[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 101 (Friday, June 14, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4067-H4097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SERVICEMEMBER QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT AND NATIONAL DEFENSE 
                 AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Curtis). Pursuant to House Resolution 
1287 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of 
the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration 
of the bill, H.R. 8070.
  Will the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk) kindly take the 
chair.

                              {time}  0918


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of 
the bill (H.R. 8070) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 
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, with Mr. Loudermilk (Acting Chair) in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Thursday, 
June 13, 2024, amendment No. 53, printed in part B of House Report 118-
551, offered by the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman) had been 
disposed of.


       Amendments En Bloc No. 4 Offered by Mr. Rogers of Alabama

  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1287, 
I offer amendments en bloc.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
  Amendments en bloc No. 4 consisting of amendment Nos. 235, 236, 237, 
238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 
252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 
266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 
280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, and 289 printed in part B 
of House Report 118-551, offered by Mr. Rogers of Alabama:


          AMENDMENT NO. 235 OFFERED BY MR. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY

       Add at the end of title XI of division A the following:

     SEC. 11__. OMB EMPLOYMENT FORM REQUIREMENT FOR DOD 
                   CONTRACTORS.

       The Secretary shall require all individuals hired to 
     Department of Defense contracts to use Declaration for 
     Federal Employment Form OMB No. 3206-0812.


           AMENDMENT NO. 236 OFFERED BY MR. AMODEI OF NEVADA

       At the end of subtitle D of title III, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 3__. BRIEFING ON ARMY ORGANIZATIONAL CLOTHING AND 
                   EQUIPMENT USED IN COLD AND EXTREME COLD WEATHER 
                   ENVIRONMENTS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than March 31, 2025, the 
     Secretary of the Army shall provide to the Committees on 
     Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives 
     a briefing on the modernization and sustainment plans of the 
     Army for organizational clothing and equipment used in cold 
     and extreme cold weather environments. The briefing shall 
     include the following topics:
       (1) The planned requirement of the Army for organizational 
     clothing and equipment used in cold and extreme cold weather 
     environments.
       (2) The current inventory of the Army of such clothing and 
     equipment.
       (3) The modernization plan of the Army with respect to such 
     clothing and equipment.
       (4) Any relevant investments currently programmed for such 
     clothing and equipment in the Future Years Defense Program.
       (5) The cost and timeline associated with implementing such 
     plan, including any additional outlays by Congress necessary 
     to fulfil the plan.
       (6) Such other matters as the Secretary finds appropriate.
       (b) Organizational Clothing and Equipment Used in Cold and 
     Extreme Cold Weather Environments.--In this section,

[[Page H4068]]

     the term ``organizational clothing and equipment used in cold 
     and extreme cold weather environments'' includes extreme cold 
     weather clothing, footwear, handwear, shelters, sleep 
     systems, sleep mats, snowshoes, and skis.


           AMENDMENT NO. 237 OFFERED BY MR. JAMES OF MICHIGAN

       At the end of subtitle C of title XVII, add the following:

     SEC. 17__. REPORT ON THE USE OF MAJOR NON-NATO ALLY STATUS 
                   FOR KENYA.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the designation of a country as a major non-NATO ally 
     is intended to facilitate an increased security relationship 
     between the United States and the designated country and is 
     not intended to be merely a symbolic gesture;
       (2) Kenya is an increasingly important security partner in 
     East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean; and
       (3) major non-NATO ally status for Kenya should be utilized 
     to facilitate increased security cooperation with Kenya to 
     advance our shared security priorities.
       (b) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit a 
     classified report, along with an unclassified summary, to the 
     appropriate congressional committees, which shall--
       (1) identify all opportunities to increase security 
     cooperation with Kenya as a result of its major non-NATO ally 
     designation;
       (2) assess the feasibility of implementing the identified 
     opportunities, including cost, timeline, and availability of 
     defense articles as applicable; and
       (3) assess the priority of identified opportunities based 
     on the Kenyan government's requests and input and the impact 
     on advancing the national security interests of the United 
     States.
       (c) Supplemental Reports.--On the date that is 180 days 
     after the report required under subsection (b) is submitted, 
     and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit a 
     classified annex, along with an unclassified summary, to the 
     appropriate congressional committees containing a report that 
     identifies all requests by the Kenyan government on 
     cooperation on activities covered under the major non-NATO 
     ally status, including--
       (1) a detailed summary of each request, including cost and 
     the defense articles requested;
       (2) whether those requests were approved or denied; and
       (3) an explanation for why each request was approved or 
     denied.
       (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.


          AMENDMENT NO. 238 OFFERED BY MR. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY

       At the end of subtitle B of title XIII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 13__. REPORT ON FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING AND DEPLOYING 
                   ASYMMETRIC NAVAL ASSETS IN DEFENSE OF TAIWAN.

       (a) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 
     departments and agencies, shall submit a classified report, 
     along with an unclassified summary, to the appropriate 
     congressional committees that contains an assessment of--
       (1) the feasibility of developing and deploying asymmetric 
     naval assets for a potential defense of Taiwan;
       (2) whether Taiwan's ability to deter, or in the 
     alternative confront, a maritime invasion by the People's 
     Republic of China would be enhanced by deployment of small, 
     high-speed, long-range (200 or more nautical miles), extreme-
     weather-capable, reduced-radar-signature boats with the 
     capacity for launching missiles, addressing subsurface 
     threats or delivering and recovering small troop units to 
     coastal and littoral locations in the vicinity of the Taiwan 
     Strait, and, if so, in what number and in what 
     configurations;
       (3) whether existing and planned Tuo Chiang class 
     catamaran-hulled corvettes are naval assets capable of fully 
     meeting the needs of an effective asymmetric naval defense 
     strategy; and
       (4) the vulnerability of Taiwan's existing larger-platform 
     surface naval fleet, including Keelung-class destroyers, 
     Cheung Kung-class frigates, Chi Yang-class frigates, Kang 
     Ding-class frigates.
       (b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.


          AMENDMENT NO. 239 OFFERED BY MR. BUCHANAN OF FLORIDA

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 10__. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON USE OF UNMANNED 
                   VEHICLES TO REDUCE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
                   EXPENSES.

       (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall conduct a study to assess ways unmanned vehicles can 
     reduce overall operating expenses and costs at the Department 
     of Defense. Such study shall include--
       (1) an analysis of unmanned ground and air systems and a 
     comparison of the capability, capacity, and operating cost 
     tradeoffs associated with each such system and those 
     associated with similar manned technologies or systems;
       (2) recommendations regarding new areas in which unmanned 
     technology could supplant or complement manned systems in 
     order to reduce overall force operating costs; and
       (3) such other matters as the Comptroller General 
     determines appropriate.
       (b) Briefing and Report.--Not later than March 31, 2025, 
     the Comptroller General shall--
       (1) provide to the congressional defense committees a 
     briefing on the preliminary findings of the study required 
     under subsection (a); and
       (2) agree to a format and timeline for providing to such 
     committees a final report on the study.


         AMENDMENT NO. 240 OFFERED BY MR. GARBARINO OF NEW YORK

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. FUNDING FOR SURFACE AND SHALLOW WATER MINE COUNTER-
                   MEASURES.

       (a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for research, development, test 
     and evaluation, Navy, as specified in the corresponding 
     funding table in section 4201, for advanced component 
     development and prototypes, surface and shallow water mine 
     countermeasures, line 035 (PE 0603502N), is hereby increased 
     by $9,000,000.
       (b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for research, development, test 
     and evaluation, Navy, as specified in the corresponding 
     funding table in section 4201, for advanced component 
     development and prototypes, chalk coral, line 063 (PE 
     0603734N), is hereby reduced by $9,000,000.


          AMENDMENT NO. 241 OFFERED BY MS. CARAVEO OF COLORADO

       At the end of subtitle H of title V, insert the following:

     SEC. 5__. REPORT ON SEPARATING MEMBERS WHO HAVE HEALTH CARE 
                   EXPERIENCE AND MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS.

       By not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall submit to 
     the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of 
     Representatives a report on the process by which members of 
     the Armed Forces with health care experience transition to 
     civilian life and the number such members who join the 
     Medical Reserve Corps.


           AMENDMENT NO. 242 OFFERED BY MR. AMODEI OF NEVADA

       Add at the end of subtitle C of title XXVIII the following:

     SEC. 28__. TECHNICAL CORRECTION TO MAP REFERENCE IN THE 
                   MILITARY LAND WITHDRAWALS ACT OF 2013.

       Subtitle G of the Military Land Withdrawals Act of 2013 
     (Public Law 113-66; 127 Stat. 1025; 136 Stat. 3027) is 
     amended by striking ``November 30, 2022'' each place it 
     appears and inserting ``May 22, 2024''.


        AMENDMENT NO. 243 OFFERED BY MR. CARBAJAL OF CALIFORNIA

       At the end of subtitle C of title XVII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 17__. LIMITATION ON DISPLAYING IN CERTAIN PUBLIC AREAS 
                   CUT FLOWERS OR GREENS NOT PRODUCED IN THE 
                   UNITED STATES.

       (a) In General.--A cut flower or a cut green may not be 
     officially displayed in any public area of a building of the 
     Executive Office of the President or of the Department of 
     State or of the Department of Defense unless the cut flower 
     or cut green is produced in the United States.
       (b) Rule of Construction.--The limitation in subsection (a) 
     may not be construed to apply to any cut flower or cut green 
     used by a Federal officer or employee for personal display.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``cut flower'' means a flower removed from a 
     living plant for decorative use.
       (2) The term ``cut green'' means a green, foliage, or 
     branch removed from a living plant for decorative use.
       (3) The term ``produced in the United States'' means grown 
     in--
       (A) any of the several States;
       (B) the District of Columbia;
       (C) a territory or possession of the United States; or
       (D) an area subject to the jurisdiction of a federally 
     recognized Indian Tribe.
       (d) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the 
     date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 
     section.

[[Page H4069]]

  



          AMENDMENT NO. 244 OFFERED BY MRS. SPARTZ OF INDIANA

       At the end of subtitle C of title XV, insert the following:

     SEC. 15__. ASSESSMENT OF INNOVATIVE DATA ANALYSIS AND 
                   INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS.

        Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report containing the 
     results of an assessment of the implementation by the 
     Department of Defense of innovative data analysis and 
     information technology solutions that could improve risk 
     management, agility, and capabilities for strategic defense 
     purposes.


            AMENDMENT NO. 245 OFFERED BY MR. GREEN OF TEXAS

         At the end of subtitle C of title V insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. POSTHUMOUS COMMISSION AS CAPTAIN IN THE REGULAR 
                   ARMY FOR MILTON HOLLAND.

         (a) Posthumous Commission.--Milton Holland, who, while 
     sergeant major of the 5th Regiment, United States Colored 
     Infantry, was awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition of 
     his action on September 29, 1864, during the Battle of 
     Chapin's Farm, Virginia, when, as the citation for the medal 
     states, he ``took command of Company C, after all the 
     officers had been killed or wounded, and gallantly led it'', 
     shall be deemed for all purposes to have held the grade of 
     captain in the regular Army, effective as of that date and 
     continuing until his separation from the Army.
         (b) Prohibition of Benefits.--Section 1523 of title 10, 
     United States Code, applies in the case of the posthumous 
     commission described in subsection (a).


            AMENDMENT NO. 246 OFFERED BY MS. GARCIA OF TEXAS

         At the end of subtitle E of title V insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. ANNUAL TRAINING ON THE PREVENTION OF SEXUAL ABUSE 
                   FOR STUDENTS IN THE JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS' 
                   TRAINING CORPS.

         Chapter 102 of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new section:

     ``Sec. 2037. Training on prevention of sexual abuse

         ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense, acting 
     through the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
     Readiness, shall establish training for students enrolled in 
     the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps regarding 
     prevention of sexual abuse.
         ``(b) Elements.--The training established under this 
     section shall--
         ``(1) be age-appropriate;
         ``(2) be evidence-based in polyvictimization research;
         ``(3) be comprehensive, including elements regarding--
         ``(A) grooming;
         ``(B) bullying, including cyberbullying;
         ``(C) appropriate relationships and interactions between 
     such students and instructors;
         ``(D) signs of inappropriate behavior between adults and 
     adolescents; and
         ``(E) digital abuse; and
         ``(4) provide such students with the contact information 
     of local resources through which a student may report alleged 
     sexual abuse or receive treatment and support for such abuse.
         ``(c) Provision.--The Secretary shall ensure that each 
     such student receives training established under this 
     section--
         ``(1) from an entity other than an administrator or 
     instructor of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; 
     and
         ``(2) once each year.
         ``(d) Metrics.--The Secretary shall establish and 
     maintain metrics regarding the effectiveness of the training 
     established under this section.
         ``(e) Sexual Abuse Defined.--In this section, the term 
     `sexual abuse' means an offense covered by section 920, 920b, 
     920c, or 930 of this title (article 120, 120b, 120c, or 130 
     of the Uniform Code of Military Justice).''.


        AMENDMENT NO. 247 OFFERED BY MS. STANSBURY OF NEW MEXICO

       At the end of subtitle B of title III, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 3__. EXTENSION OF PERIOD FOR COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS 
                   UNDER NATIVE AMERICAN LANDS ENVIRONMENTAL 
                   MITIGATION PROGRAM.

       Section 2713(c)(3) of title 10, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``two calendar years'' and inserting 
     ``five calendar years''.


             AMENDMENT NO. 248 OFFERED BY MR. JOYCE OF OHIO

       At the end of subtitle A of title XVII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 17__. PROJECT SPECTRUM.

       Chapter 19 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
     inserting before section 399 the following new section:

     ``Sec. 398b. Project Spectrum

       ``(a) Project Spectrum; Purpose.--There is within the 
     Office of Small Business Programs of the Department of 
     Defense a program known as `Project Spectrum', the purpose of 
     which is to provide to covered entities, through an online 
     platform, digital resources and services that increase 
     awareness about cybersecurity risks and help such covered 
     entities to comply with the cybersecurity requirements of the 
     defense acquisition system.
       ``(b) Eligibility.--The Director of the Office of Small 
     Business Programs may establish eligibility requirements for 
     the receipt by a covered entity of a given resource or 
     service made available through Project Spectrum.
       ``(c) Application.--To receive through Project Spectrum a 
     resource or service for which the Director has established an 
     eligibility requirement under subsection (b), a covered 
     entity shall submit to the Director an application at such 
     time, in such form, and containing such information as the 
     Director determines appropriate.
       ``(d) Functions.--In carrying out Project Spectrum, the 
     Director shall maintain an online platform through which the 
     Director shall make available to each covered entity that the 
     Director determines to be eligible under subsection (b) with 
     respect to a given resource or service, the following:
       ``(1) Educational materials regarding cybersecurity, 
     including cybersecurity training courses and workforce 
     development training.
       ``(2) Guidance regarding best practices for cybersecurity 
     matters, including guidance for developing internal 
     cybersecurity policies and suggestions for procedures for 
     reviewing any violation of such policies.
       ``(3) Assessments of the cybersecurity practices and 
     cybersecurity systems used by a covered entity.
       ``(4) A review and feasibility assessment of products, 
     software, and data security tools available in the commercial 
     marketplace.
       ``(5) Cybersecurity services, including dashboard 
     monitoring services, continuous threat monitoring services, 
     software patching services, and patch testing services.
       ``(6) Cybersecurity readiness checks.
       ``(7) A platform for secure data collaboration between two 
     or more employees of a covered entity and between multiple 
     covered entities.
       ``(8) Any additional resources or services, as determined 
     by the Director.
       ``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) The term `covered entity' means a supplier of the 
     Department of Defense that is a small or medium business and 
     registers to access the online platform of Project Spectrum.
       ``(2) The term `defense acquisition system' has the meaning 
     given to such term in section 3001 of this title.''.


       AMENDMENT NO. 249 OFFERED BY MR. WILSON OF SOUTH CAROLINA

       At the end of subtitle E of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 10__. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR BADR ORGANIZATION.

       None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated by this 
     Act or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense 
     for fiscal year 2025 may be made available, directly or 
     indirectly, to the Badr Organization.


           AMENDMENT NO. 250 OFFERED BY MR. JACKSON OF TEXAS

       At the end of subtitle C of title XVII, add the following:

     SEC. 17_. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL EMERGING TECHNOLOGY 
                   CAPABILITIES COOPERATION.

       Subtitle G of title XII of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 is amended by 
     inserting after section 1279 (22 U.S.C. 8606 note) the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 1279A. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL EMERGING TECHNOLOGY 
                   CAPABILITIES COOPERATION.

       ``(a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United 
     States to support and encourage further defense collaboration 
     with Israel in areas of emerging technologies capable of 
     enabling the warfare capabilities of both the United States 
     and Israel to meet emerging defense challenges, including but 
     not limited to the areas of artificial intelligence, 
     cybersecurity, robotics, quantum and automation.
       ``(b) Authority To Establish Emerging Defense Technology 
     Capabilities Program With Israel.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, upon request 
     of the Ministry of Defense of Israel and in consultation with 
     the Secretary of State and the Director of National 
     Intelligence, is authorized to carry out research, 
     development, test, and evaluation, on a joint basis with 
     Israel, in areas of emerging technologies capable of enabling 
     the warfare capabilities of both the United States and Israel 
     to meet emerging defense challenges, including the areas of 
     artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, quantum and 
     automation. Any activities carried out pursuant to such 
     authority shall be conducted in a manner that appropriately 
     protects sensitive information and United States and Israel 
     national security interests.
       ``(2) Report.--The activities described in paragraph (1) 
     and subsection (c) may be carried out after the Secretary of 
     Defense submits to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report setting forth the following:
       ``(A) A memorandum of agreement between the United States 
     and Israel regarding sharing of research and development 
     costs for the capabilities described in paragraph (1), and 
     any supporting documents.
       ``(B) A certification that the memorandum of agreement--
       ``(i) requires sharing of costs of projects, including in-
     kind support, between the United States and Israel;
       ``(ii) establishes a framework to negotiate the rights to 
     any intellectual property developed under the memorandum of 
     agreement; and
       ``(iii) requires the United States Government to receive 
     semiannual reports on expenditure of funds, if any, by the 
     Government of Israel, including a description of

[[Page H4070]]

     what the funds have been used for, when funds were expended, 
     and an identification of entities that expended the funds.
       ``(c) Annual Limitation on Amount.--The amount of support 
     provided under this section in any year may not exceed 
     $47,500,000.
       ``(d) Lead Agency.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
     designate the Irregular Warfare Technology Support 
     Directorate as the lead agency of the Department of Defense 
     in carrying out this section.
       ``(e) Semiannual Reports.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the appropriate committees of Congress on a 
     semiannual basis a report that contains a copy of the most 
     recent semiannual report provided by the Government of Israel 
     to the Department of Defense pursuant to subsection 
     (b)(2)(B)(iii).
       ``(f) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term `appropriate committees of Congress' 
     means--
       ``(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and 
     the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
       ``(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Homeland Security, the 
     Committee on Appropriations, and the Permanent Select 
     Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
       ``(g) Sunset.--The authority in this section to carry out 
     activities described in subsection (b), and to provide 
     support described in subsection (c), shall expire on the date 
     that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this 
     section.''.


       AMENDMENT NO. 251 OFFERED BY MR. WILSON OF SOUTH CAROLINA

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 2__. REPORT ON POTENTIAL INCLUSION OF ISRAEL IN THE 
                   NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL BASE.

       (a) Assessment.--The Secretary of Defense shall assess the 
     feasibility and advisability of including Israel in the 
     national technology and industrial base.
       (b) Elements.--The assessment under subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) A detailed assessment of the potential benefit to the 
     national security of the United States of including Israel in 
     the national technology and industrial base.
       (2) An assessment of how Israel's inclusion in the national 
     technology and industrial base may affect research and 
     development projects on which Israel and the United States 
     are collaborating.
       (3) Detailed delineation of the specific steps Israel must 
     take to facilitate eligibility for inclusion in the national 
     technology and industrial base.
       (4) An analysis of the progress Israel has made, as of the 
     date of the assessment, with respect to the steps described 
     in paragraph (3).
       (5) Analysis of how Israel's potential inclusion in the 
     national technology and industrial base could aid United 
     States strategic competitiveness with China.
       (6) An assessment of any barriers--
       (A) to expansion of the national technology and industrial 
     base generally; and
       (B) to Israel's inclusion in the national technology and 
     industrial base specifically.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
     results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a).
       (d) Form.--The report required under subsection (c) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (e) National Technology and Industrial Base Defined.--In 
     this section, the term ``national technology and industrial 
     base'' has the meaning given that term in section 4801 of 
     title 10, United States Code.


          AMENDMENT NO. 252 OFFERED BY MR. BUCHANAN OF FLORIDA

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 10__. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE REPORT ON THREAT OF RIFLE-
                   TOTING ROBOT DOGS USED BY CHINA TO THE NATIONAL 
                   SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES.

       The Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report 
     on--
       (1) the use of rifle-toting robot dogs by China; and
       (2) the threat such use poses to the national security of 
     the United States.


        AMENDMENT NO. 253 OFFERED BY MS. SPANBERGER OF VIRGINIA

       At the end of subtitle B of title IX, insert the following:

     SEC. 9__. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SENIOR INTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT 
                   OFFICIAL.

       Subchapter I of chapter 21 of title 10, United States Code, 
     is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``Sec. 430c. Senior Intelligence Oversight Official

       ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense, or a 
     designee of the Secretary determined by regulations 
     prescribed by the Secretary, shall designate a civilian 
     employee of the Department of Defense in the Senior Executive 
     Service to serve as the Senior Intelligence Oversight 
     Official.
       ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Senior Intelligence Oversight 
     Official shall exercise independent oversight of all 
     intelligence, intelligence-related, and sensitive activities 
     of the Department of Defense, including activities 
     involving--
       ``(1) tradecraft;
       ``(2) the operational use of an individual; or
       ``(3) clandestine operational tactics, techniques, and 
     procedures.
       ``(c) Access.--The Senior Intelligence Oversight Official 
     shall have--
       ``(1) complete and unrestricted access to all information 
     concerning any intelligence, intelligence-related, or 
     sensitive activity of the Department of Defense regardless of 
     classification or compartmentalization, including special 
     access programs, from any personnel or organizational entity 
     of the Department of Defense, to the extent necessary to 
     carry out the responsibilities and functions of the Senior 
     Intelligence Oversight Official; and
       ``(2) direct access to the Secretary of Defense and the 
     Deputy Secretary of Defense, as circumstances require in the 
     determination of the Senior Intelligence Oversight Official.
       ``(d) Review of Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense 
     shall review and update Department of Defense Directive 
     5148.13, and any associated or successor regulation or 
     directive, to conform to this section.''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 254 OFFERED BY MS. SLOTKIN OF MICHIGAN

       Page 272, lines 22-23, strike ``located within the 
     continental United States'' and insert ``located within a 
     State, the District of Columbia, or a territory or possession 
     of the United States''.


          AMENDMENT NO. 255 OFFERED BY MR. KILDEE OF MICHIGAN

       At the end of subtitle C of title XXXI, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 31__. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF STORAGE 
                   FACILITIES FOR PERMANENT STORAGE OF NUCLEAR 
                   MATERIAL WITHIN THE GREAT LAKES BASIN.

       It is the sense of Congress that the Government of the 
     United States and the government of Canada should not develop 
     storage facilities for the permanent storage of spent nuclear 
     fuel, low-level or high-level nuclear waste, or military-
     grade nuclear material within the Great Lakes Basin.


      AMENDMENT NO. 256 OFFERED BY MS. PLASKETT OF VIRGIN ISLANDS

       At the end of subtitle B of title XIII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 13_. REPORT ON IMPACT OF THE MALIGN INFLUENCE OF CHINA 
                   AND RUSSIA.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the heads of other Federal departments and 
     agencies as necessary, shall submit to the Committees on 
     Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives 
     a report that includes a detailed assessment of the impact of 
     the malign influence of China and Russia in Africa, South 
     America, Central America, and the Caribbean on the national 
     security and economic interests of the United States.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     also include the following:
       (1) A detailed description of the--
       (A) current political, economic, and social stability of 
     Africa, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean;
       (B) economic investments of Russia and China in Africa, 
     South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and the 
     collateral conditions;
       (C) impact of the presence of Russia and China in Africa, 
     South America, Central America, and the Caribbean on 
     democracy and diplomacy; and
       (D) use of private military companies by Russia and China 
     to advance political, economic, and military interests.
       (2) An assessment of the--
       (A) direct and indirect impacts of Russia and China's 
     presence in Africa, South America, Central America, and the 
     Caribbean on the national and regional security interests of 
     the United States;
       (B) current United States military and diplomatic 
     strategies in response to the expansion of Chinese and 
     Russian influence in Africa, South America, Central America, 
     and the Caribbean;
       (C) assets and resources available to counter threats from 
     Russia and China, and protect the security interests of the 
     United States; and
       (D) United States military force posture in Africa, South 
     America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
       (c) Form of Report.--The report required under subsection 
     (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form without any 
     designation relating to dissemination control, but may 
     include a classified annex.


