Rep. Cisneros Votes to Pass Bipartisan NDAA and Secures Provisions to Combat COVID-19, Protect Military Families, Improve Diversity and Inclusion, and Safeguard Environment

Press Release

Today, Representative Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39), a Navy Veteran and member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted to pass the bipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This year's NDAA includes several pieces of legislation and amendments Rep. Cisneros introduced and championed, including a bill to end military-connected child abuse, legislation directing DoD to expand the use of zero and low-emission vehicles, and provisions to support sexual assault survivors, improve diversity and inclusion in the military, and combat COVID-19. Several amendments offered on the House floor and cosponsored by Rep. Cisneros passed the House and were incorporated in the bill. The amendments include fixing a GI Bill loophole to protect servicemember from predatory, for-profit colleges and requiring any federal law enforcement officer deployed under the Insurrection Act to be clearly identified by name and agency on their uniform.

The bill passed the House on a 295-125 vote and is now headed to Conference, where the House and Senate NDAA Conference Committee will deliberate over the House and Senate versions of the NDAA to produce a joint bill.

"Following the House Armed Services Committee's unanimous, bipartisan vote, I'm proud my Democratic and Republican colleagues in the full House came together to pass the NDAA on a bipartisan basis. This comprehensive bill strengthens our national security, puts servicemembers and their families first, and reflects the priorities of the 39th District," said Rep. Cisneros. "This year's NDAA includes several bipartisan bills, amendments, and provisions I championed, including those that protect military families and the environment, promote diversity, and support survivors of sexual assault. This bill also takes necessary steps to combat the COVID-19 crisis and prepare for future public health emergencies. Our servicemembers put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and we must ensure they have the tools and resources necessary to be successful."

Summaries of key provisions secured by Rep. Cisneros are listed below. To view a complete list of bills, committee amendments, and committee requests secured by Rep. Cisneros, click here.

BILLS INTRODUCED: Rep. Cisneros introduced two bills that were incorporated into the FY 2021 NDAA.
HR 6667, End Military-Connected Child Abuse and Neglect Act: Rep. Cisneros secured committee passage of his bipartisan and bicameral legislation to improve how the Department of Defense tracks and responds to incidents of child abuse and neglect occurring on military installations involving military dependents.
The bipartisan and bicameral legislation was introduced with Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL-18) in the House and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Michael Rounds (R-SD) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. The Senate bill was included in the Senate-approved FY 2021 NDAA.
The House legislation was incorporated into the House Armed Services Committee FY 2021 NDAA by an amendment Rep. Cisneros jointly offered with Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-04).
HR 6932, DoD Non-Tactical Vehicle Petroleum Reduction Act: Rep. Cisneros secured passage of provisions from his bipartisan legislation to ensure DoD continues to do its part to address climate change and replace non-tactical vehicles as they age with zero-emission vehicles.
The legislation was introduced with Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL-19)

COSPONSORED BILLS: Several bills Rep. Cisneros cosponsored were incorporated into the FY 2021 NDAA.
HR 7003, Work for Warriors Act of 2020: Rep. Cisneros helped introduce bipartisan legislation to create a pilot program within the Department of Defense (DoD) that ensures gainful employment for members of the National Guard, reservists, and their spouses. The bill is modeled after the California Work for Warriors program that connects with local businesses to identify job opportunities for veterans and their spouses and creates a pipeline of qualified candidates for willing employers.
Rep. Cisneros is an original cosponsor of the legislation and worked directly with the House Armed Services Committee to ensure its inclusion in the Chairman's mark of the FY 2021 NDAA.
Last year, Rep. Cisneros secured the inclusion of the language in the FY 2020 NDAA in a bipartisan amendment that was approved on the House floor.

CORONAVIRUS: COVID-19 Provisions Secured in the FY 2021 NDAA:
Creates a Pandemic Preparedness and Resilience National Security Fund, directing $1 billion to efforts to proactively increase the country's ability to prepare for and respond to future pandemics.
Requires one of the Assistant Secretaries to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, whose principal duty would be the overall supervision of policy of the Department of Defense for developing and maintaining the defense industrial base of the United States and ensuring a secure supply of materials critical to national security.
Creates the Small Business Industrial Base Resiliency Program and authorizes the Assistant Secretary of Defense Industrial Base Policy to enter into transactions to purchase or make a commitment to purchase goods or services from small business concerns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These transactions are intended to support efforts to expand the small business industrial base in response to the pandemic and address supply chain vulnerabilities related to the pandemic for small businesses.

