Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the en bloc package, including my amendment which will strengthen our military families.

Madam Chair, last Mother's Day I traveled to Afghanistan with a bipartisan group of Members of Congress. We heard firsthand about the difficult mental and physical challenges our brave servicemen and -women must overcome. One such challenge was their maternity leave policy, which is not in line with the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Currently, the Department of Defense permits Active Duty mothers to take 6 weeks of maternity leave. This is 6 weeks less than mandated by the Family and Medical Leave Act.

My amendment, which is based on my widely supported bipartisan bill, the Military Opportunities for Mothers, or MOM, Act, would give servicemembers the option of extending leave to the same amount that is guaranteed to their civilian sisters. It has received widespread support because my colleagues have heard from female servicemembers and veterans on how bad this policy of just 6 weeks is for the retention of talented women, morale, and mental health.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and give our military mothers a chance at a healthier, stronger future for their families and our country. Extending maternity leave for these women is the least we can do for those who sacrifice so much for our country.

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Ms. DUCKWORTH. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment which is included in the next en bloc amendment, which will strengthen small business participation in government contracts.

In my district and across the country, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They innovate, know how to operate on a tight budget, and create good-paying jobs. My small businesses in Elgin, Illinois, should be able to win government contracts from the Department of Defense because I know they will do more with taxpayer dollars and provide superior products and services for our military.

This amendment would raise the small business prime contracting goal from 23 percent to 25 percent and establish a subcontracting goal of 40 percent. It would allow small businesses to reap $10 billion annually in new work. These steps will ensure small businesses are able to compete, remain a powerful employment source, and save taxpayers money.

Small businesses are a vital part of Illinois' Eighth Congressional District. That is why last year I came to the House floor to speak on behalf of small business amendments that I offered in the past. This time I am happy to partner with my colleague, the chairman of the Small Business Committee, to fight for this critical pillar of our country.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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