          AMENDMENT NO. 257 OFFERED BY MS. WEXTON OF VIRGINIA

       At the end of subtitle E of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF MANUFACTURING INNOVATION 
                   INSTITUTES ON THE DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE.

       Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees an assessment of the 
     impact of continued investment in Department of Defense 
     sponsored manufacturing innovation institutes on the defense 
     industrial base in the United States.

[[Page H4071]]

  



          AMENDMENT NO. 258 OFFERED BY MR. RASKIN OF MARYLAND

       At the end of subtitle F of title XVIII, add the following

     SEC. 17__. REPORT ON REDUCING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT MENTAL 
                   HEALTH AND SECURITY CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
     Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives a 
     report on the Department's activities to inform members of 
     the Armed Forces about how mental health affects security 
     clearance eligibility. The report required under this section 
     shall include the following topics:
       (1) The Department's outreach and education activities to 
     inform members of the Armed Forces that seeking mental health 
     care will not affect their security clearance status or 
     eligibility.
       (2) The Department's outreach and education activities to 
     ensure that health care providers in the military health 
     system, non-medical counselors, TRICARE providers, and other 
     relevant personnel convey accurate information to members of 
     the Armed Forces regarding mental health and security 
     clearance eligibility, making clear that seeking mental 
     health care will not affect their security clearance status 
     or eligibility.


     AMENDMENT NO. 259 OFFERED BY MRS. RADEWAGEN OF AMERICAN SAMOA

       At the end of subtitle A of title XXVIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 28__. ASSESSMENT OF WORKFORCE NEEDS IN THE FREELY 
                   ASSOCIATED STATES TO SUPPORT FUTURE MILITARY 
                   CONSTRUCTION.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense 
     for Energy, Installations, and Environment shall conduct a 
     study and submit a report to the congressional defense 
     committees--
       (1) summarizing planned military major and minor 
     construction in the Freely Associated States (``FAS'') over 
     the next 5 fiscal years;
       (2) assessing the ability of the local workforce in the FAS 
     to support future military construction; and
       (3) detailing options for the Department of Defense to 
     cooperate with the Department of Labor, the Department of the 
     Interior, and the FAS to develop plans to help address any 
     construction workforce shortages.


             AMENDMENT NO. 260 OFFERED BY MR. NUNN OF IOWA

       In subtitle G of title V, add at the end the following:

     SEC. 5__. ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN THE TRANSITION 
                   ASSISTANCE PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
                   AND THE SOLID START PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT 
                   OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Transition Assistance Program of the Department of 
     Defense.--Section 1142(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``(11),'' before ``and 
     (16)''; and
       (2) by striking paragraph (11) and inserting the following:
       ``(11) Information concerning mental health, including--
       ``(A) the availability of mental health services furnished 
     by the Secretary concerned, the Secretary of Defense, the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or a non-profit entity;
       ``(B) the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, 
     traumatic brain injury, anxiety disorders, depression, 
     chronic pain, sleep disorders, suicidal ideation, or other 
     mental health conditions associated with service in the armed 
     forces;
       ``(C) the risk of suicide, including signs, symptoms, and 
     risk factors (including adverse childhood experiences, 
     depression, bipolar disorder, homelessness, unemployment, and 
     relationship strain);
       ``(D) the availability of treatment options and resources 
     to address substance abuse, including alcohol, prescription 
     drug, and opioid abuse;
       ``(E) the potential effects of the loss of community and 
     support systems experienced by a member separating from the 
     armed forces;
       ``(F) isolation from family, friends, or society; and
       ``(G) the potential stressors associated with separation 
     from the armed forces.''.
       (b) Solid Start Program of the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs.--Section 6320(b)(1) of title 38, United States Code, 
     is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) and (H) as 
     subparagraphs (I) and (J), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following new 
     subparagraphs:
       ``(G) assisting eligible veterans who elect to enroll in 
     the system of patient enrollment under section 1705(a) of 
     this title;
       ``(H) educating veterans about mental health and counseling 
     services available through the Veterans Health 
     Administration;''.
       (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the 
     Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
     information and materials developed pursuant to the 
     amendments made by this section.
       (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.


          AMENDMENT NO. 261 OFFERED BY MR. BUCHANAN OF FLORIDA

       At the end of subtitle B of title VII, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 7_. COMBATING OBESITY IN CERTAIN ARMED FORCES.

       (a) Strategy and Educational Campaign.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall--
       (A) develop a strategy to align the obesity-related 
     programs of the Department of Defense with the classification 
     of obesity as a medically accepted disease; and
       (B) conduct an educational campaign to promote awareness, 
     diagnosis, and treatment of obesity as a disease in the 
     covered Armed Forces.
       (2) Requirements for strategy.--The strategy developed 
     under paragraph (1)(A) shall include the following:
       (A) A plan to coordinate obesity-related programs across 
     the Department of Defense to treat obesity as a disease and 
     reduce the prevalence of obesity in the covered Armed Forces.
       (B) An assessment of the effectiveness of health programs 
     of the Department of Defense that are intended to educate, 
     prevent, or treat obesity among members of the covered Armed 
     Forces, and a plan to modify or update such programs to treat 
     obesity as a disease.
       (C) An assessment of the adequacy of nutrition education 
     for physicians and other health care practitioners in the 
     military health system to evaluate and treat obesity as a 
     disease, including the need for any additional education or 
     guidelines for such physicians and other health care 
     practitioners.
       (D) A strategy to work toward members of the covered Armed 
     Forces with obesity receiving appropriate treatment.
       (3) Requirements for educational campaign.--The educational 
     campaign conducted under paragraph (1)(B) shall include the 
     following:
       (A) Information to educate members of the covered Armed 
     Forces regarding best practices to prevent, reduce, or 
     mitigate obesity, and available resources to address the root 
     causes of obesity.
       (B) Information targeted to physicians and other health 
     care practitioners in the military health system to promote 
     diagnosis and treatment of obesity as a disease.
       (4) Consultation.--In developing the strategy and 
     educational campaign required by paragraph (1), the Secretary 
     of Defense shall consult with the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services, acting through the Centers for Medicare & 
     Medicaid Services, and other Health and Human Services 
     agencies, as determined appropriate by the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services.
       (b) Inclusion of Information Regarding Unmet Weight 
     Standards in Certain Reports.--Beginning not later than 1 
     year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of Defense shall include information regarding 
     unmet weight standards in any report submitted by the 
     Secretary to Congress regarding disqualifications for 
     enlistment in, disability incurred in, or medical discharges 
     from, the covered Armed Forces.
       (c) Additional Department of Defense Reports.--
       (1) Effects of obesity on readiness of covered armed 
     forces.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Administrator of the Centers for 
     Medicare & Medicaid Services, shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report regarding the effects of 
     obesity on the readiness of the covered Armed Forces. Such 
     report shall include legislative recommendations of the 
     Secretary to address such effects.
       (2) Effectiveness of obesity, food, and nutrition-related 
     programs of department of defense.--Not later than 1 year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
     thereafter, the Director of the Defense Health Agency shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     on the effectiveness of the obesity, food, and nutrition-
     related programs of the Department of Defense in reducing 
     obesity and improving military readiness.
       (d) GAO Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
     United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a report analyzing the existing obesity, food, and 
     nutrition-related programs of the Department of Defense.
       (2) Requirements.--The report required by paragraph (1) 
     shall include the following:
       (A) An assessment of programs directed to members of the 
     covered Armed Forces.
       (B) An assessment of programs directed to health care 
     providers in the military health system.
       (C) An assessment of the effectiveness of such programs in 
     reducing obesity and the impact of obesity on military 
     readiness.
       (D) Recommendations to coordinate and improve existing 
     programs to reduce obesity and the impact of obesity on 
     military readiness.

[[Page H4072]]

       (e) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means 
     the following:
       (A) The Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (B) The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (C) The Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (D) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (E) The Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
       (F) The Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate.
       (G) The Committee on Finance of the Senate.
       (H) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
     of the Senate.
       (2) The term ``covered Armed Force'' means the Army, Navy, 
     Marine Corps, Air Force, or Space Force.


           AMENDMENT NO. 262 OFFERED BY MR. IVEY OF MARYLAND

       At the end of subtitle B of title XVII, add the following:

     SEC. 17__. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY AND REPORT ON 
                   ANTAGONISTIC USE OF SATELLITES.

       (a) Study.--
       (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall conduct a study to assess threats to the 
     interests of the United States posed by antagonistic use of 
     satellites by adversarial foreign states, including--
       (A) use of a satellite for combat;
       (B) damage, destruction, or incapacitation of a satellite 
     that is owned, operated, controlled, or used by--
       (i) the United States Government;
       (ii) a commercial entity organized under the laws of the 
     United States or any jurisdiction within the United States; 
     or
       (iii) a country that is a member of the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization; and
       (C) conducting or attempting to conduct espionage or 
     surveillance of, or a cyber intrusion that affects--
       (i) a physical resource of the Department of Defense, 
     including a Department of Defense installation; or
       (ii) critical infrastructure (as defined in section 1016(e) 
     of the USA PATRIOT Act (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e))), including--

       (I) an electricity transmission system or network;
       (II) a water management system or resource;
       (III) a telecommunications facility or network;
       (IV) a nuclear facility;
       (V) an airport;
       (VI) a railway; or
       (VII) a sea port.

       (2) Consultation.--In conducting the study under this 
     subsection, the Comptroller General shall consult with--
       (A) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration;
       (B) the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission;
       (C) the Secretary of Defense;
       (D) the Secretary of Homeland Security; and
       (E) specialists who--
       (i) are affiliated with an institution of higher education 
     or research organization; and
       (ii) have expertise in satellite technology, satellite 
     warfare, cybersecurity, or another relevant subject related 
     to warfare and communications.
       (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit 
     to the Secretary of Defense, the Committee on Armed Services 
     of the Senate, and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
     House of Representatives a report that--
       (1) includes operational, policy, and legislative 
     recommendations to protect against and respond to threats 
     identified by the study required under subsection (a); and
       (2) may include recommendations for--
       (A) preventive, preparatory, and emergency response actions 
     by municipal governments, State governments, and private 
     sector entities; and
       (B) educational curricula and workforce development 
     programs to address the need for trained professionals who 
     are able to implement the recommendations described in such 
     report.
       (c) Adversarial Foreign State Defined.--In this section, 
     the term ``adversarial foreign state'' means--
       (1) the Islamic Republic of Iran;
       (2) the People's Republic of China;
       (3) the Russian Federation; and
       (4) any foreign state designated by the Secretary of State 
     as an adversarial foreign state for purposes of this section.


           AMENDMENT NO. 263 OFFERED BY MR. CRENSHAW OF TEXAS

       At the end of subtitle A of title XII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 12__. REPORT ON COOPERATION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL GUARD 
                   AND THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than February 15, 2024, the 
     Secretary of Defense shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report on the feasibility and 
     advisability of enhanced cooperation between the National 
     Guard and the Republic of India. Such report shall include 
     the following elements:
       (1) A description of the cooperation between the National 
     Guard and India during the 10 preceding calendar years, 
     including mutual visits, exercises, training, and equipment 
     opportunities.
       (2) An evaluation of the feasibility and advisability of 
     enhancing cooperation between the National Guard and India on 
     a range of activities, including--
       (A) disaster and emergency response;
       (B) cyber defense and communications security;
       (C) military medical cooperation;
       (D) mountain warfare;
       (E) jungle warfare;
       (F) counterinsurgency;
       (G) counterterrorism;
       (H) cultural exchange and education of members of the 
     National Guard in Hindi; and
       (I) programs for National Guard advisors to assist in 
     training the reserve components of the military forces of 
     India.
       (3) Recommendations to enhance such cooperation and improve 
     interoperability, including through familiarization visits, 
     cooperative training and exercises, and co-deployments.
       (4) Identification of States that may serve as potential 
     partners with India through a State partnership under section 
     341 of title 10, United States Code.
       (5) Any other matter the Secretary of Defense determines 
     appropriate.
       (b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the congressional defense committees;
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.


            AMENDMENT NO. 264 OFFERED BY MR. KAPTUR OF OHIO

       In subtitle I of title V, add at the end the following;

     SEC. 5__. AUTHORIZATION FOR LAST SERVICEMEMBER STANDING 
                   MEDAL.

       (a) Authorization.--Chapter 57 of title 10, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) by redesignating sections 1135 and 1136 as sections 
     1136 and section 1137, respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after section 1134 the following new 
     section:

     ``Sec. 1135. Last Servicemember Standing medal

       ``(a) Medal Authorized.--The Secretary concerned may issue 
     a service medal, to be known as the `Last Servicemember 
     Standing medal', to persons eligible under subsection (c).
       ``(b) Design.--The Last Servicemember Standing medal shall 
     be of an appropriate design approved by the Secretary of 
     Defense, with ribbons, lapel pins, and other appurtenances.
       ``(c) Eligible Persons.--Subject to subsection (d), a 
     person eligible to be issued the Last Servicemember Standing 
     medal is any member who--
       ``(1) served on active duty;
       ``(2) was deployed during war or overseas contingency 
     operation;
       ``(3) as a result of a combat instance during such war or 
     overseas contingency, was the last surviving member of a 
     unit;
       ``(4) demonstrated extraordinary heroism in defense of the 
     United States during such combat instance; and
       ``(5) whose character is recommended for recognition by 
     their commanding officer and at least two peers.
       ``(d) One Medal Authorized.--Not more than one Last 
     Servicemember Standing medal may be issued to any person.
       ``(e) Issuance to Next-of-Kin.--If a person described in 
     subsection (c) is deceased, the Secretary concerned may 
     provide for issuance of the Last Servicemember Standing medal 
     to the next-of-kin of the person.
       ``(f) Regulations.--The issuance of a Last Servicemember 
     Standing medal shall be subject to such regulations as the 
     Secretaries concerned shall prescribe for purposes of this 
     section. The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that any 
     regulations prescribed under this subsection are uniform to 
     the extent practicable.''.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Secretary of Defense should take appropriate actions to 
     expedite--
       (1) the design of the Last Servicemember Standing medal 
     provided for by section 1136 of title 10, United States Code, 
     as added by subsection (a); and
       (2) the establishment and implementation of mechanisms to 
     facilitate the issuance of the Last Servicemember Standing 
     Medal to persons eligible for the issuance of the medal under 
     such section.


          AMENDMENT NO. 265 OFFERED BY MR. GRAVES OF LOUISIANA

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

     SEC. 5__. ELIGIBILITY OF VETERANS OF OPERATION END SWEEP FOR 
                   VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL.

       The Secretary of the military department concerned may, 
     upon the application of an individual who is a veteran who 
     participated in Operation End Sweep, award that individual 
     the Vietnam Service Medal.


             AMENDMENT NO. 266 OFFERED BY MR. NUNN OF IOWA

       At the end of subtitle G of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO COVERED DISTRIBUTED LEDGER 
                   TECHNOLOGY AND BLOCKCHAIN EQUIPMENT OR 
                   SERVICES.

       (a) Prohibition on Acquisition.--The Secretary of Defense 
     may not acquire, or enter

[[Page H4073]]

     into, extend, or renew a contract or other agreement for, any 
     equipment, system, or service that uses covered distributed 
     ledger technology and blockchain equipment or services as--
       (1) a substantial or essential component of such equipment, 
     system, or service; or
       (2) critical technology as part of such equipment, system, 
     or service.
       (b) Prohibition on Loan and Grant Funds.--
       (1) Prohibition.--The Secretary of Defense may not obligate 
     or expend loan or grant funds to acquire, or to enter into, 
     extend, or renew a contract or other agreement for, any 
     equipment, system, or service described in subsection (a).
       (2) Prioritization.--In implementing the prohibition under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense, in administering a 
     loan, grant, or subsidy program, shall prioritize available 
     funding and technical support to assist affected entities as 
     is reasonably necessary for those affected entities to cease 
     use of covered distributed ledger technology and blockchain 
     equipment or services, to acquire replacement equipment and 
     services, and to ensure that communications service to users 
     and customers is sustained.
       (c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a) or (b) 
     shall be construed to--
       (1) prohibit the Secretary of Defense from acquiring from 
     an entity, or entering into, extending, or renewing a 
     contract or other agreement with an entity for, a service 
     that connects to the facilities of a third party, such as 
     blockchain protocols or interconnection arrangements; or
       (2) apply to wireless telecommunications equipment or 
     third-party validators that cannot route or redirect user 
     data traffic or permit visibility into any user data or 
     packets that such equipment transmits or otherwise handles.
       (d) Effective Date.--The prohibitions under subsections (a) 
     and (b) shall take effect on the date that is two years after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (e) Waiver Authority.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
     beginning on the effective date under subsection (d), the 
     Secretary of Defense may, upon request of an entity, issue a 
     waiver of the requirements under subsection (a) with respect 
     to such entity for a period of not more than two years.
       (2) Requirements.--The Secretary may only provide a waiver 
     under this subsection if the entity seeking the waiver--
       (A) provides a compelling justification for the additional 
     time to implement the requirements of this section; and
       (B) submits to the Secretary, who shall not later than 30 
     days thereafter submit to the Committees on Armed Services of 
     the Senate and the House of Representatives, a full and 
     complete description of the presence of covered distributed 
     ledger technology and blockchain equipment or services in the 
     entity's supply chain and a phase-out plan to eliminate such 
     covered distributed ledger technology and blockchain 
     equipment or services.
       (3) Elements of the intelligence community.--Beginning on 
     the effective date under subsection (d), each head of an 
     element of the intelligence community may waive the 
     requirements under subsection (a) if such head determines the 
     waiver is in the national security interests of the United 
     States.
       (f) Definitions.--In this Act:
       (1) The term ``covered distributed ledger technology and 
     blockchain equipment or services'' means distributed ledger 
     technology and blockchain equipment or services of or 
     originating from a foreign adversary, including any of the 
     following companies or subsidiaries thereof:
       (A) The Blockchain-based Services Network.
       (B) The Spartan Network.
       (C) The Conflux Network.
       (D) iFinex, Inc.
       (E) Red Date Technology Co., Ltd.
       (2) The term ``executive agency'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 133 of title 41, United States Code.
       (3) The term ``foreign adversary'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 7.2 of title 15, Code of Federal 
     Regulations.
       (4) The term ``intelligence community'' has the meaning 
     given the term in section 3 of the National Security Act of 
     1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003).


          AMENDMENT NO. 267 OFFERED BY MR. AMO OF RHODE ISLAND

       At the end of subtitle E of title I, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 1__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DOMESTIC PROCUREMENT OF 
                   DEFENSE ARTICLES FOR AUKUS PARTNERSHIP.

       (a) In General.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) researching, producing, and procuring defense articles 
     for the AUKUS partnership from within the United States 
     boosts local economies and improves national security by 
     enhancing domestic defense article production capabilities; 
     and
       (2) therefore, the Secretary of Defense should promote and 
     prioritize domestic manufacturing, supply chains, and 
     research for defense articles intended for use by members of 
     the AUKUS partnership.
       (b) AUKUS Partnership Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``AUKUS partnership'' means the enhanced trilateral security 
     partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the 
     United States announced in September 2021.


        AMENDMENT NO. 268 OFFERED BY MR. LYNCH OF MASSACHUSETTS

       At the end of subtitle A of title VI, add the following:

     SEC. 604. PROGRAM TO ASSIST SERVICE MEMBERS AT RISK OF 
                   SUICIDE.

       (a) Program Required.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 
     in consultation with the Director of the Defense Health 
     Agency, shall develop and implement a centralized program to 
     monitor and provide assistance to members of the Armed Forces 
     at risk of suicide who have been recently discharged from 
     health care, as outlined in Recommendation 6.29 of the final 
     report issued by the Suicide Prevention and Response 
     Independent Review Committee.
       (b) Matters to Be Included.--The centralized program 
     referred to in subsection (a) shall specify the following:
       (1) The individual and agency responsible for conducting 
     service member follow up.
       (2) The time when initial follow-up will occur.
       (3) The times when subsequent follow-ups will occur.
       (4) The manner in which patients will be contacted.
       (5) The process for documentation of follow-up attempts.
       (6) The procedures for ensuring patient safety where 
     patient is unreachable.
       (7) The processes for medical treatment facilities to link 
     mortality data to health care delivery data in order to 
     better identify settings and patients at higher risk of 
     suicide, further inform local suicide prevention strategies 
     for targeted high-risk groups, and ensure compliance with 
     reporting and investigating suicides occurring within 72 
     hours of discharge from a hospital.
       (c) Members of the Armed Forces at Risk of Suicide.--For 
     purposes of this section, the term ``members of the Armed 
     Forces at risk of suicide'' includes members of the Armed 
     Forces who have attempted suicide and members of the Armed 
     Forces who have been discharged as patients and who have been 
     clinically assessed as benefitting from follow-up support 
     related to suicide prevention.


         AMENDMENT NO. 269 OFFERED BY MR. TAKANO OF CALIFORNIA

       At the end of subtitle E of title V, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY TO DETAIL MEMBERS TO LAW 
                   EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

       (a) Expansion.--Section 2004 of title 10, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary'';
       (B) by striking the second sentence; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(2)(A) The Secretary of the military department concerned 
     may pay expenses incident to the detail, under this 
     subsection, of an officer or enlisted member for a period of 
     training described in paragraph (1).
       ``(B) Not more than 25 officers and enlisted members from 
     each military department may, in any single fiscal year, 
     begin a period of training described in paragraph (1) for 
     which the Secretary of the military department concerned pays 
     expenses under this paragraph.
       ``(3) The Secretary of the military department concerned 
     may detail an officer or enlisted member under paragraph (1) 
     without paying expenses under paragraph (2).'';
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``either'' and inserting 
     ``in the case of a member for whose training the Secretary of 
     the military department concerned pays expenses under 
     subsection (a)(2), either'';
       (B) in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (3)--
       (i) by striking ``period of two years'' and all that 
     follows and inserting an em dash; and
       (ii) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
       ``(i) in the case of a member for whose training the 
     Secretary of the military department concerned pays expenses 
     under subsection (a)(2), two years; or
       ``(ii) in the case of a member described in subsection 
     (a)(3), one year for each year or part thereof of legal 
     training under subsection (a).'';
       (C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 
     (3) and (4), respectively;
       (D) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new 
     paragraph (2):
       ``(2) in the case of a member described in subsection 
     (a)(3), either--
       ``(A) have served on active duty for a period of not less 
     than two years nor more than eight years and be an officer in 
     the grade of O-3 or below as of the time the training is to 
     begin; or
       ``(B) have served on active duty for a period of not less 
     than four years nor more than ten years and be an enlisted 
     member in the grade of E-5, E-6, or E-7 as of the time the 
     training is to begin;''; and
       (E) in subsection (d), by striking ``under this section'' 
     and inserting ``paid under subsection (a)(2) of''.
       (b) Basic Allowance for Housing During Detail.--
       (1) Rule of construction.--Section 403 of title 37, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (A) by redesignating subsection (q) as subsection (r); and
       (B) by inserting after subsection (p) the following new 
     subsection (q):
       ``(q) Rule of Construction for Certain Detail.--A member of 
     the armed forces may

[[Page H4074]]

     not be denied an allowance under this section solely on the 
     basis that such member has been detailed for a period of 
     training under section 2004 of title 10.''.
       (2) Retroactive effect.--A member of the Armed Forces who, 
     on or after August 1, 2023, the Secretary of the military 
     department concerned determined, under section 502 of title 
     37, United States Code, was absent for a period that is 
     longer than the leave authorized by section 701 of title 10, 
     United States Code, because the member was detailed or 
     assigned by the Secretary of the military department 
     concerned as a full-time student to a civilian institution to 
     pursue a program of education, is entitled to the basic 
     allowance for housing under section 403 of title 37, United 
     States Code, to which the member would have been entitled if 
     the member were not so absent.


          Amendment No. 270 Offered by Mr. Buchanan of Florida

       At the end of subtitle J of title V, insert the following:

     SEC. 5__. ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM FOR SERVICEMEMBERS.

       The Secretary of Defense shall study the feasibility of 
     establishing a mentoring program for members of the Armed 
     Forces who are interested in becoming entrepreneurs or 
     founding start-up businesses after their active duty service.


         Amendment No. 271 Offered by Mr. Moskowitz of Florida

       At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. PROHIBITION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR CANINE AND 
                   FELINE RESEARCH.

