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.
“NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H4699-H4716 on May 24, 2018.
The Department oversees more than 500 million acres of land. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the department has contributed to a growing water crisis and holds many lands which could be better managed.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019
General Leave
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5515.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bost). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 908 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 5515.
Will the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Amodei) kindly take the chair.
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In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5515) to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes, with Mr. Amodei (Acting Chair) in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, amendments en bloc printed in House Report 115-702 offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) had been disposed of.
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Amendments En Bloc No. 4 Offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 908, I offer amendments en bloc.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
Amendments en bloc No. 4 consisting of amendment Nos. 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, and 109 printed in House Report 115-702, offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas:
amendment no. 93 offered by mr. cuellar of texas
At the end of subtitle B of title III, insert the following:
SEC. 3__. CORE SAMPLING AT JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
(a) Site Investigation Required.--The Secretary of the Air Force shall conduct a core sampling study along the proposed route of the W-6 wastewater treatment line on Air Force real property, in compliance with best engineering practices, to determine if any regulated or hazardous substances are present in the soil along the proposed route.
(b) Report Required.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the results of the core samples taken pursuant to subsection (a).
amendment no. 94 offered by mr. yarmuth of kentucky
At the end of subtitle C of title XV, add the following new section:
SEC. 15__. ENDURING COSTS FUNDED THROUGH OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY
OPERATIONS.
Beginning with the submission of the annual budget for fiscal year 2020, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress, as a part of the documentation that supports the President's annual budget for the Department of Defense for such fiscal year (as submitted to Congress under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code), an estimate for the costs of operations currently supported in part or in whole by funding for overseas contingency operations that are likely to continue beyond such contingency. The Secretary shall ensure that each estimate is consistent with the recommendations included in the Government Accountability Report entitled ``Overseas Contingency Operations: OMB and DOD Should Revise the Criteria for Determining Eligible Costs and Identify the Costs Likely to Endure Long Term'' published January 18, 2017.
amendment no. 95 offered by mr. sean patrick maloney of new york
At the end of subtitle F of title V, add the following new section:
SEC. 5__. INFORMATION REGARDING COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE
OFFICERS.
(a) Provision of Information.--The Secretary of Defense, and with respect to members of the Coast Guard, the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, shall ensure that a member of the Armed Forces who is separating or retiring from the Armed Forces may elect to have the Department of Defense form DD-214 of the member transmitted to the appropriate county veterans service officer based on the mailing address provided by the member.
(b) Database.--The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall maintain a database of all county veterans service officers.
(c) County Veterans Service Officer Defined.--In this section, the term ``county veterans service officer'' means an employee of a county government, local government, or Tribal government who is covered by section 14.629(a)(2) of title 38, Code of Federal Regulations.
amendment no. 96 offered by mr. correa of california
At the end of title X, add the following new section:
SEC. 10__. STUDY ON RECRUITMENT OF STUDENTS WITH EXPERIENCE
IN CERTAIN TECHNICAL FIELDS.
(a) Study Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study to determine how the Department of Defense can attract and recruit from institutions of higher education, including the institutions described in subsection (b), students with educational backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity.
(b) Institutions Described.--The institutions described in this subsection are--
(1) Hispanic Serving Institutions (as defined in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a));
(2) Historically Black Colleges and Universities (as defined in section 322 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1061)); and
(3) Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (as defined in Section 371(c) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1067q(c)).
(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).
amendment no. 97 offered by ms. lee of california
At the end of subtitle C of title XV, add the following new section:
SEC. 15__. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON USE OF FUNDS
PROVIDED BY OVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS.
(a) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on how funds authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2018 for overseas contingency operations were obligated.
(b) Form.--The report under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
amendment no. 98 offered by mr. rohrabacher of california
At the end of subtitle B of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 12__. SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO DR. SHAKIL AFRIDI.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The attacks of September 11, 2001, killed approximately 3,000 people, most of whom were Americans, but also included hundreds of individuals with foreign citizenships, nearly 350 New York Fire Department personnel, and about 50 law enforcement officers.
(2) Downed United Airlines flight 93 was reportedly intended, under the control of the al-Qaeda high-jackers, to crash into the White House or the Capitol in an attempt to kill the President of the United States or Members of the United States Congress.
(3) The September 11, 2001, attacks were largely planned and carried out by the al-Qaeda terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri, after which Osama bin Laden enjoyed safe haven in Pakistan from where he continued to plot deadly attacks against the United States and the world.
(4) Since 2001, the United States has provided more than
$30 billion in security and economic aid to Pakistan.
(5) The United States very generously and swiftly responded to the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake in Pakistan with more than
$200 million in emergency aid and the support of several United States military aircraft, approximately 1,000 United States military personnel, including medical specialists, thousands of tents, blankets, water containers and a variety of other emergency equipment.
(6) The United States again generously and swiftly contributed approximately $150 million in emergency aid to Pakistan following the 2010 Pakistan flood, in addition to the service of nearly twenty United States military helicopters, their flight crews, and other resources to assist the Pakistan Army's relief efforts.
(7) The United States continues to work tirelessly to support Pakistan's economic development, including millions of dollars allocated towards the development of Pakistan's energy infrastructure, health services and education system.
(8) The United States and Pakistan continue to have many critical shared interests, both economic and security related, which could be the foundation for a positive and mutually beneficial partnership.
(9) Dr. Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani physician, is a hero to whom the people of the United States, Pakistan and the world owe a debt of gratitude for his help in finally locating Osama bin Laden before more innocent American, Pakistani and other lives were lost to this terrorist leader.
(10) Pakistan, the United States and the international community had failed for nearly 10 years following attacks of September 11, 2001, to locate and bring Osama bin Laden, who continued to kill innocent civilians in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa and the United States, to justice without the help of Dr. Afridi.
(11) The Government of Pakistan's imprisonment of Dr. Afridi presents a serious and growing impediment to the United States' bilateral relations with Pakistan.
(12) The Government of Pakistan has leveled and allowed baseless charges against Dr. Afridi in a politically motivated, spurious legal process.
(13) Dr. Afridi is currently imprisoned by the Government of Pakistan, a deplorable and unconscionable situation which calls into question Pakistan's actual commitment to countering terrorism and undermines the notion that Pakistan is a true ally in the struggle against terrorism.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that Dr. Shakil Afridi is an international hero and that the Government of Pakistan should release him immediately from prison.
amendment no. 99 offered by mr. soto of florida
On page 469, line 14, insert ``, distributed ledger technologies,'' after ``quantum sciences''.
On page 469, line 21, insert ``distributed ledger technologies,'' after ``quantum sciences,''.
amendment no. 100 offered by mr. lipinski of illinois
Page 201, after line 11, insert the following new section:
SEC. 626. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN MORALE, WELFARE, AND
RECREATION PRIVILEGES TO CERTAIN VETERANS AND
THEIR CAREGIVERS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018''.
(b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) In 2017, the Secretary of Defense determined that the addition of new patron categories to the commissary and exchange systems would support the growth of a robust customer base and help ensure the ability of both systems to provide benefits to members of the Armed Forces and their families.
(2) The Secretary previously opposed extending commissary and exchange privileges to large patron groups such as disabled veterans.
(3) In January 2017, the Secretary of Defense approved limited online exchange shopping privileges for all veterans, effective November 11, 2017.
(4) The Secretary determined that current patrons of exchanges did not perceive the extension of such privileges as diluting the benefit for members of the Armed Forces.
(5) The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration, awarded to members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded or died in combat, fighting for the United States. Since the modern incarnation of the award was established in 1932, approximately 1,800,000 members of the Armed Forces have been awarded the Purple Heart.
(c) Commissary Stores and MWR Facilities Privileges for Certain Veterans and Veteran Caregivers.--
(1) Extension of privileges.--Chapter 54 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 1065. Use of commissary stores and MWR facilities: certain veterans and caregivers for veterans
``(a) Eligibility of Veterans Awarded the Purple Heart.--A veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
``(b) Eligibility of Veterans Who Are Medal of Honor Recipients.--A veteran who is a Medal of Honor recipient shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
``(c) Eligibility of Veterans Who Are Former Prisoners of War.--A veteran who is a former prisoner of war shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
``(d) Eligibility of Veterans With Service-Connected Disabilities.--A veteran with a service-connected disability shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
``(e) Eligibility of Caregivers for Veterans.--A caregiver or family caregiver shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
``(f) User Fee Authority.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations that impose a user fee on individuals who are eligible solely under this section to purchase merchandise at a commissary store or MWR retail facility.
``(2) The Secretary shall set the user fee under this subsection at a rate that the Secretary determines will offset any increase in expenses arising from this section borne by the Department of the Treasury on behalf of commissary stores associated with the use of credit or debit cards for customer purchases, including expenses related to card network use and related transaction processing fees.
``(3) The Secretary shall deposit funds collected pursuant to a user fee under this subsection in the General Fund of the Treasury.
``(4) Any fee under this subsection is in addition to the uniform surcharge under section 2484(d) of this title.
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `MWR facilities' includes--
``(A) MWR retail facilities, as that term is defined in section 1063(e) of this title; and
``(B) military lodging operated by the Department of Defense for the morale, welfare, and recreation of members of the armed forces.
``(2) The term `Medal of Honor recipient' has the meaning given that term in section 1074h(c) of this title.
``(3) The terms `veteran', `former prisoner of war', and
`service-connected' have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of title 38.
``(4) The terms `caregiver' and `family caregiver' have the meanings given those terms in section in section 1720G(d) of title 38.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 54 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:
``1065. Use of commissary stores and MWR facilities: certain veterans and caregivers for veterans.''.
(3) Effective date.--Section 1065 of title 10, United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall take effect at the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Authorization of Appropriation for Updating EPACS for Military Commissaries.--There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $500,000 to the Secretary of Defense for the purpose of updating the electronic physical access control system used by military commissaries and exchanges so that the system may recognize and accept veteran health identification cards.
(e) Sense of Congress Regarding Individuals Awarded the Purple Heart.--It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, should maintain a list of all individuals awarded the Purple Heart.
amendment no. 101 offered by mr. lipinski of illinois
At the end of title I, add the following new section:
SEC. 1__. ARMORED COMMERCIAL PASSENGER-CARRYING VEHICLES.
