[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 126 (Thursday, August 1, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3227. Mr. BENNET submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
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 end of part II of subtitle F of title V, add the 
     following:

     SEC. 579B. COMPETITIVE PAY FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CHILD 
                   CARE PERSONNEL.

       (a) In General.--Section 1792(c) of title 10, United States 
     Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(c) Competitive Rates of Pay.--(1) For the purpose of 
     providing military child development centers with a qualified 
     and stable civilian workforce, employees at a military 
     installation who are directly involved in providing child 
     care and who are paid from nonappropriated funds--
       ``(A) in the case of an entry-level employee, shall be paid 
     a rate of pay competitive with the rate of pay paid for other 
     equivalent non-Federal positions within the metropolitan 
     statistical area or nonmetropolitan statistical area (as the 
     case may be) in which the Department employee's position is 
     located; and
       ``(B) in the case of any employee not covered by 
     subparagraph (A), shall be paid a rate of pay competitive 
     with the rates of pay paid to other employees with similar 
     training, seniority, and experience within the metropolitan 
     statistical area or nonmetropolitan statistical area (as the 
     case may be) in which the Department employee's position is 
     located.
       ``(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), no employee shall 
     receive a rate of pay under this subsection that is lower 
     than the minimum hourly rate of pay applicable to civilian 
     employees of the Department of Defense.
       ``(3) For purposes of determining the rates of pay under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary shall use the metropolitan and 
     nonmetropolitan area occupational employment and wage 
     estimates published monthly by the Bureau of Labor 
     Statistics.''.
       (b) Application.--
       (1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
     take effect on the first day of the first pay period 
     beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (2) Rates of pay.--
       (A) Current employee pay rate not reduced.--The rate of pay 
     for any individual who is an employee covered by subsection 
     (c) of section 1792 of title 10, United States Code, as 
     amended by subsection (a), on the date of the enactment of 
     this Act shall not be reduced by operation of such amendment.
       (B) Pay band minimum.--Any employee whose rate of pay is 
     fixed under subsection (c) of section 1792 of title 10, 
     United States Code, as amended by subsection (a), and who is 
     within any pay band shall receive a rate of pay not less than 
     the minimum rate of pay applicable to such pay band.
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