       (a) Prohibition.--None of the funds authorized to be 
     appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for the 
     Department of Defense may be obligated or expended to conduct 
     biomedical research or testing using canines or felines.
       (b) Waiver.--The Secretary of Defense may waive the 
     prohibition under subsection (a) if the Secretary--
       (1) determines that the waiver is in the national security 
     interest of the United States; and
       (2) not later than the date on which the waiver is invoked, 
     submits a notification of the waiver and a justification of 
     the reason for seeking the waiver to the Committees on Armed 
     Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives.


          Amendment No. 272 Offered by Mr. Donalds of Florida

       At the end of subtitle C of title XXXI, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 31__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON COMMITMENT TO NUCLEAR POWER.

       It is the sense of Congress that in order to achieve 
     geopolitical energy leadership and secure American energy 
     security in the years to come, Congress urges the Department 
     of Defense to embrace and accept nuclear power as a clean 
     baseload energy source that is easily compatible with other 
     intermittent energy sources to ultimately achieve a reliable, 
     secure, and resilient energy apparatus within the Department 
     of Defense.


             Amendment No. 273 Offered by Mr. Nunn of Iowa

       At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 12__. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP ON DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL 
                   PRIORITIES BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND 
                   ISRAEL.

       The Secretary of Defense shall seek to establish a 
     partnership between the Defense Innovation Unit of the 
     Department of Defense and appropriate counterparts of Israel 
     in order to--
       (1) enhance market opportunities for United States-based 
     and Israeli-based defense technology companies;
       (2) bolster Israel's defense industrial base;
       (3) harmonize global security posture through emerging 
     technology;
       (4) counter Iran and Iran-aligned adversarial proxy group 
     development of dual-use defense technologies; and
       (5) in coordination with appropriate counterpart offices of 
     the Israeli ministry of defense--
       (A) enable coordination on defense industrial priorities;
       (B) streamline emerging defense technology research and 
     development;
       (C) create more pathways to market for defense technology 
     startups; and
       (D) collaborate on the development of dual-use defense 
     capabilities through coordination.


         Amendment No. 274 Offered by Ms. Pettersen of Colorado

       At the end of subtitle A of title XVI, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 16__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF VERY LOW 
                   EARTH ORBIT SPACECRAFT.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the Space Force has demonstrated its commitment to 
     building a resilient, safe, and secure space architecture and 
     incorporating transformational commercially developed space 
     technologies in order to accelerate the fielding of 
     capabilities, including in very low earth orbit;
       (2) advancements in propulsion systems, materials science, 
     affordable launch costs, and orbital management techniques 
     have opened up new possibilities for utilizing very low earth 
     orbit for various purposes, including ultra-high-resolution 
     reconnaissance, low latency communication, and improved space 
     domain awareness;
       (3) Congress and the Department of Defense should continue 
     to pursue the efforts described in paragraph (1) in support 
     of the National Defense Strategy and the Commercial Space 
     Strategy of the Space Force to accelerate the purposeful 
     pursuit of hybrid space architectures; and
       (4) the Space Force should continue to scale up those 
     efforts and further explore the benefits of very low earth 
     orbit spacecraft development to improve responsiveness, 
     enhance image resolution, generate orbital diversity, and 
     increase resilience against space debris and other threats.


           Amendment No. 275 Offered by Mr. Banks of Indiana

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. PLAN ON HACKING FOR DEFENSE EXPANSION.

       (a) Plan Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the congressional defense committees a plan for the 
     expansion of the Hacking for Defense program of the 
     Department of Defense over the period of three fiscal years 
     following the date of the plan.
       (b) Elements.--The plan required under subsection (a) shall 
     include measures--
       (1) to increase the number of institutions of higher 
     education participating in Hacking for Defense programs;
       (2) to expand support for certain elite teams after Hacking 
     for Defense course completion;
       (3) to expand opportunities after Hacking for Defense 
     course completion in countries that are members of--
       (A) the AUKUS partnership;
       (B) the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue; or
       (C) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
       (4) to partner with other organizations and elements of the 
     Department of Defense to expand the Hacking for Defense 
     curriculum to a second semester prototyping course; and
       (5) to support the development of professional military 
     education programs in the National Defense University system 
     that are similar to the Hacking for Defense program.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``AUKUS partnership'' means the enhanced 
     trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United 
     Kingdom, and the United States announced in September 2021.
       (2) The term ``Quadrilateral Security Dialogue'' means the 
     strategic security dialogue between--
       (A) India;
       (B) Japan;
       (C) Australia; and
       (D) the United States.


             Amendment No. 276 Offered by Mr. Nunn of Iowa

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. REPORT ON POTENTIAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN 
                   THE DEFENSE INNOVATION UNIT AND THE TAIWAN 
                   MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall assess the 
     feasibility and advisability of establishing a strategic 
     partnership between the Defense Innovation Unit and the 
     Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, pursuant to which the 
     Unit and the Ministry would--
       (1) coordinate on defense industrial priorities;
       (2) collaborate on the development of dual-use defense 
     capabilities.
       (3) establish mechanisms to streamline emerging defense 
     technology research and development and microchip supply 
     chain security;
       (4) create additional pathways to market for relevant 
     defense technology startups; and
       (5) carry out other activities to--
       (A) enhance market opportunities for United States-based 
     and Taiwan-based defense technology companies;
       (B) bolster Taiwan's defense industrial base;
       (C) harmonize global security posture through emerging 
     technology; and
       (D) counter the development of dual-use defense 
     technologies by the Chinese Communist Party.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
     results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a).


           Amendment No. 277 Offered by Mr. Banks of Indiana

       At the end of subtitle B of title XVII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 17_. REPORTING ON IRANIAN CENTRIFUGE INSTALLATION.

       (a) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide 
     a report to the congressional defense committees, the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, 
     and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate with the 
     content described in paragraph (2).
       (2) Content described.--The content described for the 
     report in paragraph (1) includes the following:
       (A) An assessment of the types and numbers of centrifuges 
     installed in declared and undeclared nuclear facilities in 
     Iran since May 2021.

[[Page H4075]]

       (B) An assessment of the timeline required by Iran to 
     produce weapons-grade uranium in May 2021.
       (C) An assessment of the current timeline required by Iran 
     to produce weapons-grade uranium.
       (D) An assessment of whether Iran has moved advanced 
     centrifuges to facilities other than its safeguarded 
     enrichment plants, including where and how many, if 
     applicable.
       (E) An assessment of how many advanced centrifuges Iran 
     would need of each type to enrich to weapons-grade.
       (F) An assessment of whether a heavily fortified nuclear 
     facility Iran is building near the Natanz site contains or 
     will contain an enrichment plant.
       (3) Form.--This report shall be transmitted in unclassified 
     form and may contain a classified annex.


          Amendment No. 278 Offered by Mr. Donalds of Florida

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE CONTINUING NEED FOR 
                   INNOVATION IN THE ARMED FORCES.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     Congress encourages the Armed Forces to continue innovating, 
     including by using technological methods that incorporate 
     artificial intelligence, quantum information science, 
     advanced air mobility, and counter-UAS systems to ultimately 
     maintain, bolster, and augment military readiness, wartime 
     preparedness, and ensure the overall national security of the 
     United States.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``advanced air mobility'' means a 
     transportation system that transports people and property by 
     air between two points in the United States using aircraft 
     with advanced technologies, including electric aircraft or 
     electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, in both 
     controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
       (2) The term ``artificial intelligence'' has the meaning 
     given such term in section 5002 of the National Artificial 
     Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9401).
       (3) The term ``counter-UAS system'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 44801(5) of title 49, United States 
     Code.
       (4) The term ``quantum information science'' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 2 of the National Quantum 
     Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 8801).


          Amendment No. 279 Offered by Mr. Walberg of Michigan

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 10__. STUDY ON TESTING OF FOREIGN ADVERSARY HIGHLY 
                   AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     coordination with the relevant Federal agencies, shall 
     conduct a study on the effects on the national security of 
     the United States of highly automated vehicles (as such term 
     is defined in section 503(c)(6) of title 23, United States 
     Code) associated with foreign adversary countries operating 
     or testing in the United States.
       (b) Matters to Be Included.--The study required by 
     subsection (a) shall also include the following:
       (1) An evaluation of the technology used by highly 
     automated vehicles and their capabilities.
       (2) A list of entities--
       (A) domiciled in or directly or indirectly owned, 
     controlled, or directed by a foreign adversary country;
       (B) that manufacture highly automated vehicles; and
       (C) are currently operating highly automated vehicles in 
     the United States.
       (3) The number of highly automated vehicles currently 
     operating in the United States that are owned or operated by 
     such entities.
       (4) An evaluation whether any such entity has contracted 
     with or supplied any technology to the military of a foreign 
     adversary country.
       (5) The locations where highly automated vehicles owned or 
     operated by such entities are operating in the United States.
       (6) Potential vulnerabilities posed by the operation of 
     such highly automated vehicles in the United States.
       (c) Submission.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit the 
     results of the study conducted pursuant to subsection (a) 
     to--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee 
     on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Homeland Security, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
     of the House of Representatives.


          Amendment No. 280 Offered by Mr. Donalds of Florida

       At the end of subtitle A of title XVI, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 16__. REPORT ON SPACE FORCE USE OF NUCLEAR THERMAL 
                   PROPULSION AND NUCLEAR ELECTRIC PROPULSION 
                   SPACE VEHICLES.

       The Chief of the Space Force shall submit to Congress a 
     report on the use by the Space Force of nuclear thermal 
     propulsion and nuclear electric propulsion space vehicles. 
     Such report shall include--
       (1) a description of how the Space Force uses such 
     vehicles;
       (2) a description of how the Space Force plans to use such 
     vehicles in the future; and
       (3) an identification of any potential benefits that such 
     vehicles can provide to bolster the national security of the 
     United States.


          Amendment No. 281 Offered by Mr. Donalds of Florida

       Add at the end of subtitle C of title XXXI, add the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 31__. SENSE OF CONGRESS SUPPORTING PROJECT PELE.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Congress supports Project Pele, which seeks to develop, 
     demonstrate, and deploy an advanced portable nuclear 
     microreactor at Idaho National Laboratory by 2025; and
       (2) Project Pele will be critical in maintaining and 
     bolstering United States national security by providing firm, 
     reliable, clean, and dense baseload energy to power United 
     States military bases and other distributed military 
     operations, both domestically and abroad.


           Amendment No. 282 Offered by Ms. Kelly of Illinois

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

     SEC. 6__. EXPANSION OF PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY OF MILITARY 
                   ONESOURCE PROGRAM FOR RETIRED AND DISCHARGED 
                   MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR IMMEDIATE 
                   FAMILIES.

       (a) In General.--Under regulations prescribed by the 
     Secretary of Defense, the period of eligibility for the 
     Military OneSource program of the Department of Defense of an 
     eligible individual retired, discharged, or otherwise 
     released from the Armed Forces, and for the eligible 
     immediate family members of such an individual, shall be the 
     18-month period beginning on the date of the retirement, 
     discharge, or release, as applicable, of such individual.
       (b) Information to Families.--The Secretary shall, in such 
     manner as the Secretary considers appropriate, inform 
     military families and families of veterans of the Armed 
     Forces of the wide range of benefits available through the 
     Military OneSource program.


           Amendment No. 283 Offered by Mr. James of Michigan

       At the end of subtitle A of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MULTIYEAR PROCUREMENT OF 
                   PRIORITY ITEMS.

       (a) Recommendation.--Along with the budget materials 
     submitted to Congress in support of the annual budget request 
     of the President (submitted to Congress pursuant to section 
     1105 of title 31, United States Code), for fiscal year 2026 
     and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of 
     Defense, in coordination with the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget and the Comptroller General of the 
     United States, shall include an annex with recommendations to 
     Congress--
       (1) contracts for priority items that could be considered 
     under a covered multiyear contract that were not considered 
     as such in the budget materials submitted, and the rationale 
     for exclusion of such priority items from such materials;
       (2) the cost of implementation of such contracts for 
     priority items under a covered multiyear contract;
       (3) any challenges to implementing such contracts for 
     priority items under a covered multiyear contract; and
       (4) any technical assistance required to include contracts 
     for such priority items under a covered multiyear contract in 
     a subsequent fiscal year.
       (b) Prioritization.--The Secretary of Defense, in 
     coordination with the covered officials, shall designate any 
     contracts for priority items based on need that will best 
     serve the commanders of the geographic combatant commands for 
     contingency planning and execution.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``contract for priority items'' means a 
     contract for goods for any the following:
       (A) Shipbuilding.
       (B) Fighter aircraft.
       (C) Submarines.
       (D) Ground vehicle systems.
       (E) Unmanned aerial systems.
       (F) Hypersonics.
       (G) Any goods needed to address supply chain disruptions 
     and constraints for the Department of Defense.
       (2) The term ``covered officials'' mean--
       (A) the Secretary of the Army;
       (B) the Secretary of the Navy;
       (C) the Secretary of the Air Force; and
       (D) the Director of the National Guard Bureau.
       (3) The term ``covered multiyear procurement'' means a 
     multiyear contract described under section 3501 of title 10, 
     United States Code, except that--
       (A) such contract shall be for a term of greater than one 
     but less than three years;
       (B) performance of such contract during the second or 
     subsequent year of such term may be contingent upon the 
     appropriation of funds and may provide for a cancellation 
     payment to be made to the contractor if such appropriations 
     are not made.


            Amendment No. 284 Offered by Mr. Moylan of Guam

       At the end of subtitle C of title XXVIII, add the following 
     new section:

[[Page H4076]]

  


     SEC. 28__. RESEARCH, STANDARDS, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS 
                   RELATING TO INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.

       (b) Research on Health Impacts of Indoor Residential 
     Mold.--
       (1) Research.--
       (A) In general.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Director of the Assistant Secretary of 
     Defense for Health Affairs, the Secretary of Housing and 
     Urban Development, the Director of the Centers for Disease 
     Control and Prevention, the Administrator of the 
     Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Energy, the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services, the President of the 
     National Academy of Sciences, and the Chair of the Board of 
     Directors of the National Institute of Building Sciences 
     shall conduct a comprehensive study of the health effects of 
     indoor residential mold growth in barracks or other housing 
     on military installations, using the most up-to-date 
     scientific peer-reviewed medical literature.
       (B) Contents.--The study conducted under subparagraph (A) 
     shall ascertain--
       (i) detailed information about harmful or toxigenic mold 
     that may impact the services and those living on military 
     installations, as well as any toxin or toxic compound such 
     mold can produce;
       (ii) the most accurate research-based methods of detecting 
     harmful or toxigenic mold;
       (iii) potential dangers of prolonged or chronic exposure to 
     indoor residential mold growth in residential areas on 
     military installations;
       (iv) the hazards involved with inadequate mold inspections 
     on military installations and improper indoor residential 
     mold remediation in barracks on military installations;
       (v) the estimated current public health burden of new or 
     exacerbated physical illness resulting from exposure to 
     indoor residential mold on the military services and its 
     effect on quality of life as it impacts readiness, including 
     its impact on children in military families;
       (vi) improved understanding of the different health 
     symptomology that can result from exposure to mold in indoor 
     residential environments on military installations, including 
     military barracks;
       (vii) ongoing surveillance of the prevalence of idiopathic 
     pulmonary hemorrhage in infants living on military 
     installations; and
       (viii) longitudinal studies on the effects of indoor old 
     exposure in early childhood on the development of asthma and 
     other respiratory illnesses of children living on military 
     installations.
       (C) Availability.--Not later than the expiration of the 3-
     year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the results of the study conducted under subparagraph 
     (A) shall be submitted to Congress and the President and made 
     available to the general public.
       (c) Health, Safety, and Habitability Standards and Model 
     Standards.--
       (1) Model standards for preventing, detecting, and 
     remediating indoor residential mold growth.--Based on the 
     results of the interagency health study conducted under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense, in consultation 
     with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
     Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
     the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and 
     Health at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 
     the Secretary of Energy, the Executive Director of the 
     National Institute of Building Sciences, and the President of 
     the National Academy of Sciences shall, in accordance with 
     section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer and 
     Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note; Public Law 104-
     113), jointly issue model health, safety, and habitability 
     standards for preventing, detecting, and remediating indoor 
     residential mold growth on military installations, 
     including--
       (A) model residential mold inspection standards for 
     military barracks;
       (B) model indoor residential mold remediation standards for 
     military installations;
       (C) standards for testing the toxicity of indoor 
     residential mold and any toxin or toxic compound produced by 
     indoor residential mold on military installations;
       (D) health and safety standards for the protection of those 
     inspecting for and remediating mold in housing on military 
     installations;
       (E) standards for indoor residential mold testing labs that 
     serve military installations;
       (F) model ventilation standards for the design, 
     installation, and maintenance of air ventilation or air-
     conditioning systems in housing on military installations to 
     prevent indoor residential mold growth or the creation of 
     conditions that foster indoor mold growth in housing on 
     military installations; and
       (G) model building code standards for housing on military 
     installations to control moisture and prevent mold growth.
       (2) Consultation.--To the maximum extent possible, model 
     standards issued under this subsection shall be developed 
     with the assistance of--
       (A) organizations that develop mold and water damage 
     standards and work with military installations;
       (B) organizations involved in establishing national 
     building construction standards and work with military 
     installations;
       (C) organizations involved in improving indoor air quality;
       (D) public health advocates that serve the military 
     community; and
       (E) health and medical professionals that serve military 
     servicemembers and their families, including practitioners 
     that care for children of servicemembers.
       (3) Resiliency.--Model standards issued under this 
     subsection shall take into account geographic diversity, 
     propensity for extreme weather or flooding, and other 
     resiliency metrics impacting military housing.
       (4) Deadlines.--
       (A) Public review and comment.--The officers identified in 
     paragraph (1) shall make draft standards issued under this 
     section available for public review and comment at least 90 
     days prior to publication of the final standards or model 
     standards pursuant to subparagraph (B).
       (B) Publication.--Not later than years after the results of 
     the study conducted under subsection (a) are submitted to 
     Congress in accordance with such section, the officers 
     identified in subsection (a) shall issue, and make available 
     to the public, final standards and model standards under this 
     section.
       (5) Review and updates.--The officers identified in 
     paragraph (1) shall--
       (A) review the model standards issued under this subsection 
     at least once every 5 years based on latest scientific 
     advances and published studies relating to indoor residential 
     mold growth; and
       (B) update such standards and model standards as necessary 
     to preserve and improve the quality of housing on military 
     installations, and prevent the displacement of those 
     currently living on military installations.
       (d) Construction Requirements for New Housing on Military 
     Installations.--
       (1) Model construction standards.--
       (A) In general.--The Secretary of Defense, in consultation 
     with Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
     Executive Director of the National Institute of Building 
     Sciences, and the President of the National Academy of 
     Sciences, to the extent such Director and President agree to 
     participate, shall develop model construction standards and 
     techniques for preventing and controlling indoor residential 
     mold in new residential properties on military installations.
       (B) Contents.--The model standards and techniques shall 
     provide for geographic differences in construction types and 
     materials, geology, weather, and other variables that may 
     affect indoor residential mold levels in new buildings and on 
     various military installations.
       (C) Consultation.--To the maximum extent possible, such 
     standards and techniques shall be developed with--
       (i) the assistance of organizations involved in 
     establishing national building construction standards and 
     techniques, especially those who do this work on military 
     installations;
       (ii) the assistance of organizations that develop mold and 
     water damage standards on military installations; and
       (iii) public health advocates that serve the military 
     community.
       (D) Publication.--The Secretary shall make a draft of the 
     document containing the model standards and techniques 
     available for public review and comment. The Secretary shall 
     make final model standards and techniques available to the 
     public not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.
       (E) Applicability to new construction and rehabilitation.--
     Within 1 year of the publication of the final model standards 
     and techniques required by subparagraph (D), the Secretary of 
     Defense shall include such model standards and techniques as 
     a requirement for residential rehabilitation or new 
     construction projects funded with Federal appropriations made 
     available by such agencies.
       (e) Education for Military Health Professionals.--The 
     Secretary of Defense shall include education for military 
     health professions on mold-related illness, including signs 
     and symptoms of toxigenic mold exposure, in recurring 
     training received by miliary health practitioners at such 
     time and in such manner as the Secretary chooses.
       (f) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``indoor residential mold'' means any form of 
     multi-cellular fungi in indoor environments, including 
     cladosporium, penicillium, alternaria, aspergillus, fusarium, 
     trichoderma, memnoniella, mucor, stachybotrys chartarum, 
     streptomyces, and epicoccumoften found in water-damaged 
     indoor environments and building materials.
       (2) The term ``toxigenic mold'' means any indoor mold 
     growth that may be capable of producing a toxin or toxic 
     compound, including mycotoxins and mVOCs, that can cause 
     pulmonary, respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, or 
     dermatological illnesses, or other major adverse health 
     impacts, as determined by the Secretary of Defense in 
     consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of 
     Health, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
     Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the 
     Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


       Amendment No. 285 Offered by Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania

       At the appropriate place in subtitle G of title VIII, 
     insert the following:

[[Page H4077]]

  


     SEC. 8__. REPORT ON CONTRACT GOAL FOR THE ABILITYONE PROGRAM.

       The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a report on--
       (1) the progress of the Department of Defense in achieving 
     the goal for the Department to acquire products and services 
     from qualified nonprofit agencies for the blind and qualified 
     nonprofit agencies for the other severely disabled (as such 
     terms are defined, respectively, in section 8501 of title 41, 
     United States Code) pursuant to chapter 85 of title 41, 
     United States Code, in an amount equal to one percent of the 
     total funds obligated or expended by the Department for 
     procurement for a fiscal year; and
       (2) any obstacles faced by the Secretary in achieving the 
     goal described in paragraph (1).


      Amendment No. 286 Offered by Mr. Krishnamoorthi of Illinois

         At the end of subtitle A of title VIII, insert the 
     following section:

     SEC. 8__. PROHIBITION ON CERTAIN CHINESE E-COMMERCE 
                   PURCHASES.

       (a) In General.--None of the funds authorized to be 
     appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for 
     fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Defense may be 
     obligated or expended to acquire any good from Temu or Shein 
     or through a service operated by either such entity except as 
     provided by subsection (b).
       (b) Waiver.--Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to 
     the acquisition of a good to the extent that the Secretary of 
     Defense determines that such acquisition of such good from 
     Temu or Shein or through a service operated by either such 
     entity is in the interest of national security.


         Amendment No. 287 Offered by Mr. Moolenaar of Michigan

       Page 599, lines 1 and 2, strike ``(d)(1)(A) of such section 
     is amended'' and insert ``(d)(1) of such section is amended--
     ''.
       Page 599, line 2, strike ``by'' and insert the following:
       (1) in subparagraph (A), by
       Page 599, line 3, strike the period at the end and insert 
     ``; and''.
       After page 599, line 3, add the following:
       (2) in subparagraph (B), by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(viii) An identification of performance goals and 
     measures to advance the lines of effort of the Initiative 
     relative to the operational requirements of the Initiative, 
     determined in coordination with the Secretary of each 
     military department.''.
       Page 599, line 5, insert an em dash after ``amended''.
       Page 599, line 2, strike ``by'' and insert the following:
       (1) by
       Page 599, line 6, strike the period at the end and insert 
     ``; and''.
       After page 599, line 6, add the following:
       (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
       ``(2) A detailed description of the progress made toward 
     achieving the performance goals and measures identified 
     pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(B)(viii).''.


          Amendment No. 288 Offered by Mr. Walberg of Michigan

       At the end of subtitle H of title V, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. PROHIBITION OF TIKTOK.

       The Director of the Department of Defense Education 
     Activity shall publish guidance prohibiting the use of TikTok 
     for instructional purposes at schools operated by the 
     Department of Defense Education Activity.