(a) Implementation of GAO Recommendations.--In accordance with the recommendations of the Government Accountability Office in the report titled ``Armored Commercial Vehicles: DOD Has Procurement Guidance, but Army Could Take Actions to Enhance Inspections and Oversight'' (GAO-17-513), not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Army shall--
(1) ensure that in-progress inspections are conducted at the armoring vendor's facility for each procurement of an armored commercial passenger-carrying vehicle until the date on which the Secretary of Defense approves and implements an updated armoring and inspection standard for such vehicles; and
(2) designate a central point of contact for collecting and reporting information on armored commercial passenger-carrying vehicles (such as information on contracts execution and vehicle inspections).
(b) Briefing Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing on the progress of the Secretary in implementing Department of Defense Instruction O-2000.16 Volume 1, dated November 2016, with respect to armored commercial passenger-carrying vehicles, including--
(1) whether criteria for the procurement of such vehicles have been established and distributed to the relevant components of the Department; and
(2) whether a process is in place for ensuring that the relevant components of the Department incorporate those criteria into contracts for such vehicles.
amendment no. 102 offered by ms. eshoo of california
Page 877, insert after line 9 the following new section
(and redesignate the succeeding sections accordingly):
SEC. 2822. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING LAND CONVEYANCE,
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) The Secretary of the Army is proposing to convey 17.1 acres of real property in Mountain View, California, known as Shenandoah Square and the existing 126 housing units on such property in order to raise capital to improve other military housing owned by private entities, despite significant military demand for affordable housing in the San Francisco Bay Area from personnel spanning across the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard.
(2) Under the proposed conveyance, the existing 126 housing units at Shenandoah Square would be demolished to allow for the construction of high-density residential housing.
(3) Shenandoah Square is one of only 3 military housing complexes in the San Francisco Bay Area and is home to many California National Guard personnel serving in the 129th Rescue Wing at Moffett Federal Air Field and civilians who perform mission critical work for the 129th Rescue Wing.
(4) The San Francisco Bay Area is confronting one of the most severe affordable housing crises in the United States, which has led to a recruitment and retention crisis for the 129th Rescue Wing.
(5) The residents of these units have expressed concern about their displacement from Shenandoah Square, as this property is located in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, Silicon Valley, and there is great uncertainty about the affordability of new potential housing on the site.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Army should explore all possible alternatives to a conveyance of Shenandoah Square, including subleasing the property to an entity that can better develop affordable housing on the property.
amendment no. 103 offered by ms. soto of florida
At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following new section:
SEC. 2__. PERMANENT EXTENSION AND CODIFICATION OF AUTHORITY
TO CONDUCT TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION FEATURES
ACTIVITIES DURING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF
DEFENSE SYSTEMS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 139 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting before section 2358 the following new section:
``Sec. 2357. Technology protection features activities.
``(a) Activities.--The Secretary of Defense may carry out activities to develop and incorporate technology protection features in a designated system during the research and development phase of such system.
``(b) Cost-sharing.--Any contract for the design or development of a system resulting from activities under subsection (a) for the purpose of enhancing or enabling the exportability of the system, either for the development of program protection strategies for the system or the design and incorporation of exportability features into the system, shall include a cost-sharing provision that requires the contractor to bear half of the cost of such activities, or such other portion of such cost as the Secretary considers appropriate upon showing of good cause.
``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `designated system' means any system
(including a major system, as defined in section 2302(5) of title 10, United States Code) that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment designates for purposes of this section.
``(2) The term `technology protection features' means the technical modifications necessary to protect critical program information, including anti-tamper technologies and other systems engineering activities intended to prevent or delay exploitation of critical technologies in a designated system.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 139 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting before the item relating to section 2358 the following new item:
``2357. Technology protection features activities.''.
(c) Conforming Repeal.--Section 243 of the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 (10 U.S.C. 2358 note) is repealed.
amendment no. 104 offered by mrs. torres of california
At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. __. REPORT ON HONDURAS, GUATEMALA, AND EL SALVADOR.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the congressional defense committees, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report regarding narcotics trafficking corruption and illicit campaign finance in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
(b) Matters to Be Included.--The report required under subsection (a) shall include--
(1) the names of senior government officials in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who are known to have committed or facilitated acts of grand corruption or narcotics trafficking;
(2) the names of elected officials in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who are known to have received campaign funds that are the proceeds of narco-trafficking or other illicit activities in the last 2 years; and
(3) the names of individuals in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador who are known to have facilitated the financing of political campaigns in any of the Northern Triangle countries with the proceeds of narco-trafficking or other illicit activities in the last 2 years.
(c) Form.--The report submitted under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
amendment no. 105 offered by mr. wittman of virginia
Page 956, line 19, strike ``2018'' and insert ``2019''.
amendment no. 106 offered by mr. garrett of virginia
Page 683, line 15, insert ``foreign'' before ``non-state''.
amendment no. 107 offered by mr. cicilline of rhode island
At the end of subtitle C of title III, insert the following:
SEC. 3__. REPORT ON EFFECTS OF INCREASED AUTOMATION OF
DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE ON MANUFACTURING
WORKFORCE.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the effects of the increased automation of the defense industrial base over the ten-year period beginning on the date that is 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Such report shall include, for the period covered by the report--
(1) an estimate of the number of jobs in the United States manufacturing workforce expected to be eliminated due to automation in the defense sector;
(2) an analysis describing any new types of jobs that are expected to be established as a result of an increasingly automated process, including an estimate of the number of these types of jobs that are expected to be created;
(3) an analysis of the potential threats to the national security of the United States that are unique to the automation of the defense industry;
(4) a strategy to assist in providing workforce training and transition preparation for workers who may lose manufacturing jobs in the defense industry due to automation;
(5) a description of any training necessary for workers affected by automation to more easily transition to new types of jobs within the defense manufacturing industry; and
(6) any actions taken, or planned to be taken, by the Department of Defense to assist in worker transition.
amendment no. 108 offered by mr. cicilline of rhode island
Add at the end of subtitle F of title XII the following:
SEC. 12__. REPORT ON COUNTRIES AND ENEMY GROUPS AGAINST WHICH
THE UNITED STATES HAS TAKEN MILITARY ACTION.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that identifies the nations, organizations, and persons against which the United States has taken military action pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note).
amendment no. 109 offered by mrs. demings of florida
At the end of subtitle A of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. 12__. ENHANCED MILITARY ACTIVITIES.
(a) NATO Exercises.--The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with appropriate officials of other member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, shall seek opportunities to conduct more NATO naval exercises in the Baltic and Black Seas, as well as in the northern Atlantic Ocean, to defend the seas around Europe and deter Russian aggression in those regions.
(b) Joint Research Projects.--The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State, may conduct joint research projects with NATO allies pursuant to the authorities under chapter 138 of title 10, United States Code, including projects through NATO Centers of Excellence, to--
(1) improve NATO reconnaissance capabilities to track Russian military exercises;
(2) enhance NATO anti-submarine warfare capabilities against Russia;
(3) increase the numbers of modern sensors placed on NATO aircraft, submarines, and surface ships; or
(4) enhance NATO capabilities to detect and deter Russian information operations.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 908, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) each will control 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of this legislation and especially this part of the bill, which includes a provision that declares Dr. Afridi an international hero.
For those who don't remember Dr. Afridi, who now languishes in a Pakistani prison, this was the brave soul who helped us identify Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the slaughter of 3,000 Americans on 9/11.
Pakistan arrested him on trumped up charges, and he now lingers in a dungeon, ignored by us, ignored by the world.
This is an international hero. This is a man with courage.
It is a disgrace that our country still has relations, when Pakistan rubs this in our face. I would hope that this Congress--and, Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman for putting this in the bill that we are declaring to the world Dr. Afridi must be freed, and he is a hero, an international hero to all of humankind.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Thornberry and Ranking Member Mr. Smith, and I rise in support of this legislation, and in particular, in support of amendment No. 202 offered by myself and Mr. Castro and Mr. Doggett.
This amendment requires the Air Force to conduct a core sampling study at Lackland Air Force Base to determine potential hazardous substances along the route of a wastewater pipeline replacement project.
Project negotiations are being held up because the proposed route transects two very old landfills whose contents are unknown. Soil sampling to identify potential contaminants along the construction site will allow this project to move forward.
Replacing this crumbling pipeline is critical to avoid continual wastewater spills, which impact the environmental health and well-being of both the military base and the residents of San Antonio.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment, the legislation, this en bloc amendment to bring wastewater services to over 500,000 residents in San Antonio, a rapidly growing southwest community.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa).
Mr. CORREA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment 96 that is included in the en bloc amendment.
My amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to study how the Department of Defense can attract and recruit students from higher education institutions with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity.
To make sure we draw from the best and brightest of our country, this study would consist of students from all higher education institutions, including but not limited to Hispanic serving institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander serving institutions.
World war III is currently taking place in cyberspace, and that is why it is important that we find our young men and women, the best and brightest we have, to fight this battle.
Additionally, with China racing to dominate the artificial intelligence space, we must find suitable individuals to keep up with China's artificial intelligence advancements and massive investments in this area.
My amendment would ensure that our Nation has the information it needs to recruit our brightest and best.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I would inquire of the gentleman if he as any more speakers.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I don't have any more speakers.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to ensure that Purple Heart and Medal of Honor recipients, veterans with service-
connected disabilities, and former prisoners of war have access to military exchanges, commissaries, and morale, welfare, and recreation facilities.
We should all agree that these heroes of our Armed Forces have done more than enough to earn this access. It is our duty as a Nation to not only say that we appreciate their service, but also to enact policies such as this demonstrating this gratitude.
A 2017 Defense Department report shows expanding access will not only make life easier for these veterans, but will also strengthen the commissary and exchange system.
This amendment has been endorsed by the VFW, American Legion, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Wounded Warrior Project, Disabled American Veterans, and AMVETS.
Mr. Chair, I thank Congressman Walter Jones for joining me on the bill and on this amendment. I thank the chair and ranking member for including my amendment in this bloc and for their work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support these amendments.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Chair, I thank the ranking member and the chairman of the Rules Committee for listening to both my concerns and the amendments that we have offered. We are very pleased to have at least 10 amendments to deal with this important legislation.
Mr. Chair, I rise to thank the chair and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee for the en bloc amendments.
I would like to draw particular attention to a few Jackson Lee amendments as the Congress prepares to adjourn for Memorial Day. I want to thank the men and women who serve in the United States military.
The Jackson Lee amendment offered in this year's NDAA will provide oversight with information or guidance on efforts at K-12 schools on Federal military facilities to maintain safety and security from active shooters. Just coming from my district and in the neighboring area, the Santa Fe tragedy, of which I attended vigils over the weekend and listening to children talk about being fearful of guns and going to school, has been a very difficult set of circumstances.
