who have chosen to put their lives on the line to 
protect our freedoms. They have sacrificed a tremendous amount, even 
when their service means putting their family's financial solvency at 
risk. We owe them our support and our gratitude.
  As I stated above, this is not a ``blank check'' for the President. 
Rather, this legislation will go a long way toward helping our troops 
in their time of need.

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