          Amendment No. 289 Offered by Mr. Buchanan of Florida

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 10__. REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF THE OPTIMIZING THE 
                   HUMAN WEAPON SYSTEM PROGRAM.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report that includes--
       (1) an analysis of the effectiveness of the Optimizing the 
     Human Weapon System Program of the Army; and
       (2) recommendations for improving and expanding the 
     Program.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1287, the gentleman 
from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) 
each will control 10 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Iowa (Mr. Nunn).
  Mr. NUNN of Iowa. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Rogers for his 
leadership on the National Defense Authorization Act.
  I rise in support of four amendments today included in this en bloc.
  I offer my first amendment in memory of Corporal Adam Lambert, a 
proud marine from Adel, Iowa. He returned home and, unfortunately, lost 
his life to suicide shortly after his combat tour of duty.
  Today, America loses 22 of its veterans to suicide every single day. 
We must do more to stop this silent epidemic. Amendment No. 980 aims to 
reduce the number of veteran suicides by improving our Transition 
Assistance Program, or TAP, and the Solid Start program to alert 
transitioning veterans of the mental health services available to them 
today through the VA.
  Second, fighting Communist China requires America be a leader in 
cybersecurity. My amendment No. 1012 bans the Department of Defense 
from acquiring, procuring, or utilizing blockchain technology created 
by our foreign adversaries.
  The CCP is developing new technology to manipulate America and 
infiltrate our national security by rewiring our hard infrastructure.
  America is investing heavily in blockchain technology today, 
developing cloud storage technology. This technology is the future of 
data management, with worldwide adoption expected in the next decade.
  Let me be clear: Failure for America to be able to act or for the 
Department of Defense to become a subsidiary of a Chinese blockchain is 
a thousand times worse than anything even TikTok could present today.
  This is a critical step to stop this crisis before it is too late, 
Mr. Chair, and protect Americans.
  Last, innovation in America's defense demands a public-private 
partnership, particularly with our most strategic allies. Amendment 
Nos. 1038 and 1055 will counter near-peer adversaries in the Middle 
East and tackle the tech advances that Communist China has made.
  As Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah rain down terror on Israel, we must 
support our strongest ally in the Middle East as she defends herself.
  With these strategic partnerships, we can support not only our allies 
but also learn from the innovations being created by our allies, create 
new pathways and new markets for our defense tech startups, and 
continue to leverage America's dominance and spirit of innovation to 
shape a safer world.
  These amendments will establish a key strategic partnership between 
the Defense Innovation Unit, where I have worked, with our allies in 
Israel and Taiwan.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this en bloc in a 
bipartisan way across both sides of the aisle, and I thank the chairman 
for including this in his overall package.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Kildee).
  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member for allowing me to 
speak on my amendment. It is a bipartisan amendment expressing the 
sense of Congress that we should not permanently store nuclear waste 
near the Great Lakes.
  My amendment responds to the Government of Canada's recent plans to 
build a facility that would permanently hold thousands of tons of high-
level nuclear waste in the Great Lakes Basin, the greatest source of 
freshwater known to mankind.
  Permanently storing hazardous nuclear waste so close to our Great 
Lakes does not make any sense at all. A potential accident involving 
nuclear waste would threaten the drinking water of millions of people 
in the United States and Canada and jeopardize thousands of jobs in the 
fishing, boating, and tourism industries.
  Surely, absolutely, there must be a safer location to permanently 
store radioactive waste than adjacent to the world's greatest source of 
freshwater.
  My amendment, which is included in this en bloc, has strong 
bipartisan support, and it would be an important step in protecting the 
Great Lakes.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this en bloc.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for including these 
amendments en bloc.
  I rise today in support of the en bloc, which contains two of my 
amendments.
  The first amendment would help identify the national security risk of 
autonomous vehicles from foreign adversary countries operating in the 
U.S. AVs will transform the future of transportation and increase 
safety on roads, but we must ensure our adversaries are not deploying 
data-collecting vehicles across our country, giving the likes of the 
CCP an unprecedented vantage point in the United States.

  The next amendment would help ensure our Department of Defense 
schools

[[Page H4078]]

are not using TikTok for instructional purposes. As we know, ByteDance 
is beholden to the CCP, and we cannot allow our military installations 
or the schools operated by the DOD to become spy cells for the Chinese 
Communist Party.
  Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the en bloc and the underlying bill.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment No. 256 
included in this en bloc.
  The United States and its allies are engaged in a global strategic 
competition with China and Russia. While Europe and the Indo-Pacific 
are the primary theaters of this contest, China and Russia are 
increasing their malign influence in the global south, including in 
Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
  My amendment directs the Department of Defense to assess the impact 
of Russia's influence in South America, Central America, and the 
Caribbean on the national security and economic interests of the United 
States.
  This builds upon my amendment included in the fiscal year 2023 NDAA, 
which directed the Department of Defense to assess the standing U.S. 
military force posture in the Caribbean, given U.S. national and 
regional security interests in the region.
  Mr. Chair, I urge support of my amendment in amendments en bloc No. 
4.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support the 
en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo).
  Mr. AMO. Mr. Chair, I thank Ranking Member Smith for allowing me to 
speak on my amendment No. 267 in the en bloc.
  The Australia, United Kingdom, and United States security pact, also 
known as AUKUS, is one of the most significant security arrangements in 
generations. It is essential to maintaining free trade and security in 
the Indo-Pacific.
  As we strengthen our coordination of defense article production with 
our allies, we must continue to prioritize domestic research, 
producers, and procurement.
  AUKUS is a premier example of the domestic benefits. The University 
of Rhode Island and Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport, 
formed research and education partnerships with Australian partners. 
AUKUS will also support good-paying jobs and small businesses across 
Rhode Island.
  My amendment reinforces twin ideas that AUKUS is critical to 
protecting national security and that it boosts local economies by 
enhancing defense production capabilities.
  Let's ensure the Pentagon promotes and prioritizes domestic 
production as we work alongside our allies for a safer and more stable 
future.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

                              {time}  0930

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Green).
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, and still I rise. I thank the 
gentleman for yielding 1 minute and I thank those members of the Rules 
Committee who made this moment possible.
  Mr. Chair, today, I rise to call attention to a 159-year-old 
injustice. Milton Holland was given a battlefield promotion. When he 
received that promotion, it was not validated later on when it was 
discovered that he was a person of African ancestry.
  The battlefield promotion he was given was denied because of who he 
was. He was a member of the Union Army, by the way. He received the 
Medal of Honor but could not maintain the promotion that he received 
for the valor he displayed in battle.
  This injustice will be corrected today. Every person who votes will 
be bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice for Milton 
Holland.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of the amendments 
en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered 
by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers).
  The en bloc amendments were agreed to.


       Amendments En Bloc No. 5 Offered by Mr. Rogers of Alabama

  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, pursuant to House Resolution 1287, 
I offer amendments en bloc.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
  Amendments en bloc No. 5 consisting of amendment Nos. 290, 291, 292, 
293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 
307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 
321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 
335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 
and 350 printed in part B of House Report 118-551, offered by Mr. 
Rogers of Alabama:


          Amendment No. 290 Offered by Mr. Levin of California

       At the end of subtitle G of title V, insert the following:

     SEC. 17__. AMENDMENTS TO PATHWAYS FOR COUNSELING IN 
                   TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       Section 1142(c)(1) of title 10, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating subparagraph (M) as subparagraph (R); 
     and
       (2) by inserting after subparagraph (L) the following:
       ``(M) Child care requirements of the member (including 
     whether a dependent of the member is enrolled in the 
     Exceptional Family Member Program).
       ``(N) The employment status of other adults in the 
     household of the member.
       ``(O) The location of the duty station of the member 
     (including whether the member was separated from family while 
     on duty).
       ``(P) The effects of operating tempo and personnel tempo on 
     the member and the household of the member.
       ``(Q) Whether the member is an Indian or urban Indian, as 
     those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Health 
     Care Improvement Act (Public Law 94-437; 25 U.S.C. 1603).''.


           Amendment No. 291 Offered by Mr. Wenstrup of Ohio

       At the end of subtitle B of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 7__. PODIATRISTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

       (a) Qualification of Doctors of Podiatry for Original 
     Appointment as Commissioned Officers.--Section 532(b)(1) of 
     title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
     ``podiatry,'' after ``osteopathy,''.
       (b) Members of Medical Corps.--Not later than one year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Defense shall ensure that podiatrists are assigned to the 
     Medical Corps of each military department. The Secretary 
     shall notify the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
     and House of Representatives in writing upon carrying out 
     this subsection.


          Amendment No. 292 Offered by Ms. Tenney of New York

       At the end of subtitle B of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. ADDITION OF DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED STAINLESS STEEL 
                   FLATWARE TO THE REQUIREMENT TO BUY CERTAIN 
                   ARTICLES FROM AMERICAN SOURCES.

       (a) Addition to Covered Items.--
       (1) In general.--Section 4862(b) of title 10, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (A) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(3) Stainless steel flatware.''; and
       (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (4)
       (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
     shall take effect on October 1, 2025.


          Amendment No. 293 Offered by Ms. Tenney of New York

       Page 920, after line 5, insert the following new section:

     SEC. 28__. FEASIBILITY STUDY BY THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ON 
                   REPLICATING THE ARMY FUTURE SOLDIER PREP COURSE 
                   THROUGH THE OTHER SERVICE BRANCHES.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a 
     feasibility study on replicating the Army Future Soldier Prep 
     Course through the other services that contains the 
     following:
       (1) A cost estimate for each of the services including--
       (A) Any military construction or Facilities sustainment, 
     restoration and modernization costs;
       (B) Additional personnel costs; and
       (C) Additional operations and maintenance costs.
       (2) Existing bases for each service that could host such a 
     program.


            Amendment No. 294 Offered by Mr. McCaul of Texas

       At the end of subtitle B of title VII, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 7__. REPORT ON MEDICAL INSTRUMENT STERILIZATION.

       (a) Study Required.--
       (1) In general.--The Inspector General of the Defense 
     Health Agency shall conduct a study on the adequacy of 
     sterilization of medical instruments at medical facilities of 
     the Defense Health Agency.
       (2) Elements.--The study required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following elements:

[[Page H4079]]

       (A) A description of the processes or checks used to ensure 
     medical instruments are sterilized prior to use on patients 
     at medical facilities of the Defense Health Agency.
       (B) A description of the policies and processes used to 
     identify and mitigate the use of insufficiently sterilized 
     medical instruments at such medical facilities and the 
     processes and timelines for informing patients of any such 
     near-miss (if any disclosure is required).
       (C) An identification of the aggregate number of adverse 
     events or near-misses as a result of insufficiently 
     sterilized medical instruments at such medical facilities 
     during the period beginning on January 1, 2022, and ending on 
     January 1, 2024.
       (D) A determination of primary factors that result in 
     insufficiently sterilized medical instruments at such medical 
     facilities.
       (E) A description of the extent to which unsterilized 
     medical instruments have impacted the operation of such 
     medical facilities.
       (F) An assessment of whether such medical facilities have 
     sufficient--
       (i) medical instruments;
       (ii) medical devices to timely clean and sterilize medical 
     instruments; and
       (iii) staff to sterilize medical instruments.
       (G) An assessment of whether staff at such medical 
     facilities are properly trained to sterilize medical 
     instruments.
       (H) A determination of the number of surgeries at such 
     medical facilities that were delayed or rescheduled as a 
     result of unsterilized medical instruments.
       (I) Recommendations to improve the sterilization of medical 
     instruments at such medical facilities, including an 
     identification and evaluation of existing options, such as 
     mobile sterilization units and coordinating with community 
     medical centers to expand surgical capacity.
       (b) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
     Defense Health Agency shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the study required by subsection (a), which shall include an 
     action plan to consider and implement the recommendations 
     included in such study.


       Amendment No. 295 Offered by Mr. Moulton of Massachusetts

       At the appropriate place in title XXVIII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. __. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO EXPEDITE CERTAIN 
                   MILITARY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS LOCATED IN GUAM.

       (a) In General.--To expedite military construction projects 
     in Guam intended to improve the defense of Guam and the Indo-
     Pacific region, each Secretary of a military department may 
     provide grants, conclude cooperative agreements, and 
     supplement other Federal funds to regulatory agencies located 
     in Guam that such Secretary determines appropriate, 
     including--
       (1) the Guam Environmental Protection Agency; and
       (2) the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
       (b) Elements.--Each agreement under subsection (a) may 
     include--
       (1) the provision of Department of Defense technical 
     assistance to regulatory agencies responsible for the timely 
     completion of military construction projects; and
       (2) the use of Department of Defense personnel to perform 
     conservation activities for which the regulatory agency is 
     responsible.
       (c) Military Construction Project Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``military construction project'' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 2801 of title 10, United 
     States Code.


        Amendment No. 296 Offered by Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia

       At the end of subtitle B of title V, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. AMENDMENT TO EXTEND TIME PERIOD FOR TRANSFER OR 
                   DISCHARGE OF CERTAIN ARMY AND AIR FORCE RESERVE 
                   COMPONENT GENERAL OFFICERS.

       Section 14314 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4) as 
     subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D), respectively;
       (B) by striking ``Within'' and inserting ``(1) Except as 
     provided in paragraph (2), within''; and
       (C) by inserting at the end the following new paragraph 
     (2):
       ``(2) For any general officer covered by paragraph (1) who 
     is released from a joint duty assignment or other non-joint 
     active-duty assignment, the Secretary concerned shall 
     complete the transfer or discharge required by paragraph (1) 
     not later than 60 days after the officer's release.''; and
       (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``subsection (a)(3)'' 
     and inserting ``subsection (a)(1)(C)''.


          Amendment No. 297 Offered by Ms. Perez of Washington

       At the appropriate place in subtitle E of title VIII, 
     insert the following:

     SEC. 8__. REPORT ON COMPETITION AND EQUIPMENT REPAIR.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that it 
     is integral that the military be able to fix its own 
     equipment, and that efforts deliberately designed to prevent 
     the military end user from fixing equipment in the field harm 
     our nation's military readiness.
       (b) Report and Plan.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the Chair of the White House Competition Council the 
     report required under clause (iii) of section 5(s) of 
     Executive Order 14036 titled ``Executive Order on Promoting 
     Competition in the American Economy''.


           Amendment No. 298 Offered by Mr. Mills of Florida

       Page 288, insert after line 10 the following:

     SEC. 597. DEFENSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSITY AND 
                   INCLUSION; REPORT.

       Not later than October 1, 2024, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
     Senate and House of Representatives a report regarding the 
     Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion 
     (DACODAI). The report shall contain the following items:
       (1) An overview of the appointment process used to select 
     individuals currently serving as members of the DACODAI, 
     including the nominating source for each individual currently 
     serving as a DACODAI member.
       (2) An explanation of how the Department ensures 
     individuals selected to serve as members of DACODAI comprise 
     points of view that are ``fairly balanced'' as required by 
     the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
       (3) A complete listing of all recommendations made by the 
     DACODAI since September 23, 2022.
       (4) A complete listing of all studies initiated by the 
     DACODAI since September 23, 2022.
       (5) The cost associated with operating the DACODAI since 
     September 23, 2022.


           Amendment No. 299 Offered by Mr. Mills of Florida

       At the end of subtitle G of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. REPORT ON SMALL PURCHASES OF CRITICAL MINERALS AND 
                   MAGNETS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     enactment of this section, the Director of the Defense 
     Contract Management Agency shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a report detailing the dollar amount of 
     covered materials manufactured in China and Russia and 
     acquired by the Department of Defense through contracts 
     valued at or below the simplified acquisition threshold 
     during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on 
     the date of the submission of such report to the 
     congressional defense committees.
       (b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include--
       (1) the total value of contracts under which covered 
     materials were acquired by the Department of Defense during 
     the period covered by the report;
       (2) the total value of contracts under which covered 
     materials manufactured in China or Russia were acquired by 
     the Department of Defense during the period covered by the 
     report;
       (3) the total value of contracts under which covered 
     materials were acquired by the Department of Defense during 
     the period covered by the report for which the Director could 
     not determine whether the covered materials were manufactured 
     in China or Russia;
       (4) for each covered material, the value of the covered 
     material acquired by the Department of Defense during the 
     period covered by the report that was manufactured in China 
     or Russia; and
       (5) any recommendations from the Director for improving the 
     ability of the Department of Defense to track the 
     manufacturer of covered materials.
       (c) Acquisitions by the Defense Logistics Agency.--Each 
     value described in subsection (b) contained in the report 
     required by subsection (a) shall be disaggregated by 
     acquisitions made by the Defense Logistics Agency and 
     acquisitions made by other elements of the Department of 
     Defense.
       (d) Rule of Construction.--For the purposes of this 
     section, the Director shall regard ``manufacturing'' as being 
     the main value-add step in the supply chain in which raw 
     minerals are initially combined into a metallic, alloyed, or 
     magnetic form and shall not count late-stage cutting and 
     finishing processes or distribution as the critical 
     manufacturing step.
       (e) Covered Material Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``covered material'' means--
       (1) samarium-cobalt magnets;
       (2) neodymium-iron-boron magnets;
       (3) tungsten metal powder;
       (4) tungsten heavy alloy;
       (5) tantalum metals and alloys;
       (6) aluminum-nickel-cobalt magnets; or
       (7) any other metals listed in section 4863(l) of title 10, 
     United States Code.


       Amendment No. 300 Offered by Mr. Norman of South Carolina

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 10__. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON DREDGING CAPACITY AND 
                   PORT READINESS.

       (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall conduct a study to assess the capability and capacity 
     of Department of Defense to complete harbor and channel 
     dredging at seaports that require such dredging.
       (b) Elements.--The study under subsection (a) shall 
     include--
       (1) identification of any dredging work required by the 
     Department of Defense to ensure deep water access at 
     seaports, set forth separately by seaport;
       (2) a review of the capacity of the domestic dredging 
     industry to complete the dredging work identified under 
     paragraph (1);

[[Page H4080]]

       (3) an assessment of time required to complete outstanding 
     dredging work at seaports in the Strategic Seaport Program; 
     and
       (4) development of recommendations for Federal policies, 
     including contracting policies, that may be implemented to 
     support domestic manufacturers of critical components used in 
     the manufacturing of United States dredging vessels, 
     including critical components such as cranes, spring 
     couplings, torque limiters, diesel engine clutches, clutch 
     couplings, wet brakes, and combination gearboxes.
       (c) Consultation.--In conducting the study under subsection 
     (a), the Comptroller General shall consult with--
       (1) the National Port Readiness Network;
       (2) entities in the United States dredging industry;
       (3) domestic critical component manufacturers; and
       (4) such other individuals and entities as the Comptroller 
     General determines appropriate.
       (d) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit 
     to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
     results of the study conducted under subsection (a).


         Amendment No. 301 Offered by Ms. Schrier of Washington

       At the end of subtitle B of title XVII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 17__. REPORT ON SYSTEM DEPENDENCIES, UPTIME, AND KEY 
                   FACTORS OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD SYSTEM.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     on the electronic health record system and other system 
     dependencies, uptime, and key factors that affect the 
     Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Report.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
     include each of the following:
       (1) A list of the information technology systems, 
     infrastructure, and entities of the Department of Defense 
     pertaining to the electronic health record system of the 
     Department with which the Department of Veterans Affairs has 
     an operational or technical dependency.
       (2) A list of instances of electronic health record system 
     and associated system downtime, performance degradations, 
     outages, or incidents of the Department of Defense during 
     fiscal year 2024, including, for each such instance each of 
     the following:
       (A) The duration.
       (B) The results of a root cause analysis.
       (C) Any after action reporting.
       (D) The accountable office within the Department.
       (E) An indication of whether the Department of Veterans 
     Affairs was also affected.
       (3) Any steps taken by, or plan of, the Secretary of 
     Defense to address, mitigate, or resolve the instances 
     identified in paragraph (2), as well as the an identification 
     of any uptime goals for any system affected by an instance 
     identified in paragraph (2).
       (4) Any steps taken by the Secretary of Defense to improve 
     governance, coordination, and policy decisions conducted with 
     or affecting the Secretary of Veterans Affairs related to 
     electronic health record systems and associated systems of 
     the Department of Defense with which the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs has an operational or technical dependency.
       (5) A plan or schedule, if any, to modernize or replace 
     systems of the Department of Defense pertaining to identity 
     management or patient registration, including the Defense 
     Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, with which the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs has an operational or 
     technical dependency.
       (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives.


          Amendment No. 302 Offered by Ms. Wexton of Virginia

       At the end of subtitle E of title I, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 1__. STUDY TO IDENTIFY SOURCES OF SECURE PARTS FOR 
                   UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.

       (a) Study.--The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition 
     and Sustainment shall conduct a study to identify sources of 
     secure parts for unmanned aircraft systems. For purposes of 
     the study, a part shall be considered secure if it--
       (1) is not produced or sold by a Chinese military company 
     (as defined in section 1260H of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283; 
     10 U.S.C. 113 note));
       (2) will not be used for a sensitive platform, such as the 
     F-35 aircraft;
       (3) does not connect to wireless or other data networks; 
     and
       (4) meets such other criteria as may be established by the 
     Under Secretary.
       (b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Defense for 
     Acquisition and Sustainment shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a report on the results of the study 
     conducted under subsection (a).


          Amendment No. 303 Offered by Mr. Donalds of Florida

       At the end of subtitle B of title XVII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 17__. REPORT ON USE OF NUCLEAR POWER FOR MILITARY AND 
                   SOFT POWER PURPOSES.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State 
     shall jointly submit a report to Congress on Russian and 
     Chinese efforts relating to transportable nuclear power that 
     specifically evaluates the manner and extent to which both 
     Russia and China are using transportable nuclear power for 
     direct military purposes and as a soft power tool globally.


          Amendment No. 304 Offered by Mr. Arrington of Texas

       At the end of subtitle E of title XXVIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. __. BRIEFING ON INSTANCES OF ATTEMPTED BREACHES OF 
                   DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MILITARY INSTALLATIONS 
                   REQUIRED.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall provide to 
     Congress a briefing on any instance of an attempted breach of 
     a military installation under the jurisdiction of the 
     Department of Defense during the period beginning on January 
     1, 2021, and ending on the date of the provision of such 
     briefing.
       (b) Elements.--Each briefing under subsection shall 
     include, with respect to each perpetrator of an attempted 
     breach described in such subsection, a statement of the 
     applicable immigration status and citizenship status.


       Amendment No. 305 Offered by Mr. Moulton of Massachusetts

       At the end of subtitle E of title III, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 3__. AVAILABILITY OF OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE 
                   APPROPRIATIONS FOR SOFTWARE.

       Section 2241(a) of title 10, United States Code, is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(8) Acquisition, development, modification, and 
     sustainment of software.''.


            Amendment No. 306 Offered by Mr. Moylan of Guam

       At the end of subtitle I of title 5, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. AUTHORIZATION OF AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO JOSEPH 
                   M. PEREZ FOR ACTS OF VALOR AS A MEMBER OF THE 
                   ARMY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.

       (a) Recognition of Acts of Valor.--Congress recognizes the 
     following acts of valor by Joseph M. Perez:
       (1) Joseph M. Perez distinguished himself by valorous 
     actions against overwhelming odds while serving as a Sergeant 
     in the Army, with Company C, 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry 
     Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, in South Vietnam.
       (2) On May 26, 1967, during the Vietnam War, Sergeant Perez 
     acted as the fire team leader with the Commanding Officer of 
     Company C and led an infantry unit conducting a search and 
     destroy task near the Cambodian border. When the unit reached 
     the top of a hill, they were suddenly under attack from a 
     concealed sniper.
       (3) During the initial phase of battle, Sergeant Perez and 
     the unit took cover to assess and decide the strength of the 
     enemy and determine the direction of where the attack was 
     coming from. When the enemy launched a hand-grenade, the fire 
     team returned fire. Without hesitation or concern for his 
     personal safety, Sergeant Perez absorbed the full lethal 
     explosion of the grenade and shielded his fellow soldiers 
     from the blast. The explosion caused Sergeant Perez to lose 
     his right eye and severed his right hand.
       (4) The fire team moved to relocate to a safer area, 
     leaving Sergeant Perez alone. Once Sergeant Perez regained 
     consciousness, he crawled twenty meters to safe ground to be 
     treated by medics.
       (5) Sergeant Perez's personal leadership in intense close 
     combat resulted in a major win for his battalion against 
     overwhelming odds, though he lost his eye and hand and nearly 
     lost his life, he saved the lives of three of his fire team 
     members from death and serious injuries from the explosion.
       (6) Sergeant Perez's selfless devotion to duty, his 
     extraordinary heroism, conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity, 
     and numerous risks of his life above and beyond the call of 
     duty are all in keeping with the highest traditions of the 
     Army, and reflect great credit on himself, the Armed Forces, 
     and the United States.
       (b) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) When awarding him the distinguished-service cross, 
     Sergeant Perez's chain of command was unaware of the full 
     extent of his valorous actions and the numerous risks he took 
     for his soldiers, all above and beyond the call of duty.
       (2) Although Sergeant Perez absorbed the lethal explosion 
     of a hand grenade, once he regained consciousness, he 
     continued to move with his battalion against devastating and 
     overwhelming enemy fire.
       (c) Authorization.--Notwithstanding the time limitations 
     specified in section 7274 of title 10, United States Code, or 
     any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of 
     certain medals to persons who served in the Armed Forces, the 
     President is authorized to award the Medal of Honor, under 
     section 7271 of such title, to Joseph M. Perez for the acts 
     of valor described in subsection (d).