So the Jackson Lee amendment would, in fact, seek an assessment from the Secretary of Defense of the strategies that may be used to reduce the security threats posed by active shooter incidences at public schools and secondary schools.
Today, the DOD operates 60 schools in seven States, 26,000 military connected students, and that is a process where I think the Pentagon and the Defense Department can be very, very helpful.
Jackson Lee amendment No. 91 seeks to have a report 180 days following enactment from the Secretary of Defense, which will include the Coast Guard, on maternity mortality rates among members of the Armed Forces and the Department.
For every 100,000 births in the United States in 2013, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that 17.3 percent of mothers died, the highest mortality rate of all industrialized countries by several times over.
I believe we can be very effective in having solutions.
My amendment No. 68 considers the vital role in the National Guard and reservist field when called to service. I work with the National Guard. Mr. Chair, I thank the Texas Guard and the National Guard. I have seen them in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I believe it is an important assessment to continue to remind us of the work that they do, civilian soldiers, of course.
Jackson Lee amendment No. 89 provides a report 220 days after enactment on the DOD's capacity to provide survivors of natural disasters--we are still experiencing the suffering of Hurricane Harvey, and I believe this is a major important time.
It is important as well to deal with cybersecurity, and so I have an amendment that seeks an assessment that would consider what occurred in 1992 following Hurricane Andrew when the DOD stood up emergency housing, and to look at those options.
The same thing with dealing with cybersecurity: I believe that it is important for the DOD to deal with the feasibility of creating an apprentice program to address the agency's shortages of qualified cybersecurity persons.
Let me just simply say that this legislation will be helpful in defining how we answer a lot of hard questions.
I do want to take note of the fact that I would like to see in the State Department and the DOD that we work on better relationships with Pakistan and try to discern how we can weave through some of the difficult issues that we are addressing and develop that alliance again.
My other amendments deal with raising awareness among students traveling abroad; expanding the report required by the bill to include information on the opportunities dealing with artificial intelligence, dealing with cybersecurity, sharing of Navy desalinization technology for civilian applications.
Something that I have been working on for a number of years: I just was in a meeting dealing with the impact of Boko Haram and as well its far-reaching impact throughout Africa, north Africa, and the death that it has been engaged in. My amendment will be providing for DOD assistance to the Nigerian Government in developing a missing persons database to report on missing, exploited, and trafficked persons. The DOD has provided the kind of assistance that has been allowed by our laws, but it is a horrific circumstance.
Then finally, I have an amendment addressing dangers associated with man-made space debris in low Earth orbit to manned and unmanned missions.
Mr. Chair, I ask my colleagues to support our amendments. I thank those who have managed this legislation.
I think the important point I want to make sure is the active shooter; the mortality rates dealing with mothers, maternal mortality rates and the loss of mothers and the loss of children in the instance of child birth. I would ask that my amendments be accepted.
Mr. Chair, I rise to thank the Chair and Ranking Member of the Rules Committee for the inclusion of Jackson Lee Amendments in the Rules for H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019.
I also thank the Chair and Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, and their staffs for working with me and my staff to include Jackson Lee Amendments in the Amendment En Blocs for H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019.
As a Member of the House Budget Committee, I am keenly aware of the budget pressures caused by Sequestration and repeated government shutdowns that have plagued defense and non-defense agencies.
It is past time for the Congress to engage in an authentic bipartisan budget process that puts the national interest over party interest so that we can complete the annual appropriations process by September 30, 2018, and prevent any further government shutdowns.
I have several amendments to H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2019, which will be addressed in my submitted statement.
I would like to draw particular attention to a few Jackson Lee Amendments because of their importance to the people whom I serve in the 18th Congressional District of Texas, or they are of significance to the people who rely upon the resources provided by the National Defense Authorization Act to defend our nation.
As the Congress prepares to adjourn for Memorial Day weekend, I want to thank the men and women of the Armed Services, and the dedicated civilian professionals of the Department of Defense and its branches for their sacrifice and service to our nation.
I hope that in some small measure that the passage of this bill will convey to them the heartfelt respect and appreciation this body has for what they do each day to keep our nation and its people safe from harm.
The Jackson Lee Amendments offered to this year's NDAA will provide oversight with information or guidance on:
1. Efforts at K-12 schools on federal military facilities to maintain safety and security from active shooter situations;
2. Reporting on maternity mortality rates among service women, and female dependents of all service members, including the Coast Guard;
3. Raising awareness among students traveling abroad about recruitment tactics used by foreign intelligence agencies seeking to snare them into spying against the United States;
4. Readiness of the National Guard and Reserve for disaster response;
5. Defense Department's capacity to provide emergency short-term housing to disaster survivors;
6. Development of a cybersecurity apprentice program to provide on the job training for certain cybersecurity positions and to support the acquisition of cybersecurity certifications;
7. Expanding a report required by the bill to include information on the opportunities and risks associated with advancements Artificial Intelligence and its sub-discipline of machine learning;
8. Reports on cybersecurity threats posed by the achievement of stable quantum computing;
9. Sharing of Navy desalinization technology for civilian applications;
10. Condemning Boko Haram; and providing for DoD assistance to the Nigerian government in developing a missing persons database to report on missing, exploited and trafficked persons; and
11. Addressing dangers associated with man-made space debris in low earth orbit to manned and unmanned missions.
The Jackson Lee Amendments that I would like to emphasize include:
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 159, which seeks an assessment, from the Secretary of Defense, of the strategies that may be used to reduce the security threats posed by active shooter incidents at public elementary schools and secondary schools located on the grounds of Federal military installations.
Our nation's military provides for the needs of military families including the education of their children.
Since 1816, a Military Service, the Department of War or the Department of Defense has operated schools on military installations.
Today, the DoD operates 60 schools in 7 states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, New York, South Carolina and Virginia.
There are 26,000 military connected students attending Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools, which are operated by Department of Defense Education Activity, which is located in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Local Education Agencies operate about 150 public schools on military installations throughout the United States, educating about 80,000 students.
As you already know, on Friday, May 18, 2018, the community of Santa Fe, Texas became the most recent school to experience an active shooter gun violence, which took the lives of eight students and two teachers.
No parent should have to endure the loss of a child.
Over the last year we have seen deadly active shooter attacks carried out by a lone gunman at K-12 schools, where the shooter was often a student.
The safety and wellbeing of children of our active duty personnel are our responsibility.
This Jackson Lee amendment seeks information on what is being done and what can be done to increase school security against activity shooters situations in K-12 schools on military installations.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 91, which seeks a report 180 days following enactment from the Secretary of DoD, which will include the Coast Guard, on maternity mortality rates among members of the Armed Forces and the dependents of such members.
For every 100,000 births in the US in 2013 the Centers for Disease Control estimated that 17.3 mothers died, the highest maternal mortality rate of all industrialized countries--by several times over.
Between 1990 and 2015 it is reported that maternal mortality rates around the world fell by 30 percent while at the same time in the US, the ratio went up nearly 60 percent.
A 2012, Pentagon report states that mothers delivering at military hospitals are more likely to hemorrhage after childbirth than mothers at civilian hospitals.
More than 50,000 babies are born at military hospitals each year, and they are twice as likely to be injured during delivery as newborns nationwide.
This Jackson Lee Amendment would provide a clearer understanding of the mortality rates of mothers: who were pregnant, undergoing delivery, or had delivered a child less than 1 year before their deaths.
Jackson Lee amendments No. 68 and No. 89 provide additional attention to DoD disaster response.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 68, considers the vital role the National Guard and Reservist's fill when called to service in disaster response.
I thank the Texas Guard, National Guard, and Reservists as well as the active duty military personnel, including the Coast Guard who came to the aid of victims of Hurricane Harvey.
You saved thousands of lives and Texans will be forever grateful that you answered the call to serve our nation as members of the armed forces.
Hurricane Harvey's impact in Texas is still being felt nine months later.
The storm's footprint covered over 9,000 square miles, including the city of Houston, Texas.
Hurricane Harvey dropped over 52 inches of rain in the Houston area an over 60 inches were recorded elsewhere in the state.
At its peak on September 1, 2017, one-third of Houston, our nation's fourth largest city, was underwater leaving 34,575 evacuees in shelters across Texas.
Before the flood waters had receded in Houston two other monster hurricanes were bearing down on citizens living in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
The scope and magnitude of these dueling disasters tested the National Guard and Reservists in ways that were new.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 68 requires a readiness report on the National Guard and Reservists to make sure they have what they need to assist communities in need of disaster assistance during the 2018 Hurricane Season which begins June 1st.
Many Texans are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and the same is true of Puerto Rico residents who are attempting to recover from Hurricane Maria.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 68 improves the bill's ability to support the important mission of the National Guard and Reservists to engage in disaster response.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 89 provides a report 220 days after enactment on the DoD's capacity to provide survivors of natural disasters with emergency short term housing.
Hurricane Harvey is the largest housing disaster to strike the U.S. in our nation's history.
During Hurricane Harvey over 300,000 structures flooded in southeastern Texas, where extreme rainfall hit many areas that are densely-populated.
At its peak on September 1, 2017, one-third of Houston, our nation's fourth largest city, was underwater with 34,575 evacuees in shelters across Texas.
The storm and resulting flooding damaged 203,000 homes, of which 12,700 were destroyed.
Port Arthur residents were living in tents, after 80 percent of the city's housing was flooded by Hurricane Harvey rains, which led to acute housing needs.
The city of Beaumont lost its fresh water supply leading to the closure of hospitals and evacuation of patients to hospitals in other cities.
There were significant delays in the provision of enough hotels for all of those impacted by the storm.
However, within weeks hotel rooms were sufficient to address most housing needs for those displaced by the storm.
Unfortunately, the number of hotel rooms in Jefferson County Texas was insufficient for the demand for housing, which left residents living in tents until housing options could be found.
This Jackson Lee amendment seeks an assessment that would consider, what occurred in 1992 following Hurricane Andrew, when the DoD stood up emergency housing in the State of Florida for thousands of Floridians who lost their homes to that storm.
Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 3202, the Cyber Vulnerabilities Disclosure Act, which I introduced to address the need for effective and aggressive action to deal with the threat of Zero Day Events.
A Zero Day Event describes the situation that network security professionals may find themselves when a previously unknown error or flow in computing code is exploited by a cybercriminal or terrorist.
The term ``Zero Day Event'' simply means that there is zero time to prepare a defense against a cyberattack.
