Hearing of the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel of the Armed Services Committee - Military Personnel Markup

Hearing

Today, Chairman Joe Heck (R-WA), of the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Military Personnel, made the following statement on the Subcommittee's Markup.

"Welcome to the Military Personnel Subcommittee, of the House Armed Services Committee, mark-up for H.R. 1735--the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016.

The Military Personnel mark in front of you is the product of an open, bi-partisan process.

The mark provides our warfighters, retirees and their families the care and support they need, deserve, and earned. Specifically, this year's proposal:

* Continues to refine the Department of Defense Sexual Assault and Response program by addressing shortfalls in the program identified in the Judicial Proceedings Panel initial report. In particular, the mark would require a strategy to prevent retaliation against members of the Armed Forces who report sexual assault and a plan to improve sexual assault prevention and response when the victim is a male member of the Armed Forces.

In addition, the mark reflects the subcommittee's rigorous oversight and consideration of the recommendations on military compensation and retirement offered by the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.

Specifically the mark would:

* Require the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a joint uniform formulary that includes medications critical for the transition of an individual undergoing treatment related to sleep disorders, pain control and mental health conditions.

* Require the Secretary of Defense to establish a unified medical command to provide medical services to the Armed Forces and other health care beneficiaries of the Department of Defense.

* Modernize the current military retirement system by blending the current defined benefit, cliff-vesting retirement plan with a defined contribution plan allowing service members to contribute to a portable Thrift Savings Plan account including a Government contribution matching program with an implementation date of October of 2017.

* Consolidate the current number of Reserve Component status category authorities under which Reserve Component members may be called to duty from 30 to 6 with an implementation date of October 2017.

* Require the Secretary of Defense and the military service chiefs to increase the frequency and strengthen the financial literacy and preparedness training of service members by establishing a more robust training and education program for financial literacy for service members and their families.

In conclusion, I want to thank Mrs. Davis and her staff for their contributions to the mark and support in this process. Of course, we are joined by an active, informed, and dedicated group of subcommittee members. Their recommendations and priorities are clearly reflected in this mark."

Source