[[Page H4081]]

       (d) Acts of Valor Described.--The acts of valor described 
     in this subsection are the actions of Joseph M. Perez on May 
     26, 1967, while serving as a member of the Army during the 
     Vietnam War, for which he was previously awarded the 
     distinguished-service cross.


         Amendment No. 307 Offered by Ms. Porter of California

       At the end of subtitle C of title XXVIII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 28__. STUDY ON CONSTRUCTION OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT 
                   CENTERS.

       The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a recommendation for a strategy for 
     military construction projects for a sufficient number of 
     child development centers (as defined in section 2871 of 
     title 10, United States Code) as necessary to eliminate wait 
     lists for members of the Armed Forces seeking childcare at 
     such child development centers.


        Amendment No. 308 Offered by Mr. Garamendi of California

       Page 949, beginning on line 19, strike ``means'' and all 
     that follows through the second period on line 21 and insert 
     ``means--''.
       Page 949, after line 19, insert the following:
       ``(1) a government owned vessel disposed of in accordance 
     with this part and section 548 of title 40;
       ``(2) a vessel seized or forfeited pursuant to any law, and 
     auctioned by the Federal Government, including a vessel 
     seized or forfeited pursuant to section 7301 or 7302 of the 
     Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or
       ``(3) a fishing vessel seized or forfeited pursuant to 
     section 310 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
     Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1860).''.


           Amendment No. 309 Offered by Mr. Rose of Tennessee

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 10__. REPORT ON RED FLAGS MISSED IN JANET YAMANAKA MELLO 
                   FRAUD SCHEME.

       (a) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
     Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the fraud 
     scheme perpetrated by Janet Yamanaka Mello, a civilian 
     employee of the Department of the Army, who was indicted and 
     pleaded guilty to stealing over $100 million in Army funds.
       (b) Contents of Report.--The report required under 
     subsection (a) shall include a detailed examination of the 
     following:
       (1) Breakdown in supervision of Mello, including any 
     failures of management or oversight that contributed to the 
     ability of Mello to carry out the fraud scheme undetected.
       (2) Breakdown in accountability, including any failures to 
     ensure that funds were actually being spent for their 
     intended purposes.
       (3) Failure to ensure that financial program managers, such 
     as Mello, cannot funnel money to themselves or their own 
     entities.
       (4) Any other red flags or warning signs that were missed 
     or ignored, including any instances of whistleblower 
     retaliation or suppression of concerns.
       (5) An assessment of the current policies and procedures in 
     place to prevent similar fraud schemes from occurring in the 
     future.
       (6) Recommendations for improvements to policies, 
     procedures, and oversight to prevent similar fraud schemes 
     from occurring in the future.
       (7) A description of any disciplinary or administrative 
     actions taken against any individuals or entities found to 
     have contributed to the ability of Mello to carry out the 
     fraud scheme.
       (8) A description of any changes made or planned to be made 
     to the Army's financial management and oversight processes as 
     a result of this incident.
       (9) An assessment of the impact of the fraud scheme on the 
     Army's programs and operations.
       (10) Any other information the Secretary of Defense 
     determines relevant to understanding the fraud scheme and 
     preventing similar incidents in the future.
       (c) Public Availability.--The report required under 
     subsection (a) shall be posted publicly on the website of the 
     Department of Defense


          Amendment No. 310 Offered by Mr. Issa of California

       At the end of subtitle B of title XIII, add the following:

     SEC. 13_. REPORT ON SUPPORT FOR TAIWAN'S MILITARY 
                   PREPAREDNESS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of 
     Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of 
     National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report on deterrence in the Taiwan 
     Strait.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) An assessment on the feasibility of economic tools to 
     deter the People's Republic of China from conducting covered 
     contingencies.
       (2) An assessment by the Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, on 
     how covered countries would likely respond to various covered 
     contingencies.
       (3) A description of the policy changes the Secretary of 
     State would recommend in response to covered contingencies.
       (4) A description of the messaging the Secretary of State 
     would employ to in response to covered contingencies.
       (c) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in classified form with an unclassified summary.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
     Armed Services, and the Committee on Financial Services of 
     the House of Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     Armed Services, and the Committee on Banking of the Senate;
       (2) the term ``covered contingencies'' include--
       (A) a military strike or invasion of one or more of 
     Taiwan's off-shore islands, including Kinmen, Matsu, Wuciou, 
     and Taiping Island;
       (B) a military strike against the Island of Taiwan or 
     Penghu;
       (C) a commercial blockade of Taiwan in which international 
     vessels are subjected to search or seizure by the People's 
     Liberation Army;
       (D) a major cyber-attack against the critical 
     infrastructure of Taiwan; and
       (E) a seizure of one or several of Taiwan's outlining 
     islands or territorial claims; and
       (3) the term ``covered countries'' means Japan, the 
     Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and any 
     other country the Secretary of State determines to be 
     relevant.


            Amendment No. 311 Offered by Mr. Dunn of Florida

       Add at the end of subtitle E of title XXVIII the following:

     SEC. 28__. REPORT ON LAND USE PRACTICES AROUND MILITARY 
                   INSTALLATIONS IN THE FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, 
     Installations, and Environment shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report that includes the 
     following:
       (1) An assessment of land use policies and encroachment 
     risks near military installations (as defined in section 2801 
     of title 10, United States Code) located in the Freely 
     Associated States, real property located in the Freely 
     Associated States used to support the Armed Forces, and real 
     property located in the Freely Associated States that may be 
     used to support the Armed Forces during the five-year period 
     following the date of submission of the report.
       (2) An assessment of the feasibility and advisability of 
     establishing a coalition to include representatives from 
     Federal agencies, the governments of the Freely Associated 
     States, nongovernmental organizations, and landowners and 
     land managers in the Freely Associated States to advance 
     sustainable land use practices around military installations 
     that would assist in efforts to prevent encroachment and 
     promote conservation.


            Amendment No. 312 Offered by Mr. Dunn of Florida

       At the end of subtitle B of title XVII, add the following:

     SEC. 17__. UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR POLICY STUDY AND 
                   REPORT ON EXPANSION OF NATIONAL GUARD STATE 
                   PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

       (a) Study.--The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of State and the Chief of the 
     National Guard Bureau, shall conduct a study to assess the 
     feasibility and benefits of expanding the National Guard 
     State Partnership Program to additional countries in the 
     First Island Chain and the Second Island Chain, including--
       (1) Brunei Darussalam;
       (2) the Federated States of Micronesia;
       (3) the Republic of Kiribati;
       (4) the Republic of the Marshall Islands;
       (5) the Republic of Nauru; and
       (6) the Republic of Vanuatu.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary shall submit to 
     the congressional defense committees a report on the results 
     of the study conducted under subsection (a).


         Amendment No. 313 Offered by Mr. Larsen of Washington

       At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. EXPANSION OF PARTICIPATION IN THE DIGITAL ON-DEMAND 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall take such 
     steps as may be necessary--
       (1) to expand participation in the Digital On-Demand 
     Program to--
       (A) all organizations and elements of the Department of 
     Defense; and
       (B) all members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees 
     of the Department; and
       (2) to actively promote the Program throughout the 
     Department.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter 
     through 2029, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives a report on the progress of the Secretary in 
     expanding and promoting the Digital On-Demand Program as 
     described in subsection (a).
       (c) Digital on Demand Program Defined.--In this section, 
     the term ``Digital

[[Page H4082]]

     On-Demand Program'' means the program overseen by the Chief 
     Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer pursuant to which 
     educational resources on artificial intelligence, emerging 
     technologies, data literacy, and related topics are made 
     available to personnel of the Department of Defense through a 
     digital platform on an on-demand basis.


          Amendment No. 314 Offered by Mr. LaLota of New York

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 10__. ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTILATERAL ARTIFICIAL 
                   INTELLIGENCE WORKING GROUP.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     establish a working group, which shall be known as the 
     ``Multilateral Artificial Intelligence Working Group'', to 
     develop and coordinate an artificial intelligence initiative 
     among the allies and partners of the United States.
       (b) Organization.--
       (1) Designation of head.--The Secretary shall designate a 
     senior civilian officer of the Department of Defense or 
     senior military officer with experience leading relevant 
     efforts, as determined by the Secretary, to serve as the head 
     of the Working Group.
       (2) Participation by other member countries.--The Secretary 
     shall determine which allies and partners of the United 
     States shall be asked to participate as member countries in 
     the Working Group.
       (c) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of the Working 
     Group shall be to develop and coordinate efforts to implement 
     an artificial intelligence initiative between the Department 
     of Defense and allies and partners of the United States, 
     including by--
       (1) comparing--
       (A) the various artificial intelligence systems and the 
     elements thereof (including machine learning and generative 
     artificial intelligence such as large language models) used 
     for covered operational uses by members countries; and
       (B) the respective practices associated with the employment 
     of such systems for covered operational uses by members 
     countries;
       (2) identifying (including by experimenting, testing, and 
     evaluating) potential solutions to advance and accelerate the 
     interoperability of artificial intelligence systems used for 
     intelligence sharing, battlespace awareness, and other 
     covered operational uses;
       (3) testing and evaluating the effects of artificial 
     intelligence model redundancy, including the risks and safety 
     measures associated with operating multiple artificial 
     intelligence systems, including in tandem with one another;
       (4) developing a shared strategy for the research, 
     development, test, evaluation, and employment of artificial 
     intelligence systems for covered operational uses carried out 
     jointly by the member countries;
       (5) developing a shared strategy for--
       (A) managing data-informed artificial intelligence systems; 
     and
       (B) testing and evaluating artificial intelligence systems 
     with combined data sets at the unclassified and classified 
     levels;
       (6) testing and evaluating the capabilities of the defense 
     industrial base of the member countries to incorporate 
     artificial intelligence systems into systems used for covered 
     operational uses;
       (7) comparing and using ethical frameworks to accelerate 
     technological advancements with respect to artificial 
     intelligence systems;
       (8) expanding innovation efforts by the member countries 
     and share among such countries best practices for the 
     accelerated procurement and adoption of artificial 
     intelligence technologies for covered operational uses;
       (9) leveraging commercially available artificial 
     intelligence technologies to advance near-term jointness 
     between the armed forces of the member countries;
       (10) jointly identifying and sourcing artificial 
     intelligence systems, as practicable, and advising member 
     countries with respect to export controls applicable to such 
     systems; and
       (11) carrying out such other activities as the Secretary 
     determines to be relevant to such responsibilities.
       (d) Control of Knowledge and Technical Data.--The Secretary 
     shall seek to ensure that any knowledge or technical data 
     produced by a member country under any cooperative project 
     carried out by the Working Group shall be controlled by that 
     country under the export control laws and regulations of that 
     country and shall not be subject to the jurisdiction or 
     control of any other member country.
       (e) Plan and Reports.--
       (1) Plan.--
       (A) Submission.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a plan for the establishment 
     and activities of the Working Group.
       (B) Elements.--The plan under subparagraph (A) shall 
     include--
       (i) a plan for the establishment of the Working Group;
       (ii) a description of any funding requirements or 
     administrative support necessary to carry out this section;
       (iii) a description of any additional statutory authorities 
     necessary to carry out this section;
       (iv) a plan for the fulfilment of responsibilities under 
     subsection (c) by the Working Group;
       (v) an evaluation of existing multilateral artificial 
     intelligence efforts;
       (vi) a plan for the integration of the artificial 
     intelligence initiative developed and coordinated by the 
     Working Group with other programs and initiatives of the 
     elements of the Department of Defense with responsibilities 
     relating to mutual security and artificial intelligence 
     efforts among the member countries;
       (vii) performance indicators by which the activities of the 
     Working Group will be assessed; and
       (viii) a description of how efforts of the commanders of 
     the combatant commands relating to military interoperability 
     and test and evaluation of artificial intelligence systems 
     will be tasked and executed by and through the Working Group.
       (2) Semiannual report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, and on a semiannual basis 
     thereafter until the date of termination under subsection 
     (f), the Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense 
     committees a report on the activities and milestones of the 
     Working Group. Each such report shall include, with respect 
     to the period covered by the report--
       (A) an assessment of the activities of the Working Group 
     based on the performance indicators set forth in the plan 
     under paragraph (1)(B)(vii); and
       (B) a description of any efforts of the commanders of the 
     combatant commands taken in support of the responsibilities 
     of the Working Group.
       (f) Termination.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     Working Group shall terminate on September 30, 2028.
       (2) Authority to extend.--The Secretary may extend the 
     termination date under paragraph (1) if the Secretary 
     determines such extension to be in the national security 
     interests of the United States.
       (g) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``battlespace awareness'' has the meaning 
     given that term in the Joint Publication 1-02 of the 
     Department of Defense, titled ``Department of Defense 
     Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms'', or successor 
     publication.
       (2) The term ``covered operational use'' means use by a 
     government for operations in a defense context.
       (3) The term ``member country'' means a member country of 
     the Working Group.


          Amendment No. 315 Offered by Mr. LaLota of New York

       At the end of subtitle F of title VIII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 8__. REPORT ON BUNDLED CONTRACTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
                   DEFENSE.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report on--
       (1) the effects of awarding bundled contracts (as defined 
     in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)) on 
     the Department of Defense and small business concerns (as 
     defined under such section); and
       (2) the potential effects of reducing the number of bundled 
     contracts awarded.


       Amendment No. 316 Offered by Mr. Edwards of North Carolina

       At the end of subtitle E of title X, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 10___ SUSPENSION OR REVOCATION OF CERTAIN PERMISSIONS TO 
                   ACCESS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall suspend or 
     revoke a security clearance held by a covered individual if 
     such individual has expressed support for a terrorist 
     organization or engaged in a demonstration supporting a 
     terrorist organization.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``covered individual'' means any--
       (A) retired or active member of the Armed Forces; or
       (B) employee of the Department of Defense.
       (2) The term ``terrorist organization'' means any foreign 
     terrorist organization designated by the Secretary of State 
     in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), as amended, or those 
     designated by Executive Order 13224.


       Amendment No. 317 Offered by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez of New York

       At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 10__. DECLASSIFICATION REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO 
                   INVOLVEMENT OF UNITED STATES IN 1973 COUP IN 
                   CHILE.

       The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the 
     Secretary of State and the Director of the Central 
     Intelligence Agency, shall conduct a declassification review 
     of documents relating to the involvement of the United States 
     in the 1973 coup in Chile, including--
       (1) any record of financial support provided by the United 
     States Government to any organization or other entity, 
     whether private or public, that supported the coup;
       (2) any record of communication between an officer or 
     employee of the United States Government and a senior 
     military or intelligence officer of the Government of Chile 
     during the period beginning on September 11, 1972, and ending 
     on September 11, 1974; and

[[Page H4083]]

       (3) any other document containing information relating to 
     the involvement of the United States Government in the coup.


         Amendment No. 318 Offered by Mr. Connolly of Virginia

       At the end of subtitle D of title XV, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 15__. REPORT ON USER ACTIVITY MONITORING PROGRAMS OF THE 
                   DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report on user activity 
     monitoring programs of the Department of Defense. The report 
     shall include--
       (1) a description of the implementation and enforcement of 
     the requirements of section 1537 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (10 U.S.C. 2224 note; 
     Public Law 118-31; 137 Stat. 570);
       (2) a detailed description of the status of user activity 
     monitoring on the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router 
     Network;
       (3) a comprehensive accounting of the funds made available 
     funds made available for user activity monitoring on the Non-
     classified Internet Protocol Router Network in fiscal years 
     2022, 2023, and 2024; and
       (4) information on how any such user activity monitoring 
     programs might deviate from the minimum standards outlined 
     in--
       (A) the National Insider Threat Policy and Minimum 
     Standards for Executive Branch Insider Threat Programs;
       (B) the Committee on National Security Systems Directive 
     504 (issued on February 4, 2014, relating to the protection 
     of national security systems from insider threats); or
       (C) the Department of Defense Directive 5205.16 (issued on 
     September 30, 2014, relating to the insider threat program of 
     the Department of Defense).


     Amendment No. 319 Offered by Mrs. Radewagen of American Samoa

       At the end of subtitle J of title V, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 5__. REPORT ON INTEGRATION OF CHAPLAINS INTO ACTIVITIES 
                   IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report assessing the use 
     of chaplains and the Chaplain Corps during campaigning 
     efforts in the Indo-Pacific, that also includes the 
     following:
       (1) A summary of the manner and extent to which chaplains 
     are deliberately integrated into campaigning events in the 
     Indo-Pacific to build relationships and partnerships with 
     partners and host countries.
       (2) A description of the deployment and exercise events 
     chaplains are integrated into.
       (3) A list of host country or partner outreach events that 
     chaplains hosted or supported.
       (4) An assessment of future integration planned for 
     chaplains in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.


           Amendment No. 320 Offered by Mr. Rose of Tennessee

       At the end of subtitle C of title XVII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 17__. BRIEFING ON INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING OF 
                   COUNTRIES WITHIN UNITED STATES AFRICA COMMAND 
                   AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Africa is a theater of strategic competition where the 
     People's Republic of China and Russia continue to increase 
     their presence through economic and military relations;
       (2) stability in the region has suffered, resulting in 8 
     military coups in the Sahel region of Africa in just the last 
     4 years;
       (3) this region serves as an important training ground for 
     violent extremist organizations whose attacks spread across 
     the African continent and the globe; and
       (4) United States Africa Command faces challenges in 
     building strategic partnerships with African countries and 
     bolstering stability on the continent.
       (b) Briefing Required.--Not later than March 1, 2025, the 
     Secretary of Defense shall offer to all members of Congress a 
     briefing on the adequacy of institutional capacity building 
     in countries within the area of responsibility of the United 
     States Africa Command to strengthen governance in the defense 
     sectors of such countries. Such briefing shall also include, 
     at a minimum, an analysis of programs and efforts of the 
     Department of Defense focused on--
       (1) strategy and policy development;
       (2) budget development and execution;
       (3) human resource management systems;
       (4) logistics processes; and
       (5) recommendations to counter the influence of the 
     People's Republic of China, Russia, and non-state violent 
     extremist organizations through additional institutional 
     capacity building in such countries by the Department.


           Amendment No. 321 Offered by Mr. Mills of Florida

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 2__. FUNDING FOR ALTERNATIVE DOMESTIC SOURCE C-130J 
                   IRSS.

       (a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for research, development, test, 
     and evaluation, Defense-wide, as specified in the 
     corresponding funding table in section 4201, for operational 
     system development, Aviation Systems, line 281 (PE 1160403BB) 
     is hereby increased by $6,000,000 (with the amount of such 
     increase to be made available for Alternative Domestic Source 
     C-130J IRSS).
       (b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for research, development, test, 
     and evaluation, Defense-wide, as specified in the 
     corresponding funding table in section 4201, for operational 
     system development, industrial base analysis and sustainment 
     support, line 214 (PE 0607210D8Z) is hereby reduced by 
     $6,000,000.


           Amendment No. 322 Offered by Mrs. Luna of Florida

       At the end of subtitle E of title V, insert the following:

     SEC. 5__. DIVE SCHOOL REQUIRED ELEMENT OF QUALIFICATION AS A 
                   COMBAT CONTROLLER OF THE AIR FORCE.

       The Secretary of the Air Force shall require that training 
     to qualify as a combat controller of the Air Force includes 
     dive school.


           Amendment No. 323 Offered by Mrs. Luna of Florida

       At the end of subtitle C of title V, insert the following:

     SEC. 5__. AUTHORIZATION OF MEMBERS AWARDED CERTAIN 
                   DECORATIONS TO WEAR THE UNIFORM WHEN NOT ON 
                   ACTIVE DUTY.

       Section 772 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(k)(1) A member awarded a decoration specified in 
     paragraph (2) may wear the uniform prescribed by the 
     Secretary concerned on the same basis as a retired officer 
     under subsection (c) while such member attends a special 
     event (including a wedding).
       ``(2) The decorations specified in this paragraph are the 
     following:
       ``(A) The Purple Heart.
       ``(B) The Medal of Honor.
       ``(C) The Distinguished Service Cross.
       ``(D) The Navy Cross.
       ``(E) The Air Force Cross.
       ``(F) The Coast Guard Cross.
       ``(G) The Bronze Star.''.


          Amendment No. 324 Offered by Mr. Neguse of Colorado

       At the end of subtitle G of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 5__. RECORDS OF A SEPARATING MEMBER: PROVISION OF 
                   ELECTRONIC COPIES.

       Section 1142 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (d)--
       (A) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``In the case''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) The Secretary concerned shall provide to a member 
     described in subsection (a) an electronic copy of the 
     member's service medical record not later than 30 days before 
     the member separates, retires, or is discharged.''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(f) Separation Documents.--The Secretary concerned shall 
     provide to a member described in subsection (a) an electronic 
     copy of the member's separation documents (including a 
     Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 
     214)) not later than 15 days after such member separates, 
     retires, or is discharged.''.


         Amendment No. 325 Offered by Mr. Huizenga of Michigan

       At the end of subtitle D of title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 12_. REPORT ON MILITARY ACTIVITIES OF THE RUSSIAN 
                   FEDERATION AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 
                   IN THE ARCTIC REGION.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of 
     National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report on the following:
       (1) Any military activities of the Russian Federation in 
     the Arctic region.
       (2) Any military activities of the People's Republic of 
     China in the Arctic region.
       (b) Matters to Be Included.--The report under subsection 
     (a) shall include, with respect to the Russian Federation or 
     the People's Republic of China, as applicable, the following:
       (1) A description of military activities of such country in 
     the Arctic region, including--
       (A) the placement of military infrastructure, equipment, or 
     forces;
       (B) any exercises or other military activities; and
       (C) activities that are ostensibly non-military in nature 
     but are considered to have military or other strategic 
     implications.
       (2) An assessment of--
       (A) the intentions of such activities by each such country;
       (B) the extent to which such activities affect or threaten 
     the interests of the United States and allies in the Arctic 
     region; and
       (C) any response to such activities by the United States or 
     allies.
       (3) A description of future plans and requirements with 
     respect to such activities.
       (4) A detailed description of the Russian Federation and 
     the People's Republic of China's cooperation in the Arctic 
     region.
       (5) A description of how the Russian Federation's full-
     scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and the 
     resulting damage

[[Page H4084]]

     to its military forces have impacted the Russian Federation's 
     posture, activities, and policy in the Arctic region.
       (6) A description of how the Russian Federation's full-
     scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has impacted 
     the People's Republic of China's posture, activity and policy 
     in the Arctic region.
       (7) A description of how the United States and its allies 
     in the Arctic region have adjusted their posture in response 
     to any recent changes by the Russian Federation or the 
     People's Republic of China.
       (8) A description of the activities of the Arctic Council 
     and other Arctic fora of which the United States is a member 
     over the preceding 3-year period, including--
       (A) a description of how the U.S. Ambassador-at-large for 
     the Arctic region would engage with the Arctic Council and 
     other established Arctic fora;
       (B) a description of the United States current role in the 
     Arctic Council and what steps are being taken to ensure that 
     the involvement of the Russian Federation does not detract 
     from continued engagement with regional partners;
       (C) a detailing of all meetings, round tables, working 
     groups, and other official activities of the Arctic Council 
     and other Arctic fora, including a description of which such 
     events in which the Russian Federation did and did not 
     participate; and
       (D) a description of how the United States is utilizing 
     current Arctic fora to develop and implement regional 
     security strategies.
       (c) Form.--Each report under subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified 
     annex.
       (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and the 
     Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, and the 
     Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
       (e) Arctic Region Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``Arctic region'' has the meaning given the term ``Arctic'' 
     in the Arctic Research and Policy Act (ARPA) of 1984 (Public 
     Law 98-373).


         Amendment No. 326 Offered by Mr. Molinaro of New York

       At the end of subtitle C of title XVII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 17__. GAO STUDY ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EDUCATION 
                   ACTIVITY DISABILITY EMPHASIS PROGRAM.

       (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall conduct a study on--
       (1) the effectiveness of the Department of Defense 
     Education Activity Disability Emphasis Program; and
       (2) how such program supports the employment, retention, 
     and career advancement of individuals with intellectual, 
     physical, and developmental disabilities.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit 
     to Congress a report containing the study conducted under 
     subsection (a).