H.R. 3202 requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a report on the policies and procedures developed for coordinating cyber vulnerability disclosures.
I have previously introduced legislation to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage in the Federal government.
On that bill, H.R. 1981, Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act, establishes the process for looking outside of DHS and within its ranks to solve the shortage of cybersecurity professionals.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 97 seeks an assessment from the DoD on the feasibility of creating an apprentice program to address the agency's shortages of qualified cybersecurity professionals for certain cybersecurity positions.
There is a growing shortage of cybersecurity professionals with over a quarter-million positions remaining unfilled in the U.S. alone and a predicted shortfall of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2019.
There are additional Jackson Lee Amendments included in this bill that provide reports to the authorizing committees on a range of security and safety issues related to technology and innovation, with an eye toward the future.
The world is on the verge of significant breakthroughs in computing, space exploration, medical advancements, and innovations in medicine, engineering, and know how.
At the same time we are seeing extreme weather events that are causing significant shifts in rainfall patterns in this country and around the world that require that we invest in water management and desalinization technology to assure reliable access to abundant fresh water.
Artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing are rapidly changing areas of computing science that will have direct and significant implications for our economy, national defense, and our nation's security.
I have two Jackson Lee Amendments that have been adopted in En Bloc Amendments that will provide additional scope to an existing report on AI, and another report on the implications for the security of computing networks should quantum computing innovation establish more stable systems.
The current stage of computing innovation is akin to the Age of Flight at the time of the Wright Brothers.
We are in the infancy of the Computing Age, the best is yet to come, but we should be mindful of the rewards as well as the risks.
We will have aggressive programs to meet the challenge of achieving stable quantum computing because if we are not on the bleeding edge of this innovation curve, there could be dire consequences for the security of defense, civilian, private sector, and academic computing networks, challenges to our leadership in computing advancements, and we run the risk of negative economic impacts.
At best we are the first to achieve these advancements in computing, and at worse we are in second place.
I thank the Committees for including Jackson Lee Amendments Nos. 126 and 193 in the Amendment En Blocs for H.R. 5515.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 90 directs that the Secretary of DoD will provide a report 240 days from enactment of this bill on the risks posed by man-made space debris in low-earth orbit, including recommendations on remediation of such risks, and outlines of plans to reduce the incident of space debris.
Space debris encompasses both natural and artificial particles.
This Jackson Lee Amendment would address the risk of man-made space debris.
Man-made objects in Earth's orbit that may no longer serve a useful function can include nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris and fragmentation debris.
Space debris travels at speeds up to 17,500 miles per hour is fast enough a small piece of man-made debris to damage to a satellite or a spacecraft.
There are more than 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a softball or orbiting the Earth.
There are 500,000 pieces of debris the size of a marble or larger.
There are many millions of pieces of debris that are so small they can't be tracked.
NASA tracks more than 500,000 pieces of man-made space debris in Earth's orbit.
Jackson Lee Amendment seeks a report from the Secretary of Defense on the risks posed by man-made space debris, solutions for reducing risks and strategies for reducing the incidence of more man-made space debris being introduced into space.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 61 on the Rule for H.R. 5515, directs the following Secretary of Navy to submit reports to Congress on the feasibility of applying desalinization technologies to provide drought relief in areas impacted by sharp declines in water availability for both military as well as civilian purposes. (listed as No. 482 on the Rules Committee Roster)
In 2010, the United States consumed about 355,000 million gallons of water per day.
Worldwide, some 700 million people do not have access to enough clean water.
In 10 years the number is expected to more than double to 1.8 billion.
Two-thirds of the Earth's surface is water, but in fact less than 1 percent it is available for human use.
The rest of the water on our planet is either salt water found in oceans, fresh water frozen in the polar ice caps, or too inaccessible for practical usage.
While population and demand on freshwater resources are increasing, supply will always remain constant.
And although the water cycle continuously returns water to Earth, it is not always returned to the same place, or in the same quantity and quality.
This is why I offered this Jackson Lee Amendment No. 61.
It is time to plan for the future water needs of our country.
There are serious water shortages in some regions of the country and the prospects that sustained water shortages due to regional growth and climate factors may make it necessary to develop alternative sources for water intended for human and agricultural uses.
If we can harness the technology to convert ocean water into fresh water the future of cities and rural communities that depend on water can be much brighter.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 88 on the Rule for H.R. 5515, Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to Congress programs and procedures employed to ensure students studying abroad through Department of Defense National Security Education Programs are trained to recognize, resist, and report against recruitment efforts by agents of foreign governments.
The number of U.S. students studying abroad for credit during the 2015-2016 academic year totaled 325,339 students.
This represents just over 1.6 percent of all U.S. students enrolled at institutions of higher education in the United States and about 10 percent of U.S. graduates.
Study abroad provides opportunities to students and helps nation's economies.
A recent survey found that almost 40 percent of companies surveyed missed international business opportunities because of a lack of internationally-co competent personnel.
However, the opportunities to study in another country come with some risks.
In 2014, the FBI released a 28-minute spy film called ``Game of Pawns, '' which was based in part on the real life story of Glenn Shriver, who in 2004 was a 22-year-old studying in Shanghai.
The Michigan native found a seemingly innocent job online--writing papers on U.S.-China relations.
Over time, the job description changed.
Glenn Shriver accepted $70,000 from Chinese operatives and agreed to apply for U.S. government jobs in order to gain access to classified information. By then, the FBI was on to him.
He was arrested in 2010 and pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to spy.
He was sentenced to serve a four-year prison sentence.
At the time FBI did not say how many students had been turned into spies but said they are increasingly being targeted.
Destinations for U.S. students studying abroad include: Africa; Asia; Europe; Latin America; Middle East; and Oceania.
When 95 percent of consumers live outside of the United States, we cannot afford to ignore this essential aspect of higher education.
Jackson Lee Amendment No. 88 will provide the tools and education needed to U.S. students studying abroad to help them protect themselves from attempts the recruitment tactics of foreign agents.
Thank you to the Committee for the inclusion of these Jackson Lee Amendments in the final bill.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chair, we have no further speakers.
I urge adoption of the amendments en bloc, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
The en bloc amendments were agreed to.
Amendments En Bloc No. 5 Offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 908, I offer amendments en bloc.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
Amendments en bloc No. 5 consisting of amendment Nos. 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, and 127 printed in House Report 115-702, offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas:
amendment no. 110 offered by mr. cicilline of rhode island
Add at the end of subtitle C of title XII the following:
SEC. 12__. REPORT ON UNITED STATES MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST
SYRIA.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report regarding the United States military strikes on Syria on April 13, 2018. Such report should address the following:
(1) An identification of the objectives of such strikes.
(2) An examination of whether such objectives were achieved.
(3) An examination of any tactical advantages gained by such strikes.
(4) An assessment of the extent to which Syrian military operations were affected by such strikes, including if such strikes had any lasting impact on such operations.
(5) An identification of the legal justification for such strikes.
amendment no. 111 offered by mr. yoho of florida
At the end of subtitle E of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. SALE OF SURPLUS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EQUIPMENT TO
ELIGIBLE FARMERS.
Section 2576a of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(g) Sale of Equipment to Farmers.--(1) During the three-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, may transfer to eligible farmers equipment of the Department of Defense that is--
``(A) appropriate for use by farmers; and
``(B) excess to the needs of the Department of Defense.
``(2) A farmer is eligible to purchase equipment under this subsection if the farmer is--
``(A) a veteran and a new and beginning farmer, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) submits to the Secretary an application containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may require.
``(3) Equipment made available for transfer to farmers under this subsection shall be made available to such farmers before such equipment is made available for public sale.
``(4) Not later than 60 days after the termination of the authority under this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on this subsection that includes the recommendations of the Secretary regarding the extension or expansion of the program.''.
amendment no. 112 offered by mr. marshall of kansas
Page 937, insert after line 12 the following new section:
SEC. 2845. MODIFICATION TO FIRST DIVISION MONUMENT.
(a) Authorization.--The Society of the First Infantry Division (an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that code), may make modifications
(including construction of additional plaques and stone plinths on which to put the plaques) to the First Division Monument located on Federal land in Presidential Park in District of Columbia that was set aside for memorial purposes of the First Infantry Division, in order to honor the members of the First Infantry Division who paid the ultimate sacrifice during United States operations, including Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, and Operation Enduring Freedom. The First Infantry Division at the Department of the Army shall collaborate with the Department of Defense to provide to the Society of the First Infantry Division the list of names to be added.
(b) Non-application of Commemorative Works Act.--Subsections (b) and (c) of section 8903 of title 40, United States Code (commonly known as the ``Commemorative Works Act''), shall not apply to actions taken under subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Funding.--Federal funds may not be used to pay any expense of the activities of the Society of the First Infantry Division which are authorized by this section.
amendment no. 113 offered by mr. langevin of rhode island
At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. 12__. IMPORTANCE OF EXCHANGES BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF
STATE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) In a world with increasingly complex political and security challenges, bridging the gap between diplomacy and defense is more vital than ever to achieve United States strategic objectives abroad.
(2) Foreign missions are multifaceted, rapidly evolving, and interconnected.
(3) Emerging security issues demand that the United States Government be quick, agile, adaptable, comprehensive, and inclusive when navigating foreign partnerships.
(4) The interagency process continues to be the most efficient and effective means for the United States to quickly adjust to changing circumstances and leverage resources for securing its strategic objectives abroad.
(5) The Government Accountability Office has found that
``effective interagency rotational assignments can achieve collaboration-related results''.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) United States Government personnel must be able to collaborate across departments and agencies to meet complex national security challenges;
(2) the United States needs to ensure that its foreign and defense policies are mutually supportive and find ways to most effectively align its strategies;
(3) exchange programs between the Department of State and Department of Defense are critical for strengthening the capacity of such Departments to promote regional stability around the world while protecting and promoting United States interests;
(4) Foreign Service officers serving as political advisors provide deep understanding of diplomatic dynamics and issues and can enable, through such exchange programs, the Department of Defense to make effective and sustained contributions to protecting and promoting United States interests; and
(5) in order to achieve such strategic, operational, and tactical successes, such Foreign Service officers should be embedded forward with Department of Defense personnel to the fullest extent practicable.
amendment no. 114 offered by mr. langevin of rhode island
Page 874, insert after line 6 the following:
SEC. 2815. REPORTS ON BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES SUBJECT TO
EXCEPTIONS TO ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS.
