House Passes Bipartisan NDAA, Including O'Halleran-led Initiatives

Statement

Today, Congressman Tom O'Halleran (AZ-01) voted to pass the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), bipartisan legislation that provides full funding for military operations at home and abroad, addresses infrastructure deficiencies in Arizona, and gives servicemembers a raise.

"Today, I was proud to join my colleagues to vote for this bipartisan, bicameral effort that invests in our military readiness, supports our troops and their families, and ensures that our national defense remains the strongest in the world," said Rep. O'Halleran. "I was pleased to see that initiatives I have championed, such as the inclusion of the Naval Observatory in Flagstaff as part of an infrastructure deficiency report, and a 3.1% pay raise for servicemembers and civilians in Arizona, were also included."

The FY2020 Conference Report incorporated Rep. O'Halleran's amendment to include Flagstaff's Naval Observatory in a comprehensive infrastructure deficiency report that identifies costs, corrective upgrades, and impacts from deficient infrastructure that hurts facilities like the Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station and other military research entities, and prevent them from performing research, development, testing, and evaluation missions that are critical to the Department. Due to the failing infrastructure currently in place, the Observatory faces significant challenges in hiring and maintaining qualified staff.

"The bill we passed today also provides for new F-35 aircraft, AH-64 Apache helicopters, UH-60M Blackhawks, as well as key critical munitions programs in Arizona," continued O'Halleran. "I was pleased to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle come together in support of this bipartisan effort."

The legislation voted on today also includes

-12 weeks of paid parental leave for all federal civilian employees and new provisions requiring DOD to address childcare waitlist backlogs and staff hiring at childcare facilities on bases;
-reforms to the "Feres Doctrine", which would allow servicemembers to be able to file medical malpractice claims for treatment received in a Military Treatment Facility;
-strengthened provisions to better prevent sexual violence in the military and protect survivors;
-expanded mental health care for servicemembers and directions to DOD to develop a comprehensive plan for providing consultation services and recruiting qualified mental health practitioners. The FY2020 NDAA also allows servicemembers within the National Guard to access mental health care offerings through a mobile app pilot program.

The bill passed out of the House of Representatives with broad, bipartisan support.

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