[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3439]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6299. Ms. COLLINS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

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

     SEC. 850. REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO WEARING OPTIONAL COMBAT 
                   BOOTS.

         (a) In General.--Not later than two years after the date 
     of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall issue regulations to prohibit any member of the Armed 
     Forces from wearing optional combat boots as part of a 
     required uniform unless the optional combat boots are 
     entirely manufactured in the United States and entirely made 
     of--
         (1) materials grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in 
     the United States; and
         (2) components that are manufactured entirely in the 
     United States and entirely made of materials described in 
     paragraph (1).
         (b) Waiver.--The requirements of subsection (a) may be 
     waived if a member of the Armed Forces provides a medical 
     justification authorized by the commanding officer of such 
     member to wear optional combat boots as part of a required 
     uniform.
         (c) Exception.--The requirements of subsection (a) shall 
     not apply to a member of the Armed Forces within a combat 
     arms military occupational specialty who is in a deployed 
     status.
         (d) Definitions.--In this section:
         (1) The term ``optional combat boots'', with respect to a 
     member of the Armed Forces, means combat boots not furnished 
     to such member of the Armed Forces by the Secretary of 
     Defense.
         (2) The term ``required uniform'' means a uniform a 
     member of the Armed Forces is required to wear as a member of 
     the Armed Forces.
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