(a) Annual Report for New Construction.--Not later than 90 days after the end of each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023, the Secretary concerned shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report listing each building or facility for which the Secretary first initiated construction during the fiscal year, or for which the Secretary first entered into a lease for the use of the Secretary during the fiscal year, which is subject to one of the accessibility standard exceptions described in subsection
(c).
(b) One-time Report on Current Buildings and Facilities Subject to Exceptions.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, each Secretary concerned shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report listing each building or facility constructed or leased by the Secretary during fiscal years 2014 through 2018 which is subject to one of the accessibility standard exceptions described in subsection (c).
(c) Accessibility Standard Exceptions Described.--The accessibility standard exceptions described in this subsection with respect to a building or facility are as follows:
(1) The building or facility is leased by the Secretary concerned on a temporary, emergency basis for the use of officials providing disaster assistance.
(2) The building or facility is located in a foreign country and is constructed in whole or in part with funds provided by the United States, but the Secretary concerned does not control the design criteria and the building or facility is not required to comply with standards under the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.).
(3) The building or facility is located in a foreign country and is leased by the Secretary concerned.
(4) The building or facility is subject to a waiver granted by the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense who represents the Department of Defense on the United States Access Board.
amendment no. 115 offered by mr. beyer of virginia
At the end of title VIII, add the following new section:
SEC. 8__. USE OF LOWEST PRICE TECHNICALLY ACCEPTABLE SOURCE
SELECTION PROCESS.
(a) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United States Government to avoid using lowest price technically acceptable source selection criteria in circumstances that would deny the Government the benefits of cost and technical tradeoffs in the source selection process.
(b) Revision of Federal Acquisition Regulation.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulation shall be revised to require that, for solicitations issued on or after the date that is 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, lowest price technically acceptable source selection criteria are used only in situations in which--
(1) an executive agency is able to comprehensively and clearly describe the minimum requirements expressed in terms of performance objectives, measures, and standards that will be used to determine acceptability of offers;
(2) the executive agency would realize no, or minimal, value from a contract proposal exceeding the minimum technical or performance requirements set forth in the request for proposal;
(3) the proposed technical approaches will require no, or minimal, subjective judgment by the source selection authority as to the desirability of one offeror's proposal versus a competing proposal;
(4) the source selection authority has a high degree of confidence that a review of technical proposals of offerors other than the lowest bidder would not result in the identification of factors that could provide value or benefit to the executive agency;
(5) the contracting officer has included a justification for the use of a lowest price technically acceptable evaluation methodology in the contract file; and
(6) the executive agency has determined that the lowest price reflects full life-cycle costs, including for operations and support.
(c) Avoidance of Use of Lowest Price Technically Acceptable Source Selection Criteria in Certain Procurements.--To the maximum extent practicable, the use of lowest price technically acceptable source selection criteria shall be avoided in the case of a procurement that is predominately for the acquisition of--
(1) information technology services, cybersecurity services, systems engineering and technical assistance services, advanced electronic testing, audit or audit readiness services, or other knowledge-based professional services;
(2) personal protective equipment; or
(3) knowledge-based training or logistics services in contingency operations or other operations outside the United States, including in Afghanistan or Iraq.
(d) Reporting.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for three years, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the number of instances in which lowest price technically acceptable source selection criteria is used for a contract exceeding $2,000,000, including an explanation of how the situations listed in subsection (b) were considered in making a determination to use lowest price technically acceptable source selection criteria.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Executive agency.--The term ``executive agency'' has the meaning given that term in section 102 of title 40, United States Code, except that the term does not include the Department of Defense.
(2) Contingency operation.--The term ``contingency operation'' has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.
(3) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
amendment no. 116 offered by mr. young of alaska
At the end of title X, add the following new section:
SEC. 10__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE BASING OF KC-46A AIRCRAFT
OUTSIDE THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.
(a) Finding.--Congress finds that the Department of Defense is continuing its process of permanently stationing KC-46A aircraft at installations in the continental United States and forward-basing outside the continental United States.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Air Force, as part of the strategic basing process for KC-46A aircraft, should continue to consider the benefits derived from locations outside the continental United States that--
(1) support day-to-day air refueling operations, operations plans of the combatant commands, and flexibility for contingency operations, and have--
(A) a strategic location that is essential to the defense of the United States and its interests;
(B) receivers for boom or probe-and-drogue training opportunities with joint and international partners; and
(C) sufficient airfield and airspace availability and capacity to meet requirements; and
(2) possess facilities that--
(A) take full advantage of existing infrastructure to provide--
(i) runway, hangars, and aircrew and maintenance operations; and
(ii) sufficient fuels receipt, storage, and distribution capacities for a 5-day peacetime operating stock; and
(B) minimize overall construction and operational costs.
amendment no. 117 offered by mr. dunn of florida
At the end of subtitle D of title I, add the following new section:
SEC. 1__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON CONVERSION OF F-22 AIRCRAFT.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Accelerating the modernization upgrade of F-22A Block 20 training and test aircraft would significantly increase the total available inventory of combat-capable F-22A Block 35 fighter aircraft.
(2) Converting 34 F-22A Block 20 aircraft to a Block 35 configuration would drastically improve the readiness and health of the entire F-22A fleet and increase flexibility to manage availability of the combat-coded Block 35 fleet, which is accumulating more operational flight hours than initially anticipated.
(3) Making the conversions described in paragraph (2) would be a cost-effective way to increase the F-22's combat-capable force by 27 percent.
(4) If the conversion effort is not included in future base budgets, it would be advisable for the Department of Defense to support the effort as an unfunded priority.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Air Force should accelerate modernization of the F-22 Block 20 training and test aircraft as quickly as possible.
amendment no. 117 offered by mr. brown of maryland
At the end of title II, add the following new section:
SEC. 2__. MODIFICATION OF FUNDING CRITERIA UNDER HISTORICALLY
BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND MINORITY
INSTITUTIONS PROGRAM.
Section 2362(d) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Priority'' and inserting ``Criteria''; and
(2) by striking ``give priority in providing'' and inserting ``limit''.
amendment no. 120 offered by mr. khanna of california
Add at the end of subtitle F of title XII the following:
SEC. 12__. INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE IF COALITION PARTNERS
OR UNITED STATES MILITARY OR INTELLIGENCE
PERSONNEL VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW OR DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE POLICY WHILE CONDUCTING OPERATIONS IN
YEMEN.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an investigation to determine if coalition partners of the United States or members of the Armed Forces or intelligence personnel violated Federal law, the laws of armed conflict, or Department of Defense policy while conducting operations in Yemen.
(b) Matters to Be Included.--The investigation required under subsection (a) shall also seek to determine the following:
(1) Whether any Armed Forces or intelligence personnel interrogated Yemeni citizens in prisons within Yemen or provided questions to foreign personnel for use in such interrogations, and whether such interrogations or actions were consistent with United States law and policy.
(2) Whether any Armed Forces or intelligence personnel violated the prohibitions of section 362 of title 10, United States Code, while conducting operations in Yemen.
(3) Whether any United States coalition partners committed gross violations of internationally recognized human rights while conducting operations in Yemen that would make such coalition partners ineligible for any training, equipment, or other assistance for a unit of a foreign security force under section 362 of title 10, United States Code.
(4) Whether a waiver or exception has been granted to United States coalition partners under section 362 of title 10, United States Code, while conducting operations in Yemen.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report that contains the findings of the investigation required under this section.
(2) Form.--The report required under this section shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex
(d) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(1) Coalition partners.--The term ``coalition partners'' has the meaning given such term in paragraph (3) of section 948a of title 10, United States Code.
(2) Gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.--The term ``gross violations of internationally recognized human rights'' has the meaning given such term in subsection (d)(1) of section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304).
amendment no. 121 offered by mr. duncan of tennessee
At the end of subtitle H of title V of division A, add the following:
SEC. ___. REPORT ON AWARDS FOR COST-SAVING IDEAS.
Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report detailing--
(1) the total number of awards and commendations presented to any military personnel for a cost-saving idea during the prior fiscal year;
(2) a total estimate of the total savings as a result of the implementation of cost-saving ideas for which an award or commendation was presented; and
(3) a description of how the Secretary plans to expand incentive programs for the purpose described in this section and streamline such programs.
amendment no. 122 offered by mr. bacon of nebraska
At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. 12_. INCLUSION OF INFLUENCE OPERATIONS IN ANNUAL
MILITARY REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall modify the Department of Defense's respective annual reports to Congress on the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and Iran to include influence operations as a matter to be included in such reports.
(b) Amendments to Reports.--(1) Section 1202(b)(14) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000
(Public Law 106-65; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) is amended by adding at the end before the period the following: ``, including a description of efforts to use non-military tools, including diplomacy and political coercion, information operations, and economic pressure to gain influence in other countries and advance strategic objectives,''.
(2) Section 1245(b)(1) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84) is amended--
(A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(E) a description of efforts to use non-military tools, including diplomacy and political coercion, information operations, and economic pressure to gain influence in other countries and advance strategic objectives.''.
(3) Section 1245(b) of the Carl Levin and Howard P.
``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113-291; 128 Stat. 3566) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(23) A description of efforts of Russia to use non-military tools, including diplomacy and political coercion, information operations, and economic pressure to gain influence in other countries and advance strategic objectives.''.
amendment no. 123 offered by mr. gottheimer of new jersey
Page 538, after line 25, insert the following:
(5) To remember the Holocaust, the annihilation of 6,000,000 Jews by the Nazi regime, and to pay tribute to the Allied troops who liberated Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
Page 540, line 17, strike ``(f)(2)'' and insert ``(g)(2)''.
Page 542, after line 4, insert the following (and redesignate succeeding subsections accordingly):
(f) Consultation With Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.--In designing the commemorative program conducted under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall consult with the Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
amendment no. 124 offered by mr. gohmert of texas
At the end of subtitle I of title V, add the following:
SEC. 5__. CHAPLAINCIES OF THE ARMED FORCES.
(a) Purpose.--The purposes of the chaplaincies of the Armed Forces are--
(1) to accommodate the religious needs of members of the Armed Forces;
(2) to provide religious and pastoral care to members of the Armed Forces; and
(3) to provide advice to commanders of the Armed Forces on the complexities of religion with regard to the respective commander's personnel and mission, as appropriate.
(b) Requirements.--Each chaplain of the Armed Forces shall be--
(1) a member of a religious organization;
(2) of sufficient education and ecclesiastical qualification; and
(3) qualified to conduct religious observances or ceremonies.
amendment no. 125 offered by ms. bordallo of guam
At the end of subtitle D of title VIII (page 361, after line 5), insert the following:
SEC. 845. SECURITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TELECOMMUNICATION
SERVICES.