AMENDMENTS ON HOUSE FLOOR: Rep. Cisneros cosponsored a number of amendments that passed the House and were incorporated in the FY 2021 NDAA;
Federal Law Enforcement Uniform Requirements
Requires that any Federal law enforcement officer deployed under 10 USC 253 (the Insurrection Act) be clearly identified by name and agency on their uniform or other clothing. Also includes a rule of construction to make clear that this section would have no impact on plainclothes or undercover law enforcement operating under other authorities.
Homeland and Cyber Threat Act
Based on HR4189, which Rep. Cisneros cosponsored, modernizes the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to allow US nationals to seek monetary damages in civil court against foreign state actors for personal injury, harm to reputation, or damage to or loss of property resulting from cyber attacks.
MOMS Leave Act
Based on HR2937, which Rep. Cisneros cosponsored, provides compensation and credit for retired pay purposes (including computation of years of service for retired pay) for maternity leave taken by members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces.
GAO Report on TRICARE Lapse
Based on HR7081, which Rep. Cisneros cosponsored, directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to Congress a report on lapses in coverage under the TRICARE program for certain members of the National Guard and reserve components.
HVAC Cyber Engagement Office
Establishes a VA Office of Cyber Engagement that would work with key stakeholders -- federal agencies, veteran service organizations, and social media platforms -- to identify cyber risks and share that information with veterans and their families.
Restore Honorable Status for Veterans Discharged with other than Honorable Status Due to Sexual Orientation
Ensures that eligible individuals or their families are aware of the DoD process for corrective relief and helping service members discharged before DADT prove they were discharged because of their sexual orientation.
DoD-VA Report on Discharge Upgrades
Requires a joint report from the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs on former members of the armed forces who were discharged under policies discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender servicemembers, and who have applied for a discharge upgrade.
DoD Plan to Improve Responses to Pregnancy and Childbirth
Directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to ensure pregnant servicemembers and new mothers are not discriminated against in their military careers and enable the services to account for staffing needs while servicemembers are pregnant.
Gold Star Spouse Relief
Based on HR2227, which Rep. Cisneros cosponsored, amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to permit a widow or widower of a servicemember who died while in military service, or while performing full-time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training to terminate a lease without penalty within one year of the service member's death.
Defense Media Activity
Amendment seeks a report regarding a potential consolidation to be submitted and also goes into detail about alternative content delivery methods along with the security and financial vulnerabilities posed to servicemembers.
Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Pilot Program
Enables SecDef to create a pilot for brain health treatment. Eligible participants are servicemembers and veterans who have brain injuries.
Add Off-Road Vehicle as vehicle to be replaced by low or zero emission vehicle
Allows for the inclusion of "off-road vehicles", such as construction or agricultural equipment, in section 316 regarding the replacement of non-tactical motor vehicles at the end of service life.
HUD-VASH amendment
Expands eligibility for HUD-VASH vouchers to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges.
Restricted report option for servicemembers to confidentially report sexual harassment
Establishes a restricted report option for servicemembers to confidentially report sexual harassment.
GAO study/report to Congress on Military Services' procedures for the investigation of a missing person
Requires the GAO to study and report to Congress on the procedures established by each Armed Force for the investigation of a missing person, including cooperation with other law enforcement agencies, available resources, how procedures vary among the military services and compare with procedures used by local and Federal law enforcement, and best practices for responding to and investigating missing persons cases.
GI Bill Loophole Fix
Closes the GI bill loophole and changes the 90/10 rule to 85/15. Prevents for-profit colleges from using GI Bill funds as the 10 percent of other funds they are required to source, thereby preventing for-profit colleges to count those benefits towards the 10% and continue to aggressively target and recruit student veterans to get access to their benefits.
Report on Threats to U.S. Forces from State and Non-State Actors
Expresses the Sense of Congress that the President should take seriously all threats to U.S. armed forces from state and non-state actors; study intelligence assessments with rigor, particularly when concerning threats to U.S. personnel; take all actions possible to ensure protection of US personnel. Requires a report to Congress on the range of threats the Russian Federation and its affiliates and proxies pose to U.S. armed forces and personnel across all theaters; and military and diplomatic actions being taken to ensure protection of U.S. armed forces, diplomats, and operations.
GAO Study on Military Separations due to Pregnancy
Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study of women involuntarily separated from the Armed Forces due to pregnancy or parenthood from 1951-1976, include any racial or ethnic disparities, discrepancies in uniformity of those separations, and identify recommendations for improving access to resources for those former members of the Armed Forces through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
HVAC VFR Federal Register Requirement
Requires DoD to publish in the Federal Register any plans to change the Unified Facilities Criteria regarding HVAC VRF systems.

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