[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4394-S4395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2143. Mr. CORNYN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by

[[Page S4395]]

him to the bill S. 4638, 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; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

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

     SEC. __. REPORT ON PRICE ELASTICITY OF LABOR SUPPLY AT 
                   SHIPYARDS AND SUPPLIER FIRMS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall 
     submit to the congressional defense committees a report on 
     the price elasticity of the labor supply for the industrial 
     base for building and maintaining naval vessels, including--
       (1) private-sector shipyards;
       (2) public-sector naval shipyards; and
       (3) supplier firms.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) An assessment of the full cost of hiring and training 
     workers at shipyards and supplier firms.
       (2) An assessment of the extent to which retention and 
     attrition of workers at shipyards and supplier firms is 
     related to pay and benefits for those workers.
       (3) An assessment of the extent to which challenges in 
     recruiting and retaining desired numbers of workers at 
     shipyards and supplier firms can be met by increasing pay and 
     benefits for those workers.
       (4) An assessment of the potential impact of such increases 
     in pay and benefits on costs for procuring and maintaining 
     naval vessels.
       (5) An assessment of and recommendation for any 
     extraordinary relief that may be appropriate for the fixed-
     price, multi-year procurement contracts for Virginia-class 
     submarines in order to increase pay and benefits for workers 
     at shipyards and supplier firms under those contracts.
       (c) Contract Authority.--The Secretary of the Navy may 
     contract with a private entity for the preparation of the 
     report required by subsection (c).
       (d) Congressional Defense Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``congressional defense committees'' has 
     the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of title 10, 
     United States Code.
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