In awarding contracts for telecommunication services or installation of telecommunication infrastructure on military installations located in the United States or its territories, the Secretary of Defense shall give preference to American-owned and -operated companies.
amendment no. 126 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas
Page 67, line 23, after ``sciences'' insert ``, plans to defend against quantum based attacks,''.
amendment no. 127 offered by mr. arrington of texas
At the end of title II, add the following new section:
SEC. 2__. REPORT ON OA-X LIGHT ATTACK AIRCRAFT APPLICABILITY
TO PARTNER NATION SUPPORT.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than February 1, 2019, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the OA-X light attack aircraft experiment and how the program incorporates partner nation requirements.
(b) Elements.--The report under subsection (a) shall include a description of--
(1) how the OA-X light attack experiment will support partner nations' low-cost counter terrorism light attack capability;
(2) the extent to which the attributes of affordability, interoperability, sustainability, simplicity of maintenance and operations are included in the requirements for the OA-X; and
(3) how Federal Aviation Administration certification and a reasonable path for military type certifications for commercial derivative aircraft are factored into foreign military sales for a partner nation.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 908, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) each will control 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I currently have no speakers on this en bloc package, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I have no speakers on this. I urge adoption of the en bloc amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
The en bloc amendments were agreed to.
The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 118 will not be offered.
Amendments En Bloc No. 6 Offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 908, I offer amendments en bloc.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
Amendments en bloc No. 6 consisting of amendment Nos. 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, and 144 printed in House Report 115-702, offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas:
amendment no. 128 offered by mr. nolan of minnesota
At the end of subtitle F of title VIII, add the following new section:
SEC. 8__. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING STEEL PRODUCED IN THE
UNITED STATES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Frequent surges in unfairly trade steel imports have materially injured the iron ore and steel industries in the United States, putting our national, economic, and energy security at risk.
(2) High-quality American steel products are vital to the success of the United States military and are used in a variety of applications from aircraft carriers to armor plate for tanks as well as critical energy infrastructure like the electrical grid and energy pipelines.
(3) Domestic producers of defense-related steel products are dependent on the overall financial health of the iron ore and steel industries in the United States.
(4) The loss of a strong domestic iron ore and steel industry would make the United States dangerously dependent upon foreign sources of steel, such as China.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that a strong domestic iron ore and steel industry is vital to the national security of the United States.
amendment no. 129 offered by mr. davidson of ohio
Page 217, after line 17, insert the following:
``(iv) A description of the methodology and criteria used by the Secretary to make decisions to close any military medical treatment facility or limit the health services provided by a military medical treatment facility, including input from the affected military department.''.
amendment no. 130 offered by mr. loebsack of iowa
At the end of subtitle B of title II, add the following:
SEC. 221. STEM JOBS ACTION PLAN.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math in addition to maintenance and manufacturing (collectively referred to in this section as ``STEM'') make up a significant portion of the workforce of the Department of Defense.
(2) These jobs exist within the organic industrial base, research, development, and engineering centers, life-cycle management commands, and logistics centers of the Department.
(3) Vital to the continued support of the mission of all of the military services, the Department needs to maintain its STEM workforce.
(4) It is known that the demographics of personnel of the Department indicate that many of the STEM personnel of the Department will be eligible to retire in the next few years.
(5) Decisive action is needed to replace STEM personnel as they retire to ensure that the military does not further suffer a skill and knowledge gap and thus a serious readiness gap.
(b) Assessments and Plan of Action.--The Secretary of Defense, in conjunction with the Secretary of each military department, shall --
(1) perform an assessment of the STEM workforce for organizations within the Department of Defense, including the numbers and types of positions and the expectations for losses due to retirements and voluntary departures;
(2) identify the types and quantities of STEM jobs needed to support future mission work;
(3) determine the shortfall between lost STEM personnel and future requirements;
(4) analyze and explain the appropriateness and impact of using reimbursable and working capital fund dollars for new STEM hires;
(5) identify a plan of action to address the STEM jobs gap, including hiring strategies and timelines for replacement of STEM employees; and
(6) deliver to Congress, not later than December 31, 2019, a report specifying such plan of action.
amendment no. 131 offered by mr. schneider of illinois
Page 381, after line 9, insert the following:
SEC. 861. VETERAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP TRAINING.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should coordinate with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to include relevant aspects of veterans assistance programs of the Small Business Administration in the Transition Assistance Program established under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
(b) Boots to Business Program.--Section 32 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 657b) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new subsection:
``(f) Boots to Business Program.--
``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection--
``(A) the term `covered individual' means--
``(i) a member of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard or Reserves;
``(ii) an individual who is participating in the Transition Assistance Program established under section 1144 of title 10, United States Code;
``(iii) an individual who--
``(I) served on active duty in any branch of the Armed Forces, including the National Guard or Reserves; and
``(II) was discharged or released from such service under conditions other than dishonorable; and
``(iv) a spouse or dependent of an individual described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii); and
``(B) the term `Vet Center' has the meaning given in section 1712A(h) of title 38, United States Code.
``(2) Establishment.--The Administrator shall carry out a program to be known as the `Boots to Business Program' to provide entrepreneurship training to covered individuals.
``(3) Goals.--The goals of the Boots to Business Program are to--
``(A) provide assistance and in-depth training to covered individuals interested in business ownership; and
``(B) provide covered individuals with the tools, skills, and knowledge necessary to identify a business opportunity, draft a business plan, identify sources of capital, connect with local resources for small business concerns, and launch a small business concern.
``(4) Program components.--
``(A) In general.--The Boots to Business Program may include--
``(i) a presentation providing exposure to the considerations involved in self-employment and ownership of a small business concern;
``(ii) an online, self-study course focused on the basic skills of entrepreneurship, the language of business, and the considerations involved in self-employment and ownership of a small business concern;
``(iii) an in-person classroom instruction component providing an introduction to the foundations of self employment and ownership of a small business concern; and
``(iv) in-depth training delivered through online instruction, including an online course that leads to the creation of a business plan.
``(B) Collaboration.--The Administrator may--
``(i) collaborate with public and private entities to develop course curricula for the Boots to Business Program; and
``(ii) modify program components in coordination with entities participating in a Warriors in Transition program, as defined in section 738(e) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (10 U.S.C. 1071 note).
``(C) Utilization of resource partners.--
``(i) In general.--The Administrator shall--
``(I) ensure that Veteran Business Outreach Centers regularly participate, on a nationwide basis, in the Boots to Business Program; and
``(II) to the maximum extent practicable, use a variety of other resource partners and entities in administering the Boots to Business Program.
``(ii) Grant authority.--In carrying out clause (i), the Administrator may make grants to Veteran Business Outreach Centers, other resource partners, or other entities to carry out components of the Boots to Business Program.
``(D) Availability to department of defense.--The Administrator shall make available to the Secretary of Defense information regarding the Boots to Business Program, including all course materials created for the Boots to Business Program, for inclusion on the website of the Department of Defense relating to the Transition Assistance Program, in the Transition Assistance Program manual, and in other relevant materials available for distribution from the Secretary of Defense.
``(E) Availability to veterans affairs.--In consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Administrator shall make available outreach materials regarding the Boots to Business Program for distribution and display at local facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs which shall, at a minimum--
``(i) describe the Boots to Business Program and the services provided; and
``(ii) include eligibility requirements for participating in the Boots to Business Program.
``(5) Review.--The Inspector General of the Administration shall submit to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives an annual report regarding the awarding of grants to entities under paragraph
(4)(C).
``(6) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection and every year thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives a report on the performance and effectiveness of the Boots to Business Program, which may be included as part of another report submitted to such Committees by the Administrator, and which shall include--
``(A) the number of program participants using each component of the Boots to Business Program;
``(B) the completion rates for each component of the Boots to Business Program;
``(C) to the extent possible--
``(i) the demographics of program participants, to include gender, age, race, relationship to military, military occupational specialty, and years of service of program participants;
``(ii) the number of small business concerns formed or expanded with assistance under the Boots to Business Program;
``(iii) the gross receipts of small business concerns receiving assistance under the Boots to Business Program;
``(iv) the number of jobs created with assistance under the Boots to Business Program;
``(v) the number of referrals to other resources and programs of the Administration;
``(vi) the number of program participants receiving financial assistance under loan programs of the Administration;
``(vii) the type and dollar amount of financial assistance received by program participants under any loan program of the Administration; and
``(viii) results of participant satisfaction surveys, including a summary of any comments received from program participants;
``(D) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Boots to Business Program in each region of the Administration during the most recent fiscal year;
``(E) an assessment of additional performance outcome measures for the Boots to Business Program, as identified by the Administrator;
``(F) any recommendations of the Administrator for improvement of the Boots to Business Program, which may include expansion of the types of individuals who are covered individuals;
``(G) an explanation of how the Boots to Business Program has been integrated with other transition programs and related resources of the Administration and other Federal agencies; and
``(H) any additional information the Administrator determines necessary.''.
amendment no. 132 offered by mr. crawford of arkansas
At the end of subtitle G of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE
DISPOSAL.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) military intelligence programs should be provided additional resources, authorities, and direction with respect to prevention of and response to bombings using explosive ordnance thereby ensuring the safety of the United States and its citizens;
(2) additional explosive ordnance disposal intelligence personnel are required to improve the ability of the intelligence community to safeguard the United States;
(3) because of increasing use of explosive ordnance, which includes improvised explosive devices, the Secretary of Defense should make it a priority to enhance explosive ordnance disposal intelligence efforts to protect and safeguard the United States; and
(4) Congress should work to develop a comprehensive response to the issue of prevention of bombings in recognition of the contributions made by the 122-military explosive ordnance disposal personnel that have died in the line of duty since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
amendment no. 133 offered by mr. evans of pennsylvania
Page 381, after line 9, insert the following:
SEC. 861. IMPROVEMENT OF SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS
PROGRAM.
(a) Use of Authorized Entrepreneurial Development Programs.--The Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.), as amended by this Act, is amended--
(1) by redesignating section 48 as section 49; and
(2) by inserting after section 47 the following new section:
``SEC. 48. USE OF AUTHORIZED ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMS.
``(a) Expanded Support for Entrepreneurs.--
``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator shall only deliver entrepreneurial development services, entrepreneurial education, support for the development and maintenance of clusters, or business training through a program authorized under--
``(A) section 7(j), 7(m), 8(a), 8(b)(1), 21, 22, 29, or 32 of this Act; or
``(B) sections 358 or 389 of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.