        Amendment No. 327 Offered by Ms. Barragan of California

       At the end of subtitle D of title XXVIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. __. LAND CONVEYANCE AND AUTHORIZATION FOR INTERIM LEASE, 
                   DEFENSE FUEL SUPPORT POINT SAN PEDRO, LOS 
                   ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

       (a) Conveyance Authorized.--The Secretary of the Navy (in 
     this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), may convey to 
     the city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita, at a cost less 
     than fair market value, all right, title, and interest of the 
     United States in and to parcels of real property, including 
     any improvements therein and thereon, known as the ballfields 
     and the firing range at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, 
     Defense Fuel Support Point, San Pedro, California, as further 
     described in subsection (b), for the purposes of permitting 
     the city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita (as 
     appropriate) to use such conveyed parcel of real property for 
     park and recreational activities or law enforcement 
     affiliated purposes. A conveyance under this subsection is 
     subject to valid existing rights.
       (b) Description of Property.--The parcels of real property 
     that may be conveyed under subsection (a) consists of the 
     following:
       (1) The City of Lomita Ballfield Parcel consisting of 
     approximately 5.7 acres.
       (2) The City of Los Angeles Ballfield Parcels consisting of 
     approximately 15.3 acres.
       (3) The firing range located at 2981 North Gaffey Street, 
     San Pedro, California, consisting of approximately 3.2 acres.
       (c) Interim Lease.--Until such time as any parcel of real 
     property described in subsection (b) is conveyed to the city 
     of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita (as appropriate), the 
     Secretary of the Navy may lease such parcel or a portion of 
     such parcel to either the city of Los Angeles or the city of 
     Lomita at no cost for a term up to three years. If fee 
     conveyance described in subsection (a) is not completed 
     within the period of the lease term with respect to such 
     parcel, the Secretary shall have no further obligation to 
     make any part of such parcel available for use by the city of 
     Los Angeles or the city of Lomita.
       (d) Consideration.--
       (1) Consideration required.--As consideration for a 
     conveyance under subsection (a), the city of Los Angeles or 
     the city of Lomita (as appropriate) shall pay to the 
     Secretary of the Navy an amount determined by the Secretary, 
     which may consist of cash payment, in-kind consideration as 
     described under paragraph (2), or a combination thereof.
       (2) In-kind consideration.--In-kind consideration provided 
     by the city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita (as 
     appropriate) under this subsection may include--
       (A) the acquisition, construction, provision, improvement, 
     maintenance, repair, or restoration (including environmental 
     restoration), or combination thereof, of any property, 
     facilities, or infrastructure with proximity to Naval Weapons 
     Station Seal Beach, that the Secretary considers acceptable; 
     or
       (B) the delivery of services relating to the needs of Naval 
     Weapons Station Seal Beach that the Secretary considers 
     acceptable.
       (3) Treatment of amounts received for conveyance.--Cash 
     payments received under paragraph (1) as reimbursement for 
     costs incurred by the Secretary to carry out a conveyance 
     under subsection (a) shall be credited to the fund or account 
     used to cover the costs incurred by the Secretary in carrying 
     out the conveyance or to an appropriate fund or account 
     currently available to the Secretary for the purposes for 
     which the costs were paid. Amounts so credited shall be 
     merged with amounts in such fund or account and shall be 
     available for the same purposes, and to the same conditions 
     and limitations, as amounts in such fund or account.
       (4) Payment of costs of conveyance.--The Secretary shall 
     require the city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita (as 
     appropriate) to cover costs (except costs for environmental 
     remediation of the property) to be incurred by the Secretary, 
     or to reimburse the Secretary for such costs incurred by the 
     Secretary, to carry out a conveyance under subsection (a), 
     including costs for environmental and real estate due 
     diligence and any other administrative costs related to the 
     conveyance and lease execution.
       (5) Refund of excess amounts.--If amounts are collected 
     from the city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita under 
     paragraph (4) in advance of the Secretary incurring the 
     actual costs, and the amount collected exceeds the costs 
     actually incurred by the Secretary to carry out a conveyance 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary shall refund the excess 
     amount to the city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita (as 
     appropriate).
       (e) Valuation.--The values of the property interests to be 
     conveyed by the Secretary described in subsection (a) shall 
     be determined by an independent appraiser selected by the 
     Secretary and in accordance with the Uniform Standards of 
     Professional Appraisal Practice.
       (f) Condition of Conveyance.--A conveyance under subsection 
     (a) shall be subject to all existing easements, restrictions, 
     and covenants of record and conditioned upon the following:
       (1) The parcels of real property described in paragraphs 
     (1) and (2) of subsection (b) shall be used solely for park 
     and recreational activities, which may include ancillary uses 
     such as vending and restrooms.
       (2) The parcel of real property described in subsection 
     (b)(3) shall be used solely for law enforcement affiliated 
     purposes.
       (3) The city of Los Angeles or the city of Lomita (as 
     appropriate) may not use Federal funds to cover any portion 
     of the amounts required by subsection (d) to be paid.
       (g) Exclusion of Requirements for Prior Screening.--Section 
     2696(b) of title 10, United States Code, and the requirements 
     under title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act 
     (Public Law 101-645; 41 U.S.C. 11411) relating to prior 
     screenings shall not apply to a conveyance under subsection 
     (a) or the grant of interim lease authorized under subsection 
     (c).
       (h) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at 
     any time that a parcel of real property conveyed under 
     subsection (a) is not being used in accordance with the 
     purpose of the conveyance specified in this section, all 
     right, title, and interest in and to the land, including the 
     improvements thereto, shall, at the option of the Secretary, 
     revert to and become the property of the United States, and 
     the United States shall have the right of immediate entry 
     onto such real property. A determination by the Secretary 
     under this subsection shall be made on the record after an 
     opportunity for a hearing.
       (i) Conveyance Agreement.--A conveyance of land under 
     subsection (a) shall be accomplished using a quitclaim deed 
     or other legal instrument and upon terms and conditions 
     mutually satisfactory to the Secretary and the city of Los 
     Angeles or the city of Lomita (as appropriate), including 
     such additional terms and conditions as the Secretary 
     considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United 
     States.
       (j) Additional Terms.--The Secretary may require such 
     additional terms and conditions in connection with a 
     conveyance under subsection (a) as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate to protect the interests of the United States.
       (k) Savings Clause.--Nothing in this section affects the 
     application of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, 
     Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et 
     seq.).

[[Page H4085]]

  



       Amendment No. 328 Offered by Mr. Gottheimer of New Jersey

       At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 12__. REPORT ON COOPERATIVE EFFORTS TO STOP UNMANNED 
                   AERIAL SYSTEMS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
     the appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
     status of cooperation between the United States and Israel on 
     efforts to counter threats by Iran in the form of unmanned 
     aerial systems, including loitering munitions otherwise known 
     as ``suicide'' or ``kamikaze'' drones.
       (b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the congressional defense committees;
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (3) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate


        Amendment No. 329 Offered by Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas

       At the end of subtitle F of title XVIII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 18__. BRIEFING ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS OF 
                   QUALITY OF LIFE PANEL.

       Not later than March 1, 2025, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     coordination with the Secretaries of the military 
     departments, shall provide, to the Committee on Armed 
     Services of the House of Representatives, a briefing on the 
     implementation of the recommendations in the report, dated 
     April, 2024, of the Quality of Life Panel of such Committee. 
     Such briefing shall include--
       (1) updates to pay and compensation of members of the 
     uniformed services, including--
       (A) the basic allowance for housing under section 403 of 
     title 37, United States Code; and
       (B) implementation of any increase to the family separation 
     allowance under section 427 of such title, as authorized by 
     section 626 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2024 (Public Law 118-31);
       (2) improvements to child care accessibility and 
     affordability;
       (3) increased transparency on the condition and funding of 
     unaccompanied and privatized family housing;
       (4) improvements in access to health care; and
       (5) expansion of support programs for military spouses.


         Amendment No. 330 Offered by Mr. Molinaro of New York

       At the end of subtitle H of title V, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 5__. REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EXCEPTIONAL FAMILY 
                   MEMBER PROGRAM.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
     submit to Congress a report that includes--
       (1) the results of a study of the effectiveness of the 
     Exceptional Family Member program authorized under section 
     1781c(e) of title 10, United States Code, with respect to the 
     manner by which it currently supports individuals with 
     intellectual and developmental disabilities; and
       (2) recommendations to improve the program.


         Amendment No. 331 Offered by Mr. Molinaro of New York

       At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 7__. ANNUAL REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF NALOXONE 
                   DISTRIBUTION.

       Section 706 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2024 (10 U.S.C. 1090 note) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(d) Annual Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
     of the enactment of this subsection and annually thereafter, 
     the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the implementation and effectiveness of naloxone distribution 
     to members of the Armed Forces pursuant to this section to 
     reverse opioid overdoses.''.


           AMENDMENT NO. 332 OFFERED BY MR. PFLUGER OF TEXAS

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 10__. REPORT ON NAVY USE OF IMMERSIVE LEARNING 
                   CAPABILITIES .

       Not later than December 1, 2024, the Secretary of the Navy 
     shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the House 
     of Representatives a report that includes--
       (1) an identification of any immersive learning 
     capabilities, including augmented, virtual and mixed reality, 
     have been, or potentially could be, integrated into training 
     across the Navy;
       (2) a description of any efforts of the Navy to coordinate 
     with the Air Force on lessons learned in the development of 
     the Headquarters Air Force HAF/A4L Air Force Maintenance and 
     Logistics Extended Reality (XR) Strategy and what elements of 
     that strategy might be applicable to the Navy;
       (3) an identification of the status of any activities of 
     the Navy to build a comprehensive and executable strategy to 
     invest, deploy, and sustain immersive learning training 
     capabilities across the Navy; and
       (4) a description of any limitations or barriers to 
     integrating immersive learning capabilities into the Navy, 
     including ensuring compliance with relevant cybersecurity 
     requirements.


       AMENDMENT NO. 333 OFFERED BY MR. MAGAZINER OF RHODE ISLAND

       At the end of subtitle G of title V, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 5__. SKILLBRIDGE FOR THE SUBMARINE INDUSTRIAL BASE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than September 30, 2025, the 
     Secretary concerned shall--
       (1) conduct a survey to determine which such employers in 
     the submarine industrial base are experiencing workforce 
     shortages; and
       (2) use the Skillbridge program to provide members training 
     under such program with such employers.
       (b) Preference.--In selecting an employer under subsection 
     (a), the Secretary concerned shall give preference to smaller 
     employers.
       (c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House 
     of Representatives a report on implementation of this 
     section.


         AMENDMENT NO. 334 OFFERED BY MR. SCHWEIKERT OF ARIZONA

       At the end of subtitle A of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 10__. USE OF TECHNOLOGY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO 
                   FACILITATE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF 
                   THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025.

       (a) Use of Ai Technology for Audits.--The Secretary of 
     Defense and the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force 
     shall encourage, to the greatest extent practicable, the use 
     of technology that uses artificial intelligence or machine 
     learning for the purpose of facilitating audits of the 
     financial statements of the Department of Defense.
       (b) Implementation of Ai Technology for Audits.--The 
     Director of the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence 
     Office of the Department, in coordination with the Under 
     Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the 
     Inspector General of the Department, shall oversee the 
     adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning 
     technologies in support of financial management and 
     enterprise business operations.
       (c) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 
     House of Representatives a briefing that includes a 
     description of the use of artificial intelligence or machine 
     learning technologies as described in (a) and (b), including 
     an update on the implementation of the strategy titled ``2023 
     Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence Adoption 
     Strategy'' and dated June 27, 2023.


        AMENDMENT NO. 335 OFFERED BY MS. SHERRILL OF NEW JERSEY

       At the end of subtitle H of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 5__. STUDY ON HIGH-IMPACT TUTORING IN DODEA SCHOOLS.

       Not later than September 30, 2025, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
     Senate and House of Representatives a report containing the 
     results of a study on--
       (1) the current usage of tutoring programs in Department of 
     Defense Education Activity elementary and secondary schools;
       (2) the extent to which current tutoring programs in 
     Department of Defense Education Activity elementary and 
     secondary schools incorporate elements of high-impact 
     tutoring, including tutoring that--
       (A) is in math, reading, or both subjects for at least 30 
     minutes during the school day and for at least 3 days per 
     week during the school year;
       (B) is taught by a licensed Department of Defense Education 
     Activity elementary or secondary school teacher or 
     paraprofessional with a student-to-tutor ratio of no more 
     than 3-to-1;
       (C) is on a set schedule and with the same tutor each week;
       (D) in the case of tutoring that takes place during a 
     regular class, occurs in a classroom or area that is separate 
     from such regular class; and
       (E) with respect to a student, is related to and aligned 
     with the classwork in the student's regular classes;
       (3) how to increase the participation of students enrolled 
     in Department of Defense Education Activity elementary and 
     secondary schools in tutoring programs, particularly those 
     tutoring programs with the elements described in paragraph 
     (2), while not reducing funds available for existing 
     Department of Defense Education Activity programs and teacher 
     and staff compensation; and
       (4) how to develop a licensed tutoring workforce for 
     Department of Defense Education Activity elementary and 
     secondary schools.


            AMENDMENT NO. 336 OFFERED BY MR. MOYLAN OF GUAM

       At the end of subtitle I of title V, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. AUTHORIZATION OF AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO JUAN 
                   OGO BLAZ FOR ACTS OF VALOR WHILE SERVING AS A 
                   MEMBER OF THE ARMY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.

       (a) Authorization.--Notwithstanding the time limitations 
     specified in section 7274 of title 10, United States Code, or 
     any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of 
     certain medals to persons who served in

[[Page H4086]]

     the Armed Forces, the President is authorized to award the 
     Medal of Honor, under section 7271 of such title, to Juan Ogo 
     Blaz for the acts of valor described in subsection (b).
       (b) Acts of Valor Described.--The acts of valor described 
     in this subsection are the actions of Juan Ogo Blaz on 
     January 18, 1969, while serving as a member of the Army 
     during the Vietnam War, for which he was previously awarded 
     the Distinguished Service Cross.


         AMENDMENT NO. 337 OFFERED BY MR. BURLISON OF MISSOURI

       At the end of subtitle A of title VIII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 8__. PROHIBITION AND REPORT ON CONTRACTS FOR ONLINE 
                   TUTORING SERVICES.

       (a) Prohibition.--The Secretary of Defense may not enter 
     into a contract for online tutoring services which could 
     result in personal data of citizens of the United States 
     being transferred to the control of the People's Republic of 
     China
       (b) Report.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees a report on the risks of 
     personal data of citizens of the United States being 
     transferred to the control of the People's Republic of China 
     pursuant to any contracts for online tutoring services of the 
     Department of Defense in progress.


           AMENDMENT NO. 338 OFFERED BY MR. WENSTRUP OF OHIO

       Add at the end of subtitle C of title VII of division A the 
     following:

     SEC. __. FUNDING FOR DEFENSE HEALTH PROGRAMS FOR EDUCATION 
                   AND TRAINING.

       (a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, (1) the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 1405 for Defense Health Program 
     specified in the corresponding funding table in section 4501, 
     for Education and Training is hereby increased by 
     $25,000,000.
       (b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 1405 for Defense Health Programs, as 
     specified in the corresponding funding table in section 4501, 
     for Base Operations/Communications is hereby reduced by 
     $25,000,000.


           AMENDMENT NO. 339 OFFERED BY MR. POSEY OF FLORIDA

       At the end of title XI, insert the following:

     SEC. 11__. SUFFICIENT FIREFIGHTER PERSONNEL COVERED 
                   INSTALLATIONS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
     that--
       (1) a minimum number of firefighter personnel are on duty 
     at each covered installation to maintain optimum manning and 
     optimum level of service to safeguard life and property at 
     such covered installation; and
       (2) a risk assessment may not be used to limit the number 
     of firefighter personnel at a covered installation.
       (b) Covered Installation Defined.--The term ``covered 
     installation'' means a military installation under the 
     jurisdiction of the Chief of Space Operations of the United 
     States Space Force with a space launch facility.


          AMENDMENT NO. 340 OFFERED BY MR. BERGMAN OF MICHIGAN

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, insert the following:

     SEC. 2__. FUNDING FOR VIRTUAL ENGINEERING FOR ARMY READINESS 
                   AND SUSTAINMENT.

       (a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for Research, Development, Test 
     and Evaluation, Next-Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced 
     Technology, line 43, as specified in the corresponding 
     funding table in section 4201, for Virtual Engineering for 
     Army Readiness and Sustainment, is hereby increased by 
     $7,000,000.
       (b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 301 for Operations and Maintenance, 
     Defense-Wide, for the office of the Secretary of Defense, 
     line 470, as specified in the corresponding funding table in 
     section 4301, is hereby reduced by $7,000,000.


             AMENDMENT NO. 341 OFFERED BY MR. SELF OF TEXAS

       At the end of subtitle C of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 5__. REVIEW OF ADVERSE ACTION AGAINST A CHAPLAIN WHO 
                   REQUESTED EXEMPTION FROM THE COVID-19 
                   VACCINATION MANDATE.

       (a) Review Required.--Not later than six months after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary concerned 
     shall establish a board under section 1552 or 1553 of title 
     10, United States Code, as applicable, to review the military 
     personnel record, or the characterization of a discharge or 
     dismissal, of a current or former chaplain in an Armed Force 
     who suffered an adverse personnel action as a result of, 
     arising from, or in conjunction with, requesting a religious 
     exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
       (b) Scope of Review.--A review under this section shall 
     cover all adverse personnel actions against a chaplain on or 
     after August 24, 2021.
       (d) Directed Determination.--A board established under this 
     section shall consider any adverse personnel action against a 
     chaplain to be the result of such request. unless there is 
     evidence such chaplain--
       (1) was disciplined for a reason other than a request 
     described in subsection (a); or
       (2) breached good order and discipline.
       (e) Priority.--A board shall consider a request under this 
     section before any other request on the docket of such board.
       (f) DODIG Report.--No later than one year after enactment 
     of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department of 
     Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
     a report setting forth the results of an investigation by the 
     Inspector General during that one-year period regarding the 
     compliance of the Secretaries concerned with the terms of 
     this section.
       (g) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``adverse personnel action'' includes--
       (A) discrimination;
       (B) a denial of promotion, schooling, training, or 
     assignment;
       (C) discharge;
       (D) dismissal;
       (E) separation;
       (F) a lowered or noncompetitive performance report;
       (G) revocation of permanent change of station;
       (H) revocation of temporary duty travel orders; and
       (I) any other restriction or negative consequence.
       (2) The term ``performance report'' means a report of an 
     Armed Force (including an officer efficiency report)--
       (A) that measures the efficiency, leadership, and 
     effectiveness of an officer; and
       (B) is used as a basis for promotion selections.


        AMENDMENT NO. 342 OFFERED BY MR. AUSTIN SCOTT OF GEORGIA

       At the end of subtitle C of title XVII, add the following:

     SEC. 17_. COMMON COALITION KEY WITHIN THE BALTIC STATES.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
     common coalition key within the Baltic states for purposes of 
     sharing ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems 
     (HIMARS) among such states for training and operational 
     purposes.
       (b) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Baltic 
     states'' means--
       (1) Estonia;
       (2) Lithuania; and
       (3) Latvia.


          AMENDMENT NO. 343 OFFERED BY MR. BERGMAN OF MICHIGAN

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, insert the following:

     SEC. 2__. FUNDING FOR HUMANITARIAN AIRBORNE MOBILE 
                   INFRASTRUCTURE CAPABILITY.

       (a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for Research, Development, Test 
     and Evaluation, Army for Ground Advanced Technology, line 38, 
     as specified in the corresponding funding table in section 
     4201, for Humanitarian Airborne Mobile Infrastructure 
     Capability, is hereby increased by $4,200,000.
       (b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 301 for Operations and Maintenance, 
     Defense-Wide, for the office of the Secretary of Defense, 
     line 470, as specified in the corresponding funding table in 
     section 4301, is hereby reduced by $4,200,000.


          AMENDMENT NO. 344 OFFERED BY MR. BERGMAN OF MICHIGAN

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, insert the following:

     SEC. 2__. FUNDING FOR FUEL CELL MULTI-MODULAR USE UTILIZING 
                   HYDROGEN.

       (a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 201 for Research, Development, Test 
     and Evaluation, Army for Ground Advanced Technology, line 38, 
     as specified in the corresponding funding table in section 
     4201, for Fuel Cell Multi-Modular Use (FC-MMU) Utilizing 
     Hydrogen, is hereby increased by $10,000,000.
       (b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the 
     funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be 
     appropriated in section 301 for Operation and Maintenance, 
     Defense-Wide, for the office of the Secretary of Defense, 
     line 470, as specified in the corresponding funding table in 
     section 4301, is hereby reduced by $10,000,000.


       AMENDMENT NO. 345 OFFERED BY MR. WILSON OF SOUTH CAROLINA

       At the end of subtitle G of title VIII, add the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 8__. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR 
                   INSTALLATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES.

       (a) In General.--None of the funds authorized to be 
     appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for 
     fiscal year 2025 for the Department of Defense may be used to 
     for a contract for the installation of photovoltaic modules 
     at any facility or real property of the Department of Defense 
     unless the contract contains a provision prohibiting the 
     procurement of such photovoltaic modules from a foreign 
     entity of concern (as defined in section 9901(8) of the 
     William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization 
     Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (15 U.S.C. 4651(8))).
       (b) Study.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the congressional defense committees a report on

[[Page H4087]]

     the expected amount to be obligated fiscal year 2025 to 
     install photovoltaic modules at Department of Defense 
     facilities.
       (c) Limitation.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations and except as explicitly provided in a 
     provision of law enacted after the date of the enactment of 
     this section, the Secretary of Defense may not obligate or 
     expend from amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated 
     for fiscal year 2025 for the purpose of installing 
     photovoltaic modules at any facility or real property of the 
     Department of Defense more than the amount certified in the 
     report required under subsection (b) for such purpose during 
     fiscal year 2025.
       (2) Limitation on transfer authority.--Notwithstanding any 
     other provision of law, amounts are not authorized to be 
     transferred or reprogrammed pursuant to any authority of the 
     Secretary of Defense for fiscal year 2025 to exceed the 
     amount certified in the report required under subsection (b).


        AMENDMENT NO. 346 OFFERED BY MR. JOHNSON OF SOUTH DAKOTA

       At the end of subtitle G of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. STUDY AND REPORT ON SHIPPING CONTAINERS AND 
                   SPECIALTY SHIPPING CONTAINERS.

       (a) Study and Report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 
     in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, shall 
     submit to the congressional defense committees, the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate, a report that contains the 
     results of a study on--
       (1) the national security implications of reliance on 
     shipping containers and specialty shipping containers 
     produced by foreign adversary countries to meet national 
     defense requirements; and
       (2) the feasibility and advisability of production of 
     shipping containers and specialty shipping containers by 
     covered countries for procurement by the Department of 
     Defense.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include--
       (1) an assessment of the ability of the Secretary of 
     Defense to procure shipping containers and specialty shipping 
     containers from sources other than foreign adversary 
     countries, including--
       (A) any barriers faced by the Secretary for such 
     procurement, along with recommendations to mitigate such 
     barriers; and
       (B) a timetable for such procurement;
       (2) in coordination with entities in the domestic defense 
     industrial base, an assessment of requirements for shipping 
     containers and specialty shipping containers that could be 
     produced in a covered country or which could be acquired from 
     allied or partner countries, including an assessment of the 
     capabilities and capacities of the workforce of the domestic 
     defense industrial base, supply chain considerations, and the 
     impact on the economy of the United States;
       (3) an assessment how an alternative source for procurement 
     of specialty shipping containers would affect defense systems 
     requiring specialty shipping containers, particularly in the 
     event of a crisis; and
       (4) any other relevant considerations, as jointly 
     determined by the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of 
     Transportation.
       (c) Form.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) The term ``covered country'' means the United States or 
     an ally or partner country.
       (2) The term ``foreign adversary country'' means a country 
     specified in section 4872(d)(2) of title 10, United States 
     Code.
       (3) The term ``shipping container'' has the meaning given 
     the term ``container'' in section 80501 of title 46, United 
     States Code.
       (4) The term ``specialty shipping container'' means a 
     shipping container that is uniquely configured to support and 
     protect items contained during handling, storage, unpacking, 
     and forward and return shipment, or to protect personnel and 
     equipment from hazardous contents.


         AMENDMENT NO. 347 OFFERED BY MR. SCHWEIKERT OF ARIZONA

       At the end of subtitle F of title X, add the following new 
     section:

     SEC. 10__. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REPORT ON POTENTIAL COST 
                   SAVINGS FROM USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

       Not later than 90 days the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) shall 
     conduct a study and submit to Congress a report on the 
     potential cost-saving measures of incorporating artificial 
     intelligence and multi-domain, attributable autonomous, semi-
     autonomous, unmanned systems, capabilities and processes into 
     military department and the civilian workforce of the 
     Department of Defense.


         AMENDMENT NO. 348 OFFERED BY MR. STAUBER OF MINNESOTA

       Page 625, insert after line 16 the following:

     SEC. 1413. CONSULTATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW 
                   OF CERTAIN PROJECTS RELATING TO AVAILABILITY OF 
                   STRATEGIC AND CRITICAL MATERIALS FOR 
                   ACQUISITION FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE STOCKPILE.

