Stefanik Pushed NDAA Through as Conferee, Applauds House for Passage

Statement

Today, the House passed the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Congresswoman Elise Stefanik's strong support. Stefanik has been selected as a Conferee each year since her first term in Congress to negotiate the legislation with the Senate. Over the last several months, she has worked to turn the NDAA into a bipartisan bill that gives our military service members the support and resources they need.

"As the number one advocate for Fort Drum, I successfully delivered important results for our district in the NDAA," said Congresswoman Stefanik. "Through hard work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, we successfully turned this critical piece of legislation into a bipartisan bill that will maintain and strengthen our military readiness, with many crucial wins for Fort Drum. Our men and women in uniform deserve the maximum amount of resources we can give them to protect our nation and our freedom."

The FY2020 NDAA included the following provisions for Fort Drum and New York's 21st District:

Stefanik Secures Wins for Fort Drum and Community

-Authorizes appropriated funds for Fort Drum rail head and unmanned aerial vehicle hangar.
-Supports the President's Budget request and funds all major end-items and programs at Fort Drum, to include the CH47F Block II.
-Calls for a study on effective integrated military-civilian health and uses Fort Drum as a model system.

East Coast Missile Defense

-After securing Fort Drum as the preferred East Coast Missile Defense Site location, Stefanik worked to require a report on next steps for the Site in the NDAA. This includes: releasing the environmental impact study, as well as an analysis on strategic and operational effectiveness of the site and a cost assessment to construct, equip and operate the site.

Wins for New York

-Authorizes appropriated funds for New York Army National Guard Jamaica Armory military construction.
-Ensures improved consultation between the military and tribal governments with regard to military construction projects.
-Requires the addition of domestically produced stainless steel flatware to the Berry Amendment.
-Advocates for providing a diverse STEM-enabled workforce to support the industrial base and DoD.
-Increases funding for additive manufacturing and pilot programs; requires a report on Defense-wide investment in additive manufacturing capabilities and its value and efficiency.
-Increases funds for E-11 "BACN" aircraft procurement and tactical network suppliers.

Wins for Servicemembers and Military Families

-Secures 3.1% pay raise for servicemembers.
-Requires substantial reform to the military housing privatization initiative that will increase leadership accountability, empowers and protects military tenants, and establishes protocol for identifying, documenting, and remediating environmental hazards (e.g., mold contamination) from military residences.
-Supports military families and enhances opportunities for military spouse employment, to include expanding eligibility for spouse education and training programs, as well as doubling the relocation license reimbursement rate to up to $1000 per move.
-Addresses shortage of Child Development Center providers by authorizing background check reciprocity for credentialed child care providers to transfer from one military installation to another.
-Standardized paid family medical leave for the birth or adoption of a child for all military personnel and federal employees.

Stefanik Provisions for Combating Military Sexual Assault

-Reinforces the importance of sexual assault prevention and response training, and enhances resources for victims.
-Requires DoD to review policies for areas to improve and promote reports of sexual assault and domestic violence.
-Extends restricted reporting protections to victims when reports are submitted through a third party.
-Allows military sexual assault survivors at service academies to seek transfer to another academy of ROTC program.

Testing for Harmful Water Contaminants and Providing for Clean-Up

-Authorizes funding to extend the study and assessment of PFOS/PFOA health implications through FY2021.
-Prohibits use of fluorinated aqueous firefighting foam for training or on military bases except for emergencies, and requires integrating fluorine-free firefighting agent.
- Outlines requirements for responsible PFOS/PFOA disposal.
-Authorizes PFOS/PFOA contamination clean-up for water used for agricultural purposes.
-Authorizes the National Guard to access DERA funds for PFOS/PFOA clean up.
-Directs DoD to post data on PFOS/PFOA contamination and clean up on a public website.

Addressing Climate Change and Installation Resiliency

-Highlights installation energy resiliency and removes barriers to investing in alternative energy.
-Establishes a Climate Security Advisory Council to collect and analysis data on climate change and climate security.
-Amends unified facilities criteria to promote military installation energy, climate, and cyber resilience, and requires consideration of environmental vulnerabilities, such as extreme weather, in all installation plans.
-Requires an interagency approach to developing an extreme weather vulnerability and risk assessment tool to quantify risks associated with extreme weather events.

Wins for Small Businesses

-Extends the DoD's Mentor-Protégé pilot program until fiscal year 2024 for participating business concern's eligibility to enter into a mentor-protégé agreements and until fiscal year 2024 for a mentor firm's eligibility for reimbursement related to costs for furnishing developmental assistance to a protégé firm.

Expansion of Emerging Technologies and Higher Education Opportunites

-After forming the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCIA) last year, Stefanik include language that extends the completion date of the NSCIA to allow them to continue their work.
-Authorizes $8.0 million for the establishment of a Quantum Information Science Innovation Center.
-Commissions a Defense Science Board study on emerging biotechnologies pertinent to national security.
-Extends the activities of the Joint Hypersonics Transition Office and authorizes the establishment of a new university consortium focused on hypersonic research and development.
-Authorizes the creation of a new technology and national security fellowship for undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.
-Establishes an independent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine study to review the state of defense research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other minority institutions.

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