``(2) Exception.--This section shall not apply to services provided to assist small business concerns owned by an Indian tribe (as such term is defined in section 8(a)(13)).
``(b) Annual Report.--Beginning on the first December 1 after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Administrator shall annually report to the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate on all entrepreneurial development activities undertaken in the current fiscal year through a program described in subsection
(a). Such report shall include--
``(1) a description and operating details for each program and activity;
``(2) operating circulars, manuals, and standard operating procedures for each program and activity;
``(3) a description of the process used to award grants under each program and activity;
``(4) a list of all awardees, contractors, and vendors
(including organization name and location) and the amount of awards for the current fiscal year for each program and activity;
``(5) the amount of funding obligated for the current fiscal year for each program and activity; and
``(6) the names and titles for those individuals responsible for each program and activity.''.
(b) Marketing of Services.--Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(o) No Prohibition of Marketing of Services.--The Administrator shall not prohibit applicants receiving grants under this section from marketing and advertising their services to individuals and small business concerns.''.
(c) Data Collection.--
(1) In general.--Section 21(a)(3)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(A)) is amended--
(A) by striking ``as provided in this section and'' and inserting ``as provided in this section,''; and
(B) by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, and (iv) governing data collection activities related to applicants receiving grants under this section''.
(2) Annual report on data collection.--Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended by subsection
(b), is further amended by adding at the end the following:
``(p) Annual Report on Data Collection.--The Administrator shall report annually to the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate on any data collection activities related to the Small Business Development Center Program.''.
(3) Working group to improve data collection.--
(A) Establishment and study.--The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall establish a group to be known as the ``Data Collection Working Group'' consisting of members from entrepreneurial development grant recipients associations and organizations and officials from the Small Business Administration, to carry out a study to determine the best way to capture data collection and create or revise existing systems dedicated to data collection.
(B) Report.--Not later than the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Data Collection Working Group shall issue a report to the Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate containing the findings and determinations made in carrying out the study required under paragraph (1), including--
(i) recommendations for revising existing data collection practices; and
(ii) a proposed plan for the Small Business Administration to implement such recommendations.
(d) Fees From Private Partnerships and Cosponsorships.--Section 21(a)(3) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(3)(C)), as amended by subsection (c), is further amended by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Fees From Private Partnerships and Cosponsorships.--A small business development center that participates in a private partnership or cosponsorship with the Administration shall not be prohibited from collecting fees or other income related to the operation of such a private partnership or cosponsorship.''.
(e) Equity for Small Business Development Centers.--Subclause (I) of section 21(a)(4)(C)(v) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(4)(C)(v)) is amended to read as follows:
``(I) In general.--Of the amounts made available in any fiscal year to carry out this section, not more than $600,000 may be used by the Administration to pay expenses enumerated in subparagraphs (B) through (D) of section 20(a)(1).''.
(f) Confidentiality Requirements.--Section 21(a)(7)(A) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648(a)(7)(A)) is amended by inserting after ``under this section'' the following: ``to any State, local, or Federal agency, or to any third party''.
(g) Limitation on Award of Grants to Small Business Development Centers.--
(1) In general.--Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648), as amended by subsection (c), is further amended--
(A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``any women's business center operating pursuant to section 29,''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(q) Limitation on Award of Grants.--Except for not-for-profit institutions of higher education, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator may not award grants (including contracts and cooperative agreements) under this section to any entity other than those that received grants (including contracts and cooperative agreements) under this section prior to the date of the enactment of this subsection, and that seek to renew such grants (including contracts and cooperative agreements) after such date.''.
(2) Rule of construction.--The amendments made by this section may not be construed as prohibiting a women's business center (as described under section 29 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 656)) from receiving a subgrant from an entity receiving a grant under section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648).
amendment no. 134 offered by ms. frankel of florida
At the end of subtitle G of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR RESEARCH ON
WOMEN'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO SECURITY.
Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2019, $150,000 shall be made available for research on women's contributions to security at the National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies.
amendment no. 135 offered by mr. raskin of maryland
At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following new section:
SEC. 2__. FUNDING FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CANINE PLASMA FOR
HEMORRHAGIC CONTROL.
(a) Increase.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be appropriated in section 201 for research, development, test, and evaluation, Defense-wide, as specified in the corresponding funding table in section 4201, for the United States Special Operations Command is hereby increased by
$5,000,000 for the development of freeze-dried canine plasma for hemorrhagic control.
(b) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the funding tables in division D, the amount authorized to be appropriated in section 101 for procurement, Defense-wide, as specified in the corresponding funding table in section 4101, for the United States Special Operations Command is hereby reduced by $5,000,000.
amendment no. 136 offered by ms. frankel of florida
At the end of subtitle G of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR COUNTERING VIOLENT
EXTREMISM.
Section 1094(a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A)(iv), by inserting ``including those led by women or focused on empowering women,'' after
``groups,'';
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (F); and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new subparagraph (E):
``(E) Goals to--
``(i) support women's leadership and full participation in preventing and countering violent extremism;
``(ii) reduce gender barriers to peace and security, such as gender-based violence and its harmful effects on individuals and communities; and
``(iii) address gender-specific drivers of radicalization and terrorist recruitment strategies.''.
amendment no. 137 offered by mr. coffman of colorado
At the end of subtitle A of title XVI, add the following new section:
SEC. 16__. BRIEFING ON COMMERCIAL SATELLITE SERVICING
CAPABILITIES.
(a) Briefing.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall jointly provide the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and to any other appropriate congressional committee upon request, a briefing detailing the costs, risks, and operational benefits of leveraging commercial satellite servicing capabilities for national security satellite systems.
(b) Elements.--The briefing under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) A prioritized list, with rationale, of operational and planned assets of the Department of Defense that could be enhanced by satellite servicing missions.
(2) The costs, risks, and benefits of integrating satellite servicing capabilities as a part of operational resilience.
(3) Potential strategies that could allow future national security space systems to leverage commercial in-orbit servicing capabilities where appropriate and feasible.
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, the term ``appropriate congressional committee'' means--
(1) the congressional defense committees;
(2) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and
(3) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
amendment no. 138 offered by ms. shea-porter of new hamsphire
At the end of subtitle A of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. 12_. REPORT ON SECURITY COOPERATION PROGRAMS AND
ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN
CERTAIN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.
(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to appropriate congressional committees a report on security cooperation programs and activities of the Department of Defense in the foreign countries specified in subsection (b) that were carried out at any time during the period beginning on September 11, 2001, and ending on such date of enactment.
(b) Foreign Countries Specified.--The foreign countries specified in this subsection are the following:
(1) Afghanistan.
(2) Iraq.
(3) Yemen.
(4) Nigeria.
(5) Mali.
(6) Chad.
(7) Somalia.
(8) The Philippines.
(9) Any other country as determined by the Secretary of Defense.
(c) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) Lessons learned and best practices with respect to such security cooperation programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
(2) Relevant recommendations for future security cooperation programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
(3) Recommendations for monitoring and evaluation metrics for future security cooperation programs and activities of the Department of Defense.
(4) Evaluation of the efficacy of the assessment tools used by the Department of Defense and other relevant security cooperation agencies with respect to such security cooperation programs and activities of the Department of Defense for purposes of measuring improvements made by the forces of the foreign countries specified in subsection (b).
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the congressional defense committees; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Security cooperation programs and activities of the department of defense.--The term ``security cooperation programs and activities of the Department of Defense'' has the meaning given such term in section 301(7) of title 10, United States Code.
amendment no. 139 offered by ms. sinema of arizona
Add at the end of subtitle C of title XII the following:
SEC. 12__. REPORT ON EVOLVING FINANCING MECHANISMS LEVERAGED
BY THE ISLAMIC STATE AND AFFILIATE ENTITIES.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of State, in coordination with other appropriate Federal officials, shall jointly submit to Congress a report that contains an assessment regarding--
(1) the current funding mechanisms used by the Islamic State and affiliated entities;
(2) the most likely future financing mechanisms available to the Islamic State and affiliated entities; and
(3) United States efforts to deny access to such funding mechanisms.
amendment no. 140 offered by ms. sinema of arizona
At the end of subtitle D of title III, insert the following:
SEC. 3__. REPORT ON WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION CAPABILITIES OF
ACTIVE AND RESERVE COMPONENTS.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the Sense of Congress that wildfires endanger national security.
(b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the wildfire suppression capabilities within the active and reserve components of the Armed Forces, including the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System Program, and interagency cooperation with the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior.
amendment no. 141 offered by ms. sinema of arizona
Page 157, line 12, strike ``and''.
Page 157, line 14, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
Page 157, after line 14, insert the following:
(v) ensure members obtain sufficient financial literacy to effectively leverage conferred benefits and opportunities for employment, education, vocational training, and entrepreneurship.
amendment no. 142 offered by mr. newhouse of washington
At the end of subtitle B of title XXXI of division A, add the following:
SEC. ___. HANFORD WASTE TANK CLEANUP PROGRAM.
Section 4442(e) of the Atomic Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2622(e)) is amended by striking ``2019'' and inserting
``2024''.
amendment no. 143 offered by mr. graves of louisiana
Page 175, after line 17, insert the following new section:
SEC. 573. ELIGIBILITY OF VETERANS OF OPERATION END SWEEP FOR
VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL.
The Secretary of the military department concerned may, upon the application of an individual who is a veteran who participated in Operation End Sweep, award that individual the Vietnam Service Medal.
amendment no. 144 offered by mr. schrader of oregon
At the end of subtitle F of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS IN
DEFENSE BUSINESS BOARD STUDY.
(a) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the efforts of the Secretary to implement the recommendations set forth in the study conducted by the Defense Business Board titled ``Transforming Department of Defense's Core Business Processes for Revolutionary Change''.
(b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) shall include--
(1) a description of the actions carried out by the Secretary of Defense to implement the recommendations set forth in the study described in subsection (a);
(2) identification of the specific recommendations, if any, that have been implemented by the Secretary;
(3) the amount of any cost savings achieved as a result of implementing such recommendations;
(4) identification of any recommendations that have not been implemented; and
(5) alternative recommendations to transform core business processes that would help the Department of Defense to achieve cost savings.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 908, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) each will control 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
{time} 0930
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of the en bloc package, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
The en bloc amendments were agreed to.
Amendments En Bloc No. 7 Offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, pursuant to House Resolution 908, I offer amendments en bloc.