       (a) In General.--In the case of a covered project that will 
     result in an increase in the availability of strategic and 
     critical materials for acquisition for the Stockpile, the 
     Secretary shall consult with the head of any cooperating 
     agency or participating agency responsible for the 
     environmental review for the project.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) FAST act terms.--The terms ``cooperating agencies'', 
     ``covered project'', ``environmental review'', and 
     ``participating agency'' have the meanings given those terms 
     section 41001 of the FAST Act (42 U.S.C. 4370m).
       (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Defense.
       (3) Stockpile.--The term ``Stockpile'' means the National 
     Defense Stockpile established under section 3 of the 
     Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 
     98b).
       (4) Strategic and critical materials.--The term ``strategic 
     and critical materials'' means materials, including rare 
     earth elements, that are necessary to meet national defense 
     and national security requirements, including requirements 
     relating to supply chain resiliency, and for the economic 
     security of the United States.


            AMENDMENT NO. 350 OFFERED BY MR. MOYLAN OF GUAM

       At the end of subtitle I of title V, insert the following 
     new section:

     SEC. 5__. AUTHORIZATION OF AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO MARTIN 
                   A. MAGLONA FOR ACTS OF VALOR WHILE SERVING AS A 
                   MEMBER OF THE ARMY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.

       (a) Authorization.--Notwithstanding the time limitations 
     specified in section 7274 of title 10, United States Code, or 
     any other time limitation with respect to the awarding of 
     certain medals to persons who served in the Armed Forces, the 
     President is authorized to award the Medal of Honor, under 
     section 7271 of such title, toMartin A. Maglona for the acts 
     of valor described in subsection (b).
       (b) Acts of Valor Described.--The acts of valor described 
     in this subsection are the actions of Martin A. Maglona on 
     February 23, 1969, while serving as a member of the Army 
     during the Vietnam War, for which he was previously awarded 
     the Distinguished Service Cross.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1287, the gentleman 
from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Self).
  Mr. SELF. Mr. Chair, today, I rise in support of my amendment, which 
requires the Secretary of Defense to review and report on the personnel 
records of military chaplains who suffered retaliation for seeking a 
religious accommodation for the COVID-19 vaccine.
  By way of background, the Department of Defense's COVID-19 vaccine 
mandate violated servicemembers' and chaplains' religious liberty and 
caused substantial harm to their careers.
  The DOD's handling of the chaplains' religious accommodation requests 
was an utter disgrace, involving blanket dismissals instead of 
dismissals considered on an individual basis. My amendment seeks to 
account for the injustices suffered by the military chaplains.
  The primary duty of chaplains is to provide spiritual guidance to our 
servicemembers. To do so, like every American, they must be free to 
follow their conscience without facing retribution from the government 
they swore to defend.
  This amendment is an important first step to ensuring that those who 
serve our country can do so without sacrificing their freedoms, to 
quote the Declaration of Independence, ``endowed by their Creator.''
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment as part of 
this en bloc package.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from New York (Mr. Molinaro), my colleague.
  Mr. MOLINARO. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Rogers for his leadership 
and steadfast support for the men and women of our armed services.
  Yesterday, I was proud to see three of my amendments pass the House 
and now appreciate the opportunity to speak about three more.
  My first amendment requires critical oversight of the DOD's Education 
Activity Disability Emphasis program to ensure it operates to support 
the employment, retention, and career advancements of those living with 
intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities.

[[Page H4088]]

  Employment opportunities offer those with disabilities the experience 
to strengthen their soft skills and lead more independent lives.
  Nearly 70 percent of working-aged people with disabilities are 
unemployed. Another amendment I have offered, included in the en bloc, 
will require a study on the effectiveness of the Exceptional Family 
Member program and outline how it currently supports individuals with 
disabilities.
  Special needs families cannot be left in the dark and too often are 
left on the sidelines, so we must ensure that they have the necessary 
resources and programs to support their family members' special needs.
  The third amendment I offer requires the DOD to provide consistent 
reporting on the implementation and effectiveness of naloxone 
distribution for our servicemembers. Opioid overdose and addiction 
remain a real risk for our transitioning servicemen and -women. We must 
together ensure they have access to effective reversal treatments in 
the event of an overdose to help save lives.
  Ensuring our servicemembers have the resources to support their 
mental health, tackle substance use disorder, and support their 
families, especially those with children with disabilities, is 
essential to our mission of strengthening and enhancing their quality 
of life.
  Mr. Chair, I thank my colleagues for the support of my previous 
amendments as well as their consideration of these three, and I urge 
their adoption.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Chair, I will take this opportunity on the last en bloc package 
to give my closing remarks on the bill.
  We do have a few more amendments to go, but this will be the last 
opportunity to speak about the broad issues surrounding the bill.
  The first thing I will do is thank Chairman Rogers, his staff, and 
the entire team on the Armed Services Committee for the work that they 
have done in pulling this bill together. As we often lay out from the 
beginning of the process in committee, there were well over a thousand 
amendments offered in committee, well over a thousand amendments 
offered to the Rules Committee that we all had to sort through to try 
to produce a piece of legislation.
  Coming out of committee, we produced an outstanding piece of 
legislation. I think even on the floor and even where we are at right 
now, this is a very, very good bill. The chairman, Mr. Rogers, deserves 
an immense amount of credit for getting us to the point where we have a 
very good bill that deals with a lot of incredibly important issues.
  Most notably, as we have mentioned, this is a piece of legislation 
that does the most to help support the men and women who serve in the 
military and their families out of any piece of legislation that I have 
ever worked on.
  I thank   Don Bacon and Chrissy Houlahan and all of the members of 
the Quality of Life Panel that really did a deep dive to figure out 
what our servicemembers and their families need. They did a large 
number of hearings. They brought in veterans. They brought in Active-
Duty members. They brought in family members to say what their life is 
like and how we can make it work better.
  They put together a series of proposals that are really quite 
remarkable. Some of it is pay, certainly, but it also has to do with 
support for spouses in finding employment. It has to do with childcare, 
healthcare, education, housing. A wide range of issues are very 
aggressively addressed in this bill, and I strongly support those 
provisions.

  I also have worked closely with the chairman on what I think is a 
critical issue of modernizing our military, making sure that we can hit 
the production numbers that we need to hit, to have an adequate 
deterrent in light of the challenges we face in the world and then also 
making sure that we modernize.
  So much technology is crucial to warfare when it comes to drones, 
counterdrones, missiles, missile defense, and having secure information 
systems. There are a lot of provisions in this bill that put us in a 
better place to get those technologies quickly and field them.
  We have a long way to go. I understand that. We are not where we need 
to be, but we have made a lot of progress and, again, that is a 
testimony to everybody who worked on this bill.
  I also thank my staff on the Democratic side. We have a real spirit 
of bipartisanship in this committee that I think serves us well. They 
have done an outstanding job of getting us to where we are.
  The amendments that were adopted yesterday, unfortunately, mean that 
I am going to oppose this bill and the bulk of the Caucus is going to 
oppose this bill as well, and there are three main reasons for that.
  Number one is the prohibition on the travel policy within the 
military. This is something that we didn't need to address. We did not 
address it in committee, but it is a crucial issue. It is a crucial 
issue because so many States across the country have passed restrictive 
laws when it comes to access to healthcare for women.
  You may find yourself stationed in one of those States, and you may 
not have access to that healthcare. The travel policy was meant as a 
way to give people serving and, crucially, their family members, access 
to the healthcare that they need.
  Passing a piece of an amendment to this bill that basically 
eliminates that access to healthcare is a readiness problem and is a 
problem for the military.
  Women serving, and even if you have a spouse and you are serving, you 
will have concerns as to whether or not you are going to be able to 
access the healthcare that you need. The stories have been documented 
over and over again: A woman has a miscarriage and can't get the 
healthcare that she needs because of some law that was passed.
  This is a debate and a struggle that will be fought out State by 
State across the country, sadly, for years to come, but our 
servicemembers shouldn't be caught in that debate and denied healthcare 
when they need it. That provision alone is extremely problematic.
  Also, along the healthcare theme, we have two severe restrictions now 
in this bill on trans people and their families receiving the 
healthcare they need. I am not going to presume to say what the right 
healthcare is. I am not a doctor. I am not a trans person. It should be 
between them and their doctor.
  We placed two restrictions in this bill that presumed that the United 
States Congress is a better medical professional than a doctor. It is a 
restriction on that access.
  Again, it hurts the military because not only if you are a trans 
person serving, but if you are someone who is serving who has a trans 
child, you now have to wrestle with the fact that if you are in the 
military, your child is not going to be able to get the healthcare that 
he or she may need. That is a problem for our servicemembers. It has 
got no business being in this bill. We had these discussions in 
committee and decided that we weren't going to do it and didn't. The 
fact that it is added undermines the credibility of this bill.
  Lastly, we have the whole epic fight over diversity, equity, and 
inclusion. My position is the Department of Defense ought to be able to 
deal with that issue as is necessary and as they see fit. I understand 
we are in a very, very difficult culture war right now, but the 
restrictions in this bill that say you can't do DEI ever for anything 
fundamentally misunderstands that culture war. I don't think anybody, 
even on that side of the aisle, would disagree that this fight is going 
on.
  If you are running the Department of Defense or even a commander of a 
local base, you have to deal with that. I don't like the extremes on 
either the left or the right when it comes to this.
  It is absolutely true that there are some people on the left that 
interpret diversity, equity, inclusion to mean that basically our 
country is nothing but a racist country, has never been anything but a 
racist country, we ought to teach people that, and that all White 
people are racist and we ought to teach people that as well. That is 
wrong. That is not what the Democratic Party supports. It is certainly 
not what the Department of Defense is doing right now.
  On the other side, we have the approach that says racism isn't a 
thing, let's pretend that it wasn't ever that big a deal, we don't have 
to deal with

[[Page H4089]]

it, and let's just blind ourselves and not deal with it whatsoever, 
which is equally ridiculous. As I have shown over and over again, there 
is still a problem with racism.
  When you are trying to lead a bunch of young men and women in the 
military, they come to you with those issues. How do you deal with 
them?
  What the Department of Defense very sensibly has done is, they have 
some people who are focused on how you deal with that. How do you make 
sure that we are going to work together cohesively as a unit without 
bias and prejudice?
  This bill says nope, you have got to ignore it. You have got to act 
like none of this has happened. If you are in the Department of 
Defense, there is no culture war. There is nothing to be worried about. 
We are not going to let you deal with it at all. That is a really, 
really stupid approach.
  Those three things got into this bill because the Rules Committee 
ruled them in order, and then by a reasonably narrow vote they passed. 
That is unfortunate because I believe it will undermine the ability of 
the military to do its job.
  For that reason, I do oppose the bill at this point, but as I have 
told everybody I know, in the end, we will work it out.

  For now, I think it is important to make that statement. I think 
those areas are wrong.
  Again, I applaud the chairman and all of the people who have worked 
on this bill. Ninety-eight percent of the bill is really good, 
outstanding work. I know in the end, we will get that 98 percent 
through, but for now, I think it is really important to point out the 
deep flaws contained in those three areas.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I will take a minute to thank the 
ranking member for his leadership. He has been an outstanding partner 
in this process as we have built what is an outstanding National 
Defense Authorization Act.
  I can't overstate how helpful the Democrat staff and the Republican 
staff have been working together throughout this entire process. This 
is truly a bipartisan committee and a model for the rest of this 
institution.
  Mr. Chair, I encourage Members to support the amendments en bloc, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Meuser). The question is on the amendments en 
bloc offered by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers).
  The en bloc amendments were agreed to.

                              {time}  0945


                 Amendment No. 56 Offered by Mr. Perry

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 56 
printed in part B of House Report 118-551.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Add at the end of title XI of division A the following:

     SEC. 11__. REPORT ON USE OF TAXPAYER-FUNDED OFFICIAL TIME.

       (a) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     describing the use of taxpayer-funded official time, as 
     authorized by section 7131 of title 5, United States Code.
       (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following:
       (A) The total aggregate number of hours spent on official 
     time by Department of Defense employees for fiscal years 
     2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as the overall cost to the 
     Department of official time use during each of those periods.
       (B) The total number of Department of Commerce employees 
     who used official time, in any amount, during fiscal years 
     2021, 2022, and 2023.
       (C) For those Department of Defense employees who used 
     official time during fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023, the 
     total number who used 100 percent official time.
       (D) A description of how many employees utilized official 
     time during fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023 in the 
     following amounts:
       (i) 99-75 percent of total work hours.
       (ii) 74-50 percent of total work hours.
       (iii) 49-25 percent of total work hours.
       (iv) Less than 25 percent of total work hours.
       (E) The salaries and benefits of all Department of Defense 
     employees using 100 percent official time.
       (F) The total value of free or discounted use of Department 
     of Defense government property by individuals on taxpayer-
     funded official time.
       (b) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in an unclassified form and made available on a 
     public website hosted by the Department of Defense.

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1287, the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, let me start out by saying happy birthday to 
the United States Army. I spent a fair amount of time in my life in 
uniform in the Army. It is a defining thing in anybody's life who has 
spent time in uniform, and it has been a wonderful institution for 
many, many Americans over a long period of time.
  I also thank the chairman for the work on this bill. I know that 
while we are debating it here today and we are going to vote later 
today, that the work for next year's bill will start tomorrow. I thank 
him for his hard work.
  This amendment is pretty straightforward. It just requires the 
Secretary of Defense to report on the use of taxpayer-funded union time 
by DOD employees. We are not saying it is bad. We are not saying it is 
good. We are not saying it is too much. It is too little. We just want 
to know what it is. We just want to know.
  For those who may be unfamiliar, Congress granted certain employees 
the ability to perform certain tasks for labor unions while on duty. To 
be clear, that means that these employees are being paid by our 
constituents to work for union activities instead of doing the job that 
they were hired to perform.
  I think maybe it would be fine if we said in the job description that 
your job is to do organized labor activities, but that is not what is 
in the job description. The job description is what is needed for the 
country for the Department of Defense; but instead of doing that work, 
you are doing other work. Unacceptably, the statistics on the use of 
official time are very few and far between.
  Take a GAO report from January of 2017, so we are a few years beyond 
that now, which is telling in itself. According to the data from the 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 346 employees spent 100 percent of 
their time on official union activities instead of taking care of our 
Nation's veterans.
  Now, the Trump administration took some steps to improve 
transparency, including actually reporting the use and the cost of 
official time by agencies.
  A VA press release dated November 8, 2018, cites a particularly 
egregious example. A VA registered nurse, who was elected as a local 
union official, spent 100 percent of her time doing organized labor 
activities. That might be fine if the job description was organized 
labor activities, but the job description is registered nurse. How much 
time taking care of veterans as a nurse was this person spending? Well, 
zero, that is how much time.
  To use examples from the Department of Defense, the most recent 
available data or estimates of the data from the Trump administration's 
final report was that 3,235 DOD employees used official time in FY19 
for a total of 526,990 hours at a cost of millions upon tens of 
millions of dollars, not to mention the equipment.
  We are here debating the National Defense Authorization Act.
  There are very serious threats around the world. While we stand here, 
while we sit here, while we watch, the Russians are moving a fleet into 
Cuba about 100 miles off the coast of the United States of America. 
Now, I don't know about you, but for me, I want every DOD employee 
focused on keeping America safe.
  All we are asking for, all this amendment asks for is a report so 
that we don't go blindly searching around to try and figure out how 
best to do that. If we have the information, we can make decisions. We 
don't have the information. This amendment says give us the 
information, track the information so we can make decisions.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the 
amendment.

[[Page H4090]]

  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from New Jersey is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to amendment No. 56, 
which would require a report that would be prejudicial to the rights 
and interests of Federal employees by calling into question something 
called official time.
  Official time is a system that we, Congress, established in law 
almost 40 years ago to ensure that all employees entitled to union 
representation receive it, regardless if they are in the union or not.
  Through official time, Federal employees who volunteer as union 
representatives spend time on what they call representational 
activities, working with employers and managers to resolve disputes, to 
resolve disputes, improvements in the workplace that benefit all 
employees, one of which--and many people consider it the highest--is 
for safety issues, so they can walk around, they can do the very 
inspections that save lives and save people from injury instead of 
waiting for it to happen and reacting before somebody gets hurt or dies 
on the job.
  Simply put, let's call it what it is. This is an attack on official 
time, and my colleagues want to gut public sector unions. Call it what 
it is. The report that this amendment requires would only tally the 
cost of official time, ignoring many benefits. That official time 
provides for management as well as workers, their safety, and their 
productivity.
  Workers have the right to have a voice on the job. They have that 
right. That is exactly what the official time provides for. I know that 
workplaces are more productive and efficient when management and 
workers come together. This amendment would lay the groundwork to take 
us in the opposite direction.
  As co-chair of the Labor Caucus, I continue to oppose these efforts 
to take away rights from workers. When we look back at some of the 
history on this, it has been incredible. This has been an enhancement 
for the government.
  There has been report after report on this already, but the bottom 
line is, this is about protecting workers on the job who become more 
protective of the people, the workers on the job.

  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, there are many things that I agree with the 
gentleman, my friend on the other side of the aisle. These are 
important tasks that need to be done. Disputes need to be resolved. We 
all care about the people who are working for the Federal Government, 
but to think that after 40 years we have gotten it perfect, and we 
can't take a look and we can't ask for a report I think is a little bit 
shortsighted. This isn't an attack on anyone because those things do 
need to be done.
  However, I would say this: Yesterday I received an email from the 
AFL-CIO from someone working on official time. This is yesterday. Today 
is Friday. Yesterday was Thursday. The time stamp on it is 1:38, so 
1338 if you are in the Army, is what time it came. That is in the 
middle of the business day. That is in the middle of working hours. 
That is not handling disputes. That is lobbying Members of Congress to 
vote one way or the other. We want them to be able to handle disputes 
and do the work to make sure employees are protected and the good work 
of DOD is done, but I, for one, would like a report on how this is the 
work that taxpayers should be paying for and how that is happening and 
how much it is happening. That is all we are asking for, Mr. Chairman, 
is a report.
  Mr. Chairman, I include in the Record the email from the AFL-CIO.
                                                           AFL-CIO


                                            Legislative Alert,

                                                    June 13, 2024.
       Dear Representative: On behalf of the 12.5 million workers 
     and 60 affiliate unions represented by the AFL-CIO, I urge 
     you to oppose the following amendments to H.R. 8070, the 
     Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National 
     Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. These 
     amendments threaten fair representation for federal workers 
     and attack thousands of workers' fundamental right to 
     collectively bargain.


                   Oppose Perry Amendment (Floor #56)

       This amendment is part of an effort to undermine official 
     time. Official time permits federal union representatives to 
     fulfill their duties of fair representation regardless of an 
     employee's membership status. Official time also enables 
     federal managers and employee representatives to 
     collaboratively resolve workplace conflict, enhancing 
     government efficiency and productivity.


                  Oppose Scott Amendment (Floor #349)

       This amendment would strip collective bargaining rights 
     from thousands of Dual Status Technicians (DST), a class of 
     DoD employees. The Supreme Court upheld these rights last 
     year in a 7-2 decision written by Justice Thomas in Ohio 
     Adjutant General's Department v. Federal Labor Relations 
     Authority. Collective bargaining rights, both in the federal 
     government and the private sector, are crucial for promoting 
     health, safety, and fairness in the workplace. Enacting this 
     amendment would reverse that Supreme Court decision and 
     eliminate collective bargaining rights for DSTs.
       We strongly urge you to oppose these amendments to H.R. 
     8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 
     National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025. 
     Protecting collective bargaining rights and fair 
     representation by voting against these amendments will help 
     ensure that our federal employees continue to have the rights 
     and protections they deserve as they work to support our 
     nation's defense.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Jody Calemine,
                                     Director, Government Affairs.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Chairman, I urge support and yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Chair, hundreds and hundreds of thousands of 
Federal employees, and he picks up one issue in one little area. My 
God, we can just look to our Members of Congress to see where 
violations happen.
  Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. 
Hoyle).
  Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this 
unnecessary amendment that seeks to restrict the rights and interests 
of Federal employees by calling into question the role of official 
time.
  Forty years ago, Congress established official time to ensure that 
all employees entitled to union representation receive it regardless of 
whether or not they choose to join the union. Official time ensures 
Federal employees have a voice at the worksite to resolve disputes, 
address issues of discrimination or retaliation, and propose 
improvements to the workplace.
  The Federal Government covers the cost of official time activities 
because under Federal law, unions must provide fair representation to 
all employees at the worksite, not just those who pay dues, but also 
those who benefit from their unions bargaining for better wages, hours, 
and working conditions, even though they aren't union members.
  Opponents of public sector unions claim that official time is a waste 
of taxpayer dollars. This is false. The cost of official time amounts 
to just one-tenth of 1 percent of all the salaries and benefits paid to 
Federal employees in a given year.
  This amendment is an attack on official time and on public sector 
unions, plain and simple. I urge my colleagues to oppose any and all 
efforts to take rights away from workers and to oppose this antilabor 
amendment.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Chair, to wrap up, let's be clear: This is an 
attack on people's voices at the workplace. This is something that we 
collectively have looked at for over 40 years, and we continue to have 
a productive way of keeping people safe on the job and to understand 
that there is no way that they can use this time to do any union 
political activities, which has been suggested by the opposition.
  Let's keep our workers safe. Let's continue to care about those who 
make our country the best in the world.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 134 Offered by Mr. Doggett

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 134 
printed in part B of House Report 118-551.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.

[[Page H4091]]

  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       At the end of subtitle A of title VIII, insert the 
     following new section:

     SEC. 8__. REVIEW PANEL ON FAIR AND REASONABLE PRICING AND 
                   CONTRACT OVERSIGHT.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
     of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     establish a review panel on fair and reasonable pricing and 
     contract oversight of sole-source contracts for munitions and 
     weapons systems contracts, including related contracts for 
     services and spare parts.
       (b) Membership.--
       (1) In general.--The review panel shall be composed of the 
     following six members:
       (A) The Director Price, Cost, and Finance of the Office of 
     Defense Pricing and Contracting of the Department of Defense.
       (B) The Director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency.
       (C) The Director of the Defense Contract Management Agency.
       (D) An individual from the Office of the Inspector General 
     of the Department of Defense.
       (E) Two individuals appointed by the Secretary of Defense 
     with expertise in contract pricing, contract negotiations, 
     and contract oversight.
       (2) Expert appointment criteria.--When appointing 
     individuals described in paragraph (1)(E) to the review 
     panel, the Secretary of Defense shall appoint only 
     individuals--
       (A) that have extensive experience in both the public and 
     private (including defense and commercial experience) 
     sectors; and
       (B) who, in the three-year period immediately preceding 
     such appointment--
       (i) have not been employed by a contractor of the 
     Department of Defense; or
       (ii) undertaken any actions on behalf of such a contractor 
     for which the individual was compensated in any way.
       (3) Member employment restrictions.--In addition to any 
     other restriction imposed by law, during the period beginning 
     on the date an individual is appointed as a member of the 
     review panel and ending on the date that is 3 years after 
     such individual ceases to be a member of the review panel, 
     such individual may not be employed by a contractor of the 
     Department of Defense or undertake any actions on behalf of 
     such a contractor for which the individual is compensated in 
     any way.
       (c) Duties.--The review panel shall do the following:
       (1) Identify an extensive and representative sample of all 
     fixed price contracts and subcontracts, including delivery 
     and task orders, in excess of $10,000,000 awarded during a 
     period determined by the review panel, except that--
       (A) the period determined by the review panel shall include 
     the 15-year period immediately preceding the date of the 
     enactment of this Act; and
       (B) the sample shall include contracts the performance of 
     which is at least 75 percent complete.
       (2) Provide to the Secretary of Defense and the Committees 
     on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives a comparison between negotiated contract 
     prices and actual cost outcomes on the contracts and 
     subcontracts included in the sample identified under 
     paragraph (1).
       (3) Provide to the Secretary of Defense and the Committees 
     on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives an analysis of the sample identified under 
     paragraph (1) to determine if the pricing for the contracting 
     in such sample exceeded fair and reasonable prices and, if 
     so, whether excessive pricing is widespread or unique to 
     certain weapons systems, sectors, or companies.
       (4) Provide to the Secretary of Defense and the Committees 
     on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives an analysis of the sample identified under 
     paragraph (1) that compares initial price submitted by the 
     contractor and subcontractor in the proposal to actual cost 
     outcomes in order to determine the accuracy of contractor 
     estimating systems.
       (5) Provide to the Secretary of Defense and the Committees 
     on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives an analysis of the degree of competition on 
     spare parts contracts determined to be a commercial product 
     (as defined in section 103 of title 41, United States Code).
       (6) Conduct a review and provide an analysis to the 
     Secretary of Defense and the Committees on Armed Services of 
     the Senate and the House of Representatives that determines 
     the degree to which contract prices for contracts and 
     subcontracts for spare parts that are subject to the 
     submission of certified cost and pricing data exceed fair and 
     reasonable prices in comparison to contracts and subcontracts 
     for spare parts that do not require the submission of 
     certified cost and pricing data.
       (7) Provide to the Secretary of Defense and the Committees 
     on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives an analysis of the adequacy and degree of 
     contractor oversight by the Department of Defense, including 
     the sufficiency of post-contract award audits for compliance 
     with chapter 271 of title 10, United States Code.
       (d) Administrative Matters.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall provide the 
     review panel with timely access to appropriate information, 
     data, resources, and analysis so that the review panel may 
     conduct a thorough and independent assessment as required by 
     this section.
       (2) Subpoena powers.--To the degree that any company who 
     has entered into a contract or subcontract subject to the 
     chapter 271 of title 10, United States Code, and refuses to 
     provide actual cost information to include all internal 
     estimates to complete for unfinished work, the Inspector 
     General shall use its subpoena powers to compel the delivery 
     of the requested information.
       (3) Inapplicability of faca.--Chapter 10 of title 5, United 
     States Code, shall not apply to the review panel.
       (e) Report.--
       (1) Review panel report.--Not later than one year after the 
     date on which the Secretary of Defense establishes the review 
     panel, the panel shall transmit a final report to the 
     Secretary.
       (2) Elements.--The final report shall contain a detailed 
     statement of the findings and conclusions of the review 
     panel, including all analyses required by this section as 
     well as recommendations regarding the adherence to fair and 
     reasonable pricing for contracts and subcontracts and 
     improvements related to contractor oversight.
       (3) Interim reports.--(A) Not later than 8 months and 12 
     months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to, or brief, the 
     congressional defense committees on the interim findings of 
     the review panel with respect to the elements set forth in 
     paragraph (2).
       (B) Not later than 4 months after the Secretary submits a 
     report to or briefs the congressional defense committees 
     under subparagraph (A), the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     a second report to, or provided a second briefing to, the 
     congressional defense committees on the interim findings of 
     the review panel with respect to the elements set forth in 
     paragraph (2).
       (C) The panel shall provide regular updates to the 
     Secretary of Defense for purposes of providing the interim 
     reports required under this paragraph.
       (4) Final report.--Not later than 30 days after receiving 
     the final report of the review panel under paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary of Defense shall transmit such final report, 
     together with such comments as the Secretary determines 
     appropriate, to the congressional defense committees.
       (f) Defense Acquisition Workforce Development Fund 
     Support.--The Secretary of Defense may use amounts available 
     in the Department of Defense Acquisition Workforce 
     Development Account established under section 1705 of title 
     10, United States Code, to support activities of the review 
     panel under this section.
       (g) Review Panel Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``review panel'' means the review panel established under 
     subsection (a).

