The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“PASSAGE OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2007 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S6453-S6454 on June 23, 2006.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
PASSAGE OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2007 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
BILL
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, first and foremost, I want to thank the members of the U.S. Armed Forces for their service to our country. These servicemen and women are performing admirably under difficult circumstances all over the world. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, along with their families, are making great sacrifices in service to our country. I am pleased to support a Defense Department authorization bill that will help these people who are serving the country with such courage.
I supported a number of good provisions in the Senate bill, such as the rejection of the President's proposal to increase TRICARE enrollment fees and co-payments, increased funding for training programs for our nation's authorized Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil-
Support Teams, and increased funding for nonproliferation programs. Another aspect of the bill that I strongly support is the increased funding for force protection equipment. I have heard from a number of Wisconsinites over the years that they or their deployed loved ones were fighting for their country in Iraq without the equipment they needed. This situation is unconscionable, and my colleagues and I have worked hard to address it. The additional $950.5 million for force protection equipment, including $559.8 million for additional up-
armored humvees and $100 million for counter-IED vehicles, in this bill above what was requested in the President's proposed budget further ensures that our troops have the equipment they need to perform their duties on the ground.
I am pleased that the Senate approved the Military Family Support Act amendment that I offered with Senator Jeffords. This amendment is designed to assist military families struggling with the long-term absence of a family member. Under this legislation, the Office of Personnel Management is directed to administer a pilot program authorizing Federal employees, who have been designated ``caregivers'' by a member of the Armed Forces, to use their earned leave time in a more flexible manner while a family member is deployed overseas. This amendment also encourages the Department of Labor to solicit private businesses to voluntarily offer more accommodating leave time to caregivers affected by these deployments.
This bill also authorizes funding for a provision I authored in last years' Department of Defense authorization bill establishing the Civilian Linguist Reserve Corps, CLRC, pilot project. It became very clear after the attacks of September 11, 2001 that the U.S. Government has a dearth of critical language skills. The 9/11 Commission report documented the disastrous consequences of this deficiency which, unfortunately, we still have not made enough progress in addressing over 4 years after the 9/11 tragedy. I am pleased that this bill included the CLRC pilot project.
I am also pleased that I was able to pass a Buy American Act reporting requirement for the Department of Defense. This reporting requirement is similar to the reporting requirement that I have worked to enact for the past 3 years through the appropriations process and requires the Department of Defense to report annually the dollar value of any items purchased that were manufactured outside of the United States; an itemized list of all applicable waivers granted with respect to such items under the Buy American Act; and a summary of the total procurement funds spent by the federal agency on goods manufactured in the United States versus on goods manufactured overseas. Additionally, the amendment requires the Department of Defense to make this report publicly available to the maximum extent possible. I will continue to work to ensure a similar permanent reporting requirement is extended to all Federal agencies.
I also authored successful amendments to the bill that require the administration to develop a comprehensive strategy for establishing stability and fighting terrorism in Somalia and to study of the feasibility of establishing an United States regional combatant command for Africa. In addition, the bill includes an important amendment I offered to strengthen the Special Inspector General for Iraq.
Unfortunately, I was not able to get other amendments of mine adopted. I filed a straightforward amendment that would have made life a little easier for our servicemembers and their families when they are called up to duty or transferred. When this happens now, servicemembers often face cellular phone early termination fees or the prospect of paying the monthly bill for a cell phone they cannot use until the end of their contract--up to 2 years. My amendment would have treated these cellular phone contracts the same way that we already treat residential and automobile leases--
give the servicemember the right to terminate the contract without being charged an additional fee. Despite the support of the National Guard Association of the United States, the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, and the Military Officers Association of America, I was not able to get this amendment adopted. While I was disappointed in this result, I will continue to fight to make sure that servicemembers are not financially punished for volunteering to protect this country.
I was also disappointed that another amendment of mine was not accepted that would have extended the Department of Defense's ability to purchase fruits and vegetables from local farms. My amendment would have helped both servicemembers and schools served by the Department of Defense programs and local farms and communities benefit from the programs.
I also introduced amendments to the authorization bill that mirrored a bill I introduced last year; the Veterans Enhanced Transition Services Act, VETS Act. This bill includes provisions that would help ensure that all military personnel have access to the same transition services as they prepare to leave the military to reenter civilian life, or, in the case of members of the National Guard and Reserve, as they prepare to demobilize from active duty assignments and return to their civilian lives and jobs or education while remaining in the military.
The VETS Act is supported by a wide range of groups that are dedicated to serving our men and women in uniform and veterans and their families, and I was pleased to honor this support by introducing the amendments to the Defense authorization bill. We should ensure that our troops receive the benefits to which their service in our Armed Forces has entitled them, and while these amendments were unfortunately not included in the final version of the bill, I will continue to work to see that these provisions become law.
I will also continue to fight for the redeployment of our forces in Iraq so that our country can refocus on fighting the terrorist networks that attacked us on 9/11. I offered an amendment with Senator Kerry that would have required U.S. forces in Iraq to redeploy by July 1, 2007. While the amendment failed, I was pleased to be joined by 12 of my colleagues in addressing the fact that the President's policies in Iraq are damaging our country's national security. I am glad that more and more of my colleagues are recognizing what the American people already know--that we need a plan to redeploy our troops from Iraq.
Mr. President, I must note with disappointment that this bill continues the wasteful trend of spending billions of dollars on Cold War era weapons systems while at the same time not fully funding the needs of the military personnel fighting our current wars. I also think the Senate missed some opportunities when it rejected amendments that could have made the bill better. However, on balance, this legislation contains many good provisions for our men and women in uniform and their families and that is why I supported it.
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