The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc.
Amendments en bloc No. 7 consisting of amendment Nos. 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, and 167 printed in House Report 115-702, offered by Mr. Thornberry of Texas:
amendment no. 145 offered by ms. stefanik of new york
At the end of subtitle G of title V, insert the following new section:
SEC. 566. TEMPORARY EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY FOR NONCOMPETITIVE
APPOINTMENTS OF MILITARY SPOUSES BY FEDERAL
AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--During the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, section 3330d of title 5, United States Code, shall be applied--
(1) without regard to--
(A) paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of subsection (a); and
(B) subsection (c);
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by substituting ``a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty'' for ``a relocating spouse of a member of the Armed Forces''; and
(3) in subsection (d)(1), by substituting ``subsection
(a)(3)'' for ``subsection (a)(6)''.
(b) OPM Limitation and Reports.--
(1) Relocating spouses.--With respect to the noncompetitive appointment of a relocating spouse of a member of the Armed Forces under subsection (b)(1) of section 3330d of title 5, United States Code, as modified by subsection (a), the Director of the Office of Personnel Management--
(A) shall monitor the number of such appointments;
(B) shall require the head of each agency with authority to make such appointments under such section to submit an annual report to the Director on such appointments, including information on the number of individuals so appointed, the types of positions filled, and the effectiveness of the authority for such appointments; and
(C) not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, shall submit a report to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate on the use and effectiveness of such authority.
(2) Non-relocating spouses.--With respect to the noncompetitive appointment of a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces other than a relocating spouse described in paragraph (1), the Director of the Office of Personnel Management--
(A) shall treat the spouse as a relocating spouse under paragraph (1); and
(B) may limit the number of such appointments.
(c) Sunset.--Effective on the date that is two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the authority under this section, including the authority provided by the modifications to section 3330d of title 5, United States Code, shall expire.
amendment no. 146 offered by mr. thornberry of texas
Page 124, after line 2, insert the following new section:
SEC. 528. ATTENDING PHYSICIAN TO THE CONGRESS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 41 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting before section 716 the following new section:
``Sec. 715. Attending Physician to the Congress: grade
``A general officer serving as Attending Physician to the Congress, while so serving, holds the grade of major general. A flag officer serving as Attending Physician to the Congress, while so serving, holds the grade of rear admiral
(upper half).''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting before the item relating the section 716 the following new item:
``715. Attending Physician to Congress: grade''.
At the end of subtitle A of title V, insert the following new section:
SEC. 507. GRADES OF CHIEFS OF CHAPLAINS.
(a) Army.--Section 3073 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(a)'' before ``There''; and
(2) by adding at the ends the following new subsection:
``(b) The Chief of Chaplains, while so serving, holds the grade of major general.''.
(b) Navy.--Section 5142 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(e) The Chief of Chaplains, while so serving, holds the grade of rear admiral (upper half).''.
(c) Air Force.--Section 8039 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(c) Grade of Chief of Chaplains.--The Chief of Chaplains, while so serving, holds the grade of major general.''.
amendment no. 147 offered by ms. stefanik of new york
At the end of subtitle E of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. NATIONAL SECURITY COMMISSION ON ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--There is established in the executive branch an independent Commission to review advances in artificial intelligence, related machine learning developments, and associated technologies.
(2) Treatment.--The Commission shall be considered an independent establishment of the Federal Government as defined by section 104 of title 5, United States Code, and a temporary organization under section 3161 of such title.
(3) Designation.--The Commission established under paragraph (1) shall be known as the ``National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence''.
(4) Membership.--
(A) Composition.--The Commission shall be composed of 15 members appointed as follows:
(i) The Secretary of Defense shall appoint 2 members.
(ii) The Secretary of Commerce shall appoint 1 member.
(iii) The Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate shall appoint 1 member.
(iv) The Ranking Member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate shall appoint 1 member.
(v) The Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives shall appoint 1 member.
(vi) The Ranking Member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives shall appoint 1 member.
(vii) The Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate shall appoint 1 member.
(viii) The Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate shall appoint 1 member.
(ix) The Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives shall appoint 1 member.
(x) The Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives shall appoint 1 member.
(xi) The Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate shall appoint 1 member.
(xii) The Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate shall appoint 1 member.
(xiii) The Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives shall appoint 1 member.
(xiv) The Ranking Member of the Permanent Select Committee Intelligence of the House of Representatives shall appoint 1 member.
(B) Deadline for appointment.--Members shall be appointed to the Commission under paragraph (1) not later than 90 days after the Commission establishment date.
(C) Effect of lack of appointment by appointment date.--If one or more appointments under paragraph (1) is not made by the appointment date specified in paragraph (2), the authority to make such appointment or appointments shall expire, and the number of members of the Commission shall be reduced by the number equal to the number of appointments so not made.
(5) Chair and vice chair.--The Commission shall elect a Chair and Vice Chair from among its members.
(6) Terms.--Members shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, and shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made.
(7) Status as federal employees.--Notwithstanding the requirements of section 2105 of title 5, United States Code, including the required supervision under subsection (a)(3) of such section, the members of the Commission shall be deemed to be Federal employees.
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall carry out the review described in paragraph (2). In carrying out such review, the Commission shall consider the methods and means necessary to advance the development of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and associated technologies by the United States to comprehensively address the national security and defense needs of the United States.
(2) Scope of the review.--In conducting the review paragraph (1), the Commission shall consider the following:
(A) The competitiveness of the United States in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other associated technologies, including matters related to national security, defense, public-private partnerships, and investments.
(B) Means and methods for the United States to maintain a technological advantage in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other associated technologies related to national security and defense.
(C) Developments and trends in international cooperation and competitiveness, including foreign investments in artificial intelligence, related machine learning, and computer science fields that are materially related to national security and defense.
(D) Means by which to foster greater emphasis and investments in basic and advanced research to stimulate private, public, academic and combined initiatives in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other associated technologies, to the extent that such efforts have application materially related to national security and defense.
(E) Workforce and education incentives to attract and recruit leading talent in artificial intelligence and machine learning disciplines, including science, technology, engineering, and math programs.
(F) Risks associated with United States and foreign country advances in military employment of artificial intelligence and machine learning, including international law of armed conflict, international humanitarian law, and escalation dynamics.
(G) Associated ethical considerations related to artificial intelligence and machine learning as it will be used for future applications related to national security and defense.
(H) Means to establish data standards, and incentivize the sharing of open training data within related national security and defense data-driven industries.
(I) Consideration of the evolution of artificial intelligence and appropriate mechanism for managing such technology related to national security and defense.
(J) Any other matters the Commission deems relevant to the common defense of the Nation.
(c) Reports.--
(1) Initial report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to the President and Congress an initial report on the findings of the Commission and such recommendations that the Commission may have for action by the executive branch and Congress related to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and associated technologies, including recommendations to more effectively organize the Federal Government.
(2) Annual comprehensive reports.--Not later than one year after the date of this enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter annually, until the date specified in subsection
(e), the Commission shall submit a comprehensive report on the review required under subsection (b).
(3) Form of reports.--Reports submitted under this subsection shall be made publically available, but may include a classified annex.
(d) Funding.--Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated by this Act for fiscal year 2019 for the Department of Defense, not more than $10,000,000 shall be made available to the Commission to carry out its duties under this subtitle. Funds made available to the Commission under the preceding sentence shall remain available until expended.
(e) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on October 1, 2020.
(f) Definition of Artificial Intelligence.--In this section, the term ``artificial intelligence'' includes each of the following:
(1) Any artificial system that performs tasks under varying and unpredictable circumstances without significant human oversight, or that can learn from experience and improve performance when exposed to data sets.
(2) An artificial system developed in computer software, physical hardware, or other context that solves tasks requiring human-like perception, cognition, planning, learning, communication, or physical action.
(3) An artificial system designed to think or act like a human, including cognitive architectures and neural networks.
(4) A set of techniques, including machine learning that is designed to approximate a cognitive task.
(5) An artificial system designed to act rationally, including an intelligent software agent or embodied robot that achieves goals using perception, planning, reasoning, learning, communicating, decision-making, and acting.
amendment no. 148 offered by mr. taylor of virginia
Page 937, after line 12, insert the following:
SEC. 2845. DEFENSE ACCESS ROADS RELATING TO CLOSURES DUE TO
SEA LEVEL RISE AND FLOODING.
(a) Authority.--Section 210(a)(1) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by striking ``closures or restrictions'' and inserting ``closures, closures due to sea level rise and flooding, or restrictions''.
(b) Use of Funds.--Section 210 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(i) Beginning in fiscal year 2019, funds appropriated for the purposes of this section shall be available to pay the cost of repairing damage caused to, and for any infrastructure to mitigate the risks posed to, highways by recurrent flooding and sea level rise, if the Secretary shall determine that continued access to a military installation has been impacted by past flooding and projected sea level rise.''.
amendment no. 149 offered by mr. thornberry of texas
At the end of subtitle D of title VIII (page 361, after line 5), insert the following new section:
SEC. 845. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLE
TECHNOLOGY.
It is the sense of Congress that design, manufacturing, and repair of the technology in unmanned ground vehicles is critical to national security. To that end, the national technology and industrial base periodic defense capability assessments required under section 2505 of title 10, United States Code, as well as the national security strategy for the national technology and industrial base required under section 2501 of such title, should include the unmanned ground vehicles industry.
amendment no. 150 offered by mr. palmer of alabama
Page 729, before line 1, insert the following:
(3) Briefing.--The Secretary of the Air Force shall provide the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate a briefing on the need to develop additional recruitment measures or Reserve Officer Training Corps programs relating to space career fields.
amendment no. 151 offered by mr. kelly of pennsylvania
At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. 12XX. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT
THE ARMS TRADE TREATY.
(a) In General.--None of the funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for fiscal year 2019 for the Department of Defense may be obligated or expended to fund a Secretariat or any other international organization established to support the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, to sustain domestic prosecutions based on any charge related to the Treaty, or to implement the Treaty until the Senate approves a resolution of ratification for the Treaty and implementing legislation for the Treaty has been enacted into law.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude the Department of Defense from assisting foreign countries in bringing their laws, regulations, and practices related to export control up to United States standards.
amendment no. 152 offered by mr. nolan of minnesota
Page 175, line 24, insert ``, on a quarterly basis, on a website of the Department'' after ``publicly available''.
Page 176, line 2, insert ``as of the date of the submittal of the report and the total number of members of the Armed Forces so deployed during the quarter covered