[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5780. Mr. TOOMEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle D of title I, add the following:

     SEC. 144. PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY FOR COMMERCIAL ENGINEERING 
                   SOFTWARE.

       4 (a) Procurement Authority.--The Secretary of the Air 
     Force may enter into one or more contracts for 6 the 
     procurement of commercial engineering software to 7 meet the 
     digital transformation goals and objectives of the 8 
     Department of the Air Force.
       (b) Inclusion Of Program Element In Budget Materials.--In 
     the materials submitted by the Secretary of the Air Force in 
     support of the budget of the President 2 for fiscal year 2024 
     (as submitted to Congress pursuant 3 to section 1105 of title 
     31, United States Code), the Secretary shall include a 
     program element dedicated to the 5 procurement and management 
     of the commercial engineer- 6 ing software described in 
     subsection (a).
       (c) Review.--ln carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary 
     of the Air Force shall--
       (1) review the commercial physics-based simulation 
     marketspace; and
       (2) conduct research on providers of commercial software 
     capabilities that have the potential to expedite the progress 
     of digital engineering initiatives across the weapon system 
     enterprise, with a particular focus on capabilities that have 
     the potential to generate significant life-cycle cost 
     savings, streamline and accelerate weapon system acquisition, 
     and provide data-driven approaches to inform investments by 
     the Department of the Air Force.
       (d) Report.--Not later than March 1, 2023, the Secretary of 
     the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense 
     committees a report that includes--
       (1) an analysis of specific physics-based simulation 
     capability manufacturers that deliver high mission impact 
     with broad reach into the weapon system enterprise of the 
     Department of the Air Force; and
       (2) a prioritized list of programs and offices of the 
     Department of the Air Force that could better utilize 
     commercial physics-based modeling and simulation and 
     opportunities for the implementation of such modeling and 
     simulation capabilities within the Department.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S5257, September 28, 2022, in the first column, the 
following appears: SA 5780. Mr. TOOMEY submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. REED 
(for himself and Mr. INHOFE) and intended to be proposed to the 
bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of 
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal 
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows: At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the 
following: SEC. 753. PROHIBITION ON ADVERSE PERSONNEL ACTIONS 
TAKEN AGAINST MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES BASED ON DECLINING 
COVID-19 VACCINE. (a) FINDINGS. -- Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Secretary of Defense has announced a COVID-19 vaccine 
mandate will take effect for the Department of Defense. (2) 
Reports of adverse actions being taken, or threatened, by military 
leadership at all levels are antithetical to our fundamental 
American values. (3) Any discharge other than honorable denotes a 
dereliction of duty or a failure to serve the United States and 
its people to the best of the ability of an individual. (b) 
PROHIBITION.--Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1107a the following new 
section: ``Sec.  1107b. Prohibition on certain adverse personnel 
actions related to COVID-19 vaccine requirement ``Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, a member of the armed forces subject 
to discharge on the basis of the member choosing not to receive 
the COVID-19 vaccine may only receive an honorable discharge.''. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT. -- The table of sections at the beginning 
of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1107a the following new item: ``1107b. Prohibition on 
certain adverse personnel actions related to COVID-19 vaccine 
requirement.''.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: SA 5780. Mr. 
TOOMEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment 
SA 5499 submitted by Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. INHOFE) and 
intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of 
subtitle D of title I, add the following: SEC. 144. PROCUREMENT 
AUTHORITY FOR COMMERCIAL ENGINEERING SOFTWARE. 4 (a) PROCUREMENT 
AUTHORITY. -- The Secretary of the Air Force may enter into one or 
more contracts for the procurement of commercial engineering 
software to meet the digital transformation goals and objectives 
of the Department of the Air Force. (b) INCLUSION OF PROGRAM 
ELEMENT IN BUDGET MATERIALS. -- In the materials submitted by the 
Secretary of the Air Force in support of the budget of the 
President for fiscal year 2024 (as submitted to Congress pursuant 
to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code), the Secretary 
shall include a program element dedicated to the procurement and 
management of the commercial engineering software described in 
subsection (a). (c) REVIEW. -- ln carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary of the Air Force shall -- (1) review the commercial 
physics-based simulation marketspace; and (2) conduct research on 
providers of commercial software capabilities that have the 
potential to expedite the progress of digital engineering 
initiatives across the weapon system enterprise, with a particular 
focus on capabilities that have the potential to generate 
significant life-cycle cost savings, streamline and accelerate 
weapon system acquisition, and provide data-driven approaches to 
inform investments by the Department of the Air Force. (d) REPORT. 
-- Not later than March 1, 2023, the Secretary of the Air Force 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that 
includes -- (1) an analysis of specific physics-based simulation 
capability manufacturers that deliver high mission impact with 
broad reach into the weapon system enterprise of the Department of 
the Air Force; and (2) a prioritized list of programs and offices 
of the Department of the Air Force that could better utilize 
commercial physics-based modeling and simulation and opportunities 
for the implementation of such modeling and simulation 
capabilities within the Department.


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