Rep. Titys Votes to Pass National Defense Authorization Act, Meet the Needs of Servicemembers and Military Families

Press Release

Washington, D.C. -- Today Representative Dina Titus of Nevada's First Congressional District voted for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, legislation that makes key investments to improve the lives of troops and military families, while also strengthening our national security.

"This legislation meets our duty to ensure the security of our nation and support our men and women in uniform," said Congresswoman Titus. "Along with a well-deserved pay raise for our Servicemembers and investments in cutting-edge technology that will save lives, this Defense Authorization includes my proposals to assess foreign threats and promote diversity within the Department of Homeland Security."

Rep. Titus secured priorities:

The Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program Act: This bill establishes in law an acquisition professional career program to develop individuals to fill job vacancies within the Department of Homeland Security. Under the bill, candidates for these positions would be recruited from institutions of higher education, including historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. The legislation also encourages the Department of Homeland Security to recruit veterans for these positions.
Ordering a report by the State Department and USAID assessing the United States assistance to Turkmenistan, including the impact on public health outcomes related to COVID-19 in Turkmenistan.
Ordering a report on designating Grey Wolves as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO): A determination as to whether the Grey Wolves meet the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization as set forth in section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189), and should be designated as such by the Secretary of State.
This legislation also includes a number of important priorities that Democrats fought for and secured, including:

Vital benefits for Servicemembers and their families, including a 2.7 percent pay increase, expanded parental leave, improved mental health care services and a new basic needs allowance for lower-income Servicemembers.
Combating sexual assault in the military by creating an Office of Special Victim Prosecutor to prosecute these crimes, removing the commanding officer from these decisions and finally criminalizing sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Significant investments in emerging technologies to modernize institutions of national security, including a 36 percent increase in defense-wide research and development, as well as new funding to improve DOD research labs.
Action on the climate crisis by removing barriers to improving the extreme weather resilience of critical defense infrastructure and requiring the DOD to consider climate risks in its strategic planning.
Addressing strategic and security challenges, ranging from competition with China, to the risks posed by violent extremism and white nationalism, to strengthening our cybersecurity infrastructure, to strengthening the provisions providing for the needs of our Afghan partners with Special Immigrant Visas.
Recruiting a stronger, fairer, more diverse Armed Services by promoting academic partnerships with minority-serving colleges and universities, rooting out extremism among Servicemembers and establishing a $15 minimum wage for covered DOD service and construction contracts.

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