[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5839. Ms. STABENOW 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 F of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1064. STUDY ON FEASIBILITY OF GATHERING DEMOGRAPHIC 
                   INFORMATION ON MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN 
                   (MENA) PERSONNEL.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for 
     Personnel and Readiness shall submit to the Committee on 
     Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed 
     Services of the House of Representatives a report including 
     the findings of a study on the feasibility of gathering more 
     demographic information on Middle Eastern and North African 
     (MENA) members of the Armed Forces and Department of Defense 
     civilian employees.
       (b) Elements.--The study required under subsection (a) 
     shall cover the following topics:
       (1) How non-MENA White and MENA members of the Armed Forces 
     and Department of Defense civilian employees perceive the 
     racial status of MENA traits, and how MENA members of the 
     Armed Forces and Department of Defense civilian employees 
     identify themselves (self-identification).
       (2) Whether, if given the option, MENA individuals self-
     identify as MENA or as MENA and White, including by 
     disaggregating the data by first-generation, second-
     generation, and later generation individuals, and by Muslim 
     population.
       (3) Whether inclusion of MENA as a standalone racial 
     category would allow the Armed Forces to gather data more 
     accurately on MENA members of the Armed Forces and Department 
     of Defense civilian employees.
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