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1287, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Doggett) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  This is a bipartisan amendment that I offer together with the 
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman). We may appear as the odd 
couple politically, but we share a common interest in trying to ensure 
that taxpayers get their money's worth, and that is true on military 
contracts as with every other aspect of government. When it comes to 
those contracts, we are concerned that that is not happening on too 
many of them.
  We don't ask you to just take our word for it, but we have turned to 
a fellow named Shay Assad, sometimes referred to as the most disliked 
person in the Pentagon. He had four decades of experience in 
negotiating government contracts, served as the top director for 
procurement for both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
  He was central to an illuminating ``60 Minutes'' report last year 
about price gouging, which he described as unconscionable and 
widespread. He has returned to the Pentagon now as the director of 
procurement at the Air Force.

                              {time}  1000

  I know that Chairman Rogers and Mr. Smith have been concerned about 
this problem. Their committee has given it some attention, but I think 
we can supplement their efforts. Military contractors deserve to get a 
fair profit, but American taxpayers deserve to be treated fairly also.
  We have seen a consolidation in the defense industry where 50 firms 
have been reduced to about 5 primary contractors. This is a very modest 
amendment. It requires essentially a one-time type of audit by a review 
panel that will conduct oversight on the reasonableness of prices on 
sole-sourced munitions and weapons systems, a 1-year investigation to 
determine whether the Department has achieved fair

[[Page H4092]]

prices in surveyed contracts and make recommendations made to the Armed 
Services Committee and the Pentagon to be sure that taxpayers are 
getting the best bang for their buck.
  Just as one example that was cited, we have had inflation. All of us 
are concerned about it, but the cost of a Stinger missile of the type 
we have been shipping to Ukraine rose from $25,000 in 1991 to $400,000 
to replace it. That is a little more than the increase in inflation and 
the improvements that may have occurred to the missile.
  The Patriot, the PAC-3 missile, is very important in defense. 
Hundreds of millions of dollars were saved after a review, and it was 
found that the contractor was earning a 40 percent profit.
  Our amendment would not change the procurement process or add new 
requirements of contractors. It would simply look at what has occurred 
in the past and determine if there is a way to improve it. It has the 
support of bipartisan groups across the ideological spectrum, including 
the R Street Institute, the Project on Government Oversight, the 
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, Public Citizen, and 
American Economic Liberties Project.
  There have been hundreds of amendments offered to the bill that we 
are considering. This is the only bipartisan amendment made in order 
for addressing reasonable prices.
  Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this modest step forward. 
It is a very modest step, but I think it can be helpful to the 
committee and to all of us in ensuring that we get our money's worth.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Alabama is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I wholeheartedly agree with the gentleman's desire to ensure the 
Department obtains fair and reasonable prices. The committee has done a 
lot to reform that process and crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse 
over the last few years.
  However, I believe I speak for both sides when I say we have some 
concerns that this amendment may be redundant to ongoing efforts as 
well as efforts we required the inspector general to undertake in last 
year's NDAA. We also have some questions about how the amendment would 
be executed.
  However, if the gentleman would agree to work with us to address 
these concerns as the bill moves forward, I would be prepared to accept 
this amendment at this time.
  Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman, and I know he shares 
my concern about this. I am eager to work with him on it. I appreciate 
his comments and will be delighted to work with him.
  Sometimes this offer to work ends and begins at once. So long as this 
is not going to turn into mush in the conference committee or be 
totally dropped, I am ready to work with the gentleman and cooperate. I 
appreciate it.
  We so often hear about waste, fraud, and abuse as being able to 
finance essentially the whole government. I know there are many 
contractors that are doing their job. They are vital to our security. I 
hope we can work together and find a way to get at the core of this 
problem and save taxpayers money at the same time we keep our military 
second to none.
  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for agreeing 
to work with us. We will work with him.
  Mr. Chair, I agree to accept the amendment, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The Chair understands that amendment No. 190 will not be offered.


                 Amendment No. 228 Offered by Mr. James

  The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 228 
printed in part B of House Report 118-551.
  Mr. JAMES. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
  The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amend section 1725 to read as follows:

     SEC. 1725. CERTIFICATION AND REPORTS ON SOUTH AFRICA.

       (a) Presidential Certification.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the President, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, 
     shall certify to the appropriate congressional committees and 
     release publicly an unclassified determination explicitly 
     stating whether South Africa has engaged in activities that 
     undermine United States national security or foreign policy 
     interests.
       (2) Report.--The certification required under paragraph (1) 
     shall be accompanied by an unclassified report, with a 
     classified annex if the President considers such as 
     necessary, providing a justification for the determination 
     made pursuant to such paragraph.
       (b) Review of Bilateral Relationship.--
       (1) Full review.--The President, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, the United States Ambassador to South Africa, 
     and the heads of such other Federal departments and agencies 
     that play a substantial role in United States relations with 
     South Africa, shall conduct a review of the bilateral 
     relationship between the United States and South Africa.
       (2) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report that includes 
     the findings of the review required by paragraph (1).
       (c) Supplemental Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     on United States defense cooperation with the Government of 
     South Africa.
       (2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
     shall also include the following:
       (A) An overview of United States defense cooperation with 
     the Government of South Africa, including military exercises, 
     arms sales, and international military education and 
     training.
       (B) An assessment of defense cooperation between the 
     Government of South Africa and the Government of the Islamic 
     Republic of Iran, the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China, and the Government of the Russian Federation.
       (3) Form.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall be 
     transmitted in an unclassified form and may contain a 
     classified annex.
       (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means the congressional defense committees, the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1287, the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. James) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
  Mr. JAMES. Mr. Chair, this amendment revises section 1725 of the base 
text to strengthen the current reporting language regarding South 
Africa by including my legislation, H.R. 7256, the U.S.-South Africa 
Bilateral Relations Review Act, that passed a House Foreign Affairs 
Committee markup with strong bipartisan support back in March.
  This legislation would simply require the Biden administration to 
make a determination on whether South Africa's actions are undermining 
the United States' national security or foreign policy interests and 
conduct a full review of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. 
and South Africa.
  The only way that this would be threatening is if the ANC is actually 
undermining the United States and our partnership with the South 
African people. It is important to show the South African people that 
the United States is aware of its plight, and it is important to show 
the American people that we will no longer be played for fools.
  Mr. Chair, on March 20, 2024, the ranking member of the House Foreign 
Affairs Committee reminded us that a year and a half ago, the Biden 
administration put out a U.S. strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa. How 
is that going? In the last year and a half, in Sudan, there have been 
10 million displaced, 15,000 fatalities, and 5 million on the brink of 
starvation.
  The world's largest humanitarian crisis rages while external actors 
fuel the fight without repercussion.

[[Page H4093]]

  In the last year and a half, across the Sahel, the epidemic of coups 
has resulted in severe democratic retreating with the forced withdrawal 
of U.S. military personnel from Niger being the latest example.
  In the last year and a half, in Central Africa, the conflict in 
eastern DRC threatens to escalate and destabilize the entire region.
  In the last year and a half, in Ethiopia, 15,000 to 30,000 have 
already died; 8 million have fled their homes; and 25 million people, 
including 14 million children, are in desperate need of food, water, 
and medicine.
  Mr. Chair, in the past year and a half, the situation on the 
Continent of Africa has gotten even more bleak. Are we so naive to 
believe that the same U.S. strategy that got it so wrong throughout the 
rest of sub-Saharan Africa somehow got it right in South Africa?
  As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, I am acutely aware of 
South Africa's important role on the African Continent, and I am proud 
that the United States has held cordial relationships with South Africa 
for nearly my entire life--over $8 billion in the very important PEPFAR 
assistance program since 2003, and growth in trade from $13.9 billion 
to $21 billion in 2021.
  In fact, South Africa has been the United States' largest trading 
partner in Africa since 2014 and is home to over 600 American 
businesses. However, it is clear to me that the ANC of today is no 
longer the party of Mandela.
  The ANC continuously moves away from its traditional stance of 
nonalignment in international affairs and has displayed consistent and 
overt anti-Israel sentiment in the wake of the devastating October 7 
attacks against our number one ally in the Middle East.
  These include then-South Africa Foreign Minister Pandor accepting a 
call from the Hamas leader on October 17 and visiting Tehran to meet 
with former President Raisi on October 22, South Africa filing a 
politically motivated and unfounded case against Israel at the 
International Court of Justice, and then-Foreign Minister Pandor 
stating back in March of this year that South Africa will arrest 
Israeli South Africans who are fighting in the Israeli Defense Forces 
upon their return and could even strip them of their citizenship.
  In addition to this overt anti-Israel sentiment, the ANC has 
increased its alignment with the People's Republic of China and the 
Russian Federation, as well.
  In February 2023, on the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, 
the ANC hosted joint military exercises with Russia and China off the 
coast of South Africa. Excuse me? I am a military veteran. These drills 
and exercises are practicing killing American sailors and soldiers. 
Additionally, the ANC hosted the BRICS Conference in Johannesburg in 
August 2023.
  I am also concerned about recent allegations of illicit financing 
flowing to the ANC from Russia and other malign actors.
  In December, the ANC allegedly accepted 10 million rand from a 
Kremlin-backed holding company called the Chancellor House Trust. Prior 
to this donation, the ANC was all but bankrupt, and law enforcement had 
begun to seize assets at the ANC campaign headquarters in Johannesburg. 
Similar allegations exist relating to Iran. I am concerned that Russia 
and Iran are seeking to buy official influence in South Africa.
  It is the fundamental right of every sovereign nation to chart its 
own direction, hear me clearly, but actions have consequences and 
repercussions. American people have choices, too.
  I believe in the potential of a U.S.-South Africa relationship, but 
it is only fair if South Africa desires to remain a close partner to 
the U.S. and meets us halfway.
  The current uncertainty in South Africa following last month's 
elections makes the determinations required by this amendment all the 
more timely. In order to strategically engage with South Africa, it is 
necessary to ensure the United States Government has a contemporary 
review of the bilateral relationship.
  That is what this amendment does. It requires a certification and 
review that will ensure that the entirety of the U.S. Government is 
aligned to the realities of the current U.S.-South Africa bilateral 
relationship.
  The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the James 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIR. The gentlewoman from California is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chair, I opposed this bill when it was 
considered in the Foreign Affairs Committee, and I oppose this 
amendment today.
  South Africa is a key partner of the United States and has been 
critical to driving innovation and investment on the Continent of 
Africa.
  It is also true that South Africa has taken a number of policy 
stances I do not agree with and don't believe are helpful to advancing 
further peace and prosperity, including an all-too-forgiving stance on 
Russia.
  If our goal as the United States is to achieve an open and 
cooperative partnership with South Africa that advances both our 
countries' interests, this amendment will not accomplish that.
  Almost 2 years ago, the Biden administration put out a U.S. strategy 
toward sub-Saharan Africa, noting it is impossible to meet today's 
defining challenges without African contributions in leadership. 
Underpinning that strategy is the concept that the United States can 
offer positive choices to Africans, for instance, as they determine 
their own future.
  In other words, we have the opportunity and responsibility to present 
options to our African partners that they can judge to be worthwhile 
and in their best interest. We don't get to impose our ideas, and we 
should be making a compelling case for why it makes sense to partner 
with the United States and work together to achieve shared interests.
  Any past disagreements with South Africa are reasons for us to double 
down through diplomacy to find productive pathways for U.S.-South 
Africa cooperation.
  This amendment unnecessarily duplicates a review process already laid 
out in law under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. As an 
AGOA country, South Africa already receives a yearly review that takes 
into consideration any activities that undermine U.S. national security 
or foreign policy interests. This review is a requirement for any 
country to be deemed eligible to participate in AGOA.
  The administration already has the power and responsibility to review 
whether South Africa has participated in any such activities as part of 
the country's AGOA eligibility review. It seems like a core purpose of 
this legislation is to undermine the AGOA eligibility of Africa's 
largest economy. Instead of doing this, my Republican colleagues should 
be trying to reauthorize AGOA.
  Moreover, this amendment was made in order despite the original bill 
having no defense nexus, which was allegedly the criteria decided by 
the majority. Both myself and the ranking member submitted Africa 
amendments that could have attracted bipartisan support, yet those 
amendments were not made in order.
  Finally, this amendment suffers from a bad case of timing. South 
Africans recently made their voices heard through a democratic 
election, and South Africa is in the process of forming a new 
government as we speak.
  We need to give the parties in South Africa time to establish a 
government and pursue the course laid out for them by South African 
voters. To conduct a review at this point in the process would be 
premature and potentially damaging to our interest of being a partner 
of choice for South Africa.
  This is a strange, counterproductive, and condescending amendment, 
and this is exactly what African countries accuse us of doing. They 
say: Why do you wag your finger at us and tell us what we can't do, but 
then you don't do that to any other country?
  They are right. They are not colonies. They are countries, 
independent, and this tired approach is what they are asking us to stop 
doing.
  We would not do this to any country in Europe or Asia, so why are we 
doing this to an African country, especially South Africa, a democratic 
country that just held free and fair elections and is one of the most 
strategic partners that we have on the continent?

[[Page H4094]]

  We need to show up, and we need to show up in a different kind of 
way. This amendment is not how we should show up for Africa.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. Chair, in closing I want to say what I already said. This is 
condescending, it is counterproductive, and it is not the way that we 
should be engaging with our our democratic African partners on the 
continent.
  The best way to counteract Russia and China is to show up with a 
different approach that is dignified, that is respectful, and that 
recognizes that these countries are independent so that they see that 
we are serious and that we are using all of the tools in our toolbox: 
diplomatic, defense, and development; not finger wagging.
  Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. James).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes 
appeared to have it.
  Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan 
will be postponed.
  The Chair understands that amendment 349 will not be offered.


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, proceedings 
will now resume on those amendments printed in part B of House Report 
118-551 on which further proceedings were postponed, in the following 
order:
  Amendment No. 56 by Mr. Perry of Pennsylvania.
  Amendment No. 228 by Mr. James of Michigan.
  The Chair will reduce to 2 minutes the time for any electronic vote 
after the first vote in this series.


                 Amendment No. 56 Offered by Mr. Perry

  The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a 
recorded vote on amendment No. 56, printed in part B of House Report 
118-551, offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry), on 
which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes 
prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 188, 
noes 228, not voting 21, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 276]

                               AYES--188

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Boebert
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Crane
     Crawford
     Curtis
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Fong
     Foxx
     Franklin, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Gonzalez-Colon
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (PA)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Maloy
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (WV)
     Mills
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Nehls
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Valadao
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                               NOES--228

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Amo
     Auchincloss
     Bacon
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Bergman
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bost
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Cuellar
     D'Esposito
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (NC)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Diaz-Balart
     Doggett
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Fitzpatrick
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Gallego
     Garbarino
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson (NC)
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Joyce (OH)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Kean (NJ)
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     LaLota
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawler
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Malliotakis
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Miller (OH)
     Molinaro
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Newhouse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Norton
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Pelosi
     Peltola
     Perez
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Plaskett
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Sablan
     Salazar
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Simpson
     Slotkin
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stauber
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Suozzi
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Turner
     Underwood
     Van Drew
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Williams (NY)
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--21

     Bishop (NC)
     Bowman
     Comer
     Crenshaw
     Dingell
     Escobar
     Evans
     Garamendi
     Granger
     Grijalva
     Hunt
     Jackson Lee
     Lee (NV)
     Miller (IL)
     Miller-Meeks
     Moulton
     Moylan
     Murphy
     Radewagen
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton

                              {time}  1046

  Mses. HOULAHAN and CROCKETT, Messrs. JOHNSON of Georgia and GALLEGO 
changed their vote from ``aye'' to ``no.''
  So the amendment was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  Stated for:
  Mrs. Miller of Illinois. Mr. Chair, had I been present, I would have 
voted AYE on Roll Call No. 276.


                 Amendment No. 228 Offered by Mr. James

  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Carter of Georgia). The unfinished business is 
the demand for a recorded vote on amendment No. 228, printed in part B 
of House Report 118-551, offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
James), on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the 
ayes prevailed by voice vote.
  The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
  The Clerk redesignated the amendment.


                             Recorded Vote

  The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The Acting CHAIR. This will be a 2-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 272, 
noes 144, not voting 20, as follows:

[[Page H4095]]

  


                             [Roll No. 277]

                               AYES--272

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Caraveo
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Cartwright
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Connolly
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Cuellar
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     Davis (NC)
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Fong
     Foxx
     Frankel, Lois
     Franklin, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallego
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gonzales, Tony
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gonzalez-Colon
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Gottheimer
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harder (CA)
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Himes
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hoyle (OR)
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (NC)
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kennedy
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Landsman
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Levin
     Lieu
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Lynch
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Maloy
     Mann
     Manning
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meng
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Mrvan
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Peltola
     Pence
     Perez
     Perry
     Pettersen
     Pfluger
     Phillips
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Ruiz
     Rutherford
     Ryan
     Salazar
     Salinas
     Scalise
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Self
     Sessions
     Sherrill
     Simpson
     Slotkin
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Spartz
     Stanton
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stevens
     Strong
     Suozzi
     Sykes
     Tenney
     Thanedar
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Torres (NY)
     Trone
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Wild
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                               NOES--144

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Amo
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Correa
     Crockett
     Crow
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Doggett
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frost
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Gomez
     Green, Al (TX)
     Hayes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Kuster
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Lofgren
     Magaziner
     Massie
     Matsui
     McBath
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Norton
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pelosi
     Peters
     Pingree
     Plaskett
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruppersberger
     Sablan
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Scott (VA)
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Smith (WA)
     Stansbury
     Strickland
     Swalwell
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Trahan
     Underwood
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Waters
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--20

     Babin
     Bishop (NC)
     Bowman
     Comer
     Dingell
     Escobar
     Evans
     Garamendi
     Granger
     Grijalva
     Hoyer
     Jackson Lee
     Lee (NV)
     Mast
     Moulton
     Moylan
     Murphy
     Radewagen
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton


                    Announcement by the Acting Chair

  The Acting CHAIR (during the vote). There is 1 minute remaining.

                              {time}  1051

  Messrs. MRVAN and THANEDAR changed their vote from ``no'' to ``aye.''
  So the amendment was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Newhouse). There being no further amendments, 
under the rule, the Committee rises.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Carter of Georgia) having assumed the chair, Mr. Newhouse, Acting Chair 
of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported 
that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 
8070) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 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, and, pursuant to House Resolution 1287, he reported the bill, 
as amended by that resolution, and by the House on June 13, 2024, back 
to the House with sundry further amendments adopted in the Committee of 
the Whole.


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

  
  On June 14, 2024, page H4095, in the second column, the 
following appeared: resolution, back to the House with sundry 
further amendments adopted in the Committee of the Whole.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: resolution, and 
by the House on June 13, 2024, back to the House with sundry 
further amendments adopted in the Committee of the Whole.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is 
ordered.
  Is a separate vote demanded on any further amendment reported from 
the Committee of the Whole? If not, the Chair will put them en gros.
  The amendments were agreed to.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third 
reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.


                           Motion to Recommit

  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to 
recommit.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Ms. Sherrill of New Jersey moves to recommit the bill H.R. 
     8070 to the Committee on Armed Services.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the 
previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
  The question is on the motion to recommit.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the noes appeared to have it.
  Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 5-
minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a 5-minute 
vote on passage of the bill, if ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 202, 
nays 214, not voting 15, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 278]

                               YEAS--202

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Amo
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (NC)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Doggett
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Gallego
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson (NC)
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey

[[Page H4096]]


     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Pelosi
     Peltola
     Perez
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Suozzi
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                               NAYS--214

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Fong
     Foxx
     Franklin, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Maloy
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                             NOT VOTING--15

     Bishop (NC)
     Bowman
     Comer
     Dingell
     Escobar
     Evans
     Garamendi
     Granger
     Grijalva
     Jackson Lee
     Lee (NV)
     Moulton
     Murphy
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes 
remaining.

                              {time}  1101

  Mr. GROTHMAN changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
  Mrs. TORRES of California changed her vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the motion to recommit was rejected.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.


                             Recorded Vote

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
  A recorded vote was ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 217, 
noes 199, not voting 15, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 279]

                               AYES--217

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Cuellar
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     Davis (NC)
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Fong
     Foxx
     Franklin, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Golden (ME)
     Gonzales, Tony
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Maloy
     Mann
     Mast
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Peltola
     Pence
     Perez
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                               NOES--199

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Amo
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Doggett
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Gallego
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gottheimer
     Green, Al (TX)
     Greene (GA)
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson (NC)
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Massie
     Matsui
     McBath
     McClellan
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Pelosi
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Rosendale
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Suozzi
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                             NOT VOTING--15

     Bishop (NC)
     Bowman
     Comer
     Dingell
     Escobar
     Evans

[[Page H4097]]


     Garamendi
     Granger
     Grijalva
     Jackson Lee
     Lee (NV)
     Moulton
     Murphy
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes 
remaining.

                              {time}  1107

  So the bill was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.


                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  Ms. ESCOBAR. Mr. Speaker, I regrettably could not be present today to 
vote on the Floor proceedings before the House. Had I been present, I 
would have voted: NO on Roll Call No. 276, NO on Roll Call No. 277, YEA 
on Roll Call 278, and NO on Roll Call No. 279.


                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  Ms. LEE of Nevada. Mr. Speaker, my vote was not recorded today. Had 
it been recorded, I would have voted NO on Roll Call No. 276, AYE on 
Roll Call No. 277, YEA on Roll Call No. 278, and NO on Roll Call No. 
279.


                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

  Ms. WEXTON. Mr. Speaker, I regret that I was not able to be present 
to vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted NO on Roll Call 
No. 276, NO on Roll Call No. 277, YEA on Roll Call No. 278, and NO on 
Roll Call No. 279.

                          ____________________