[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6624. 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 three years after the date 
     of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall issue regulations, to take effect not more than one 
     year after issuance, to prohibit any member of the Armed 
     Forces who joins the Armed Forces after the date the 
     regulations are issued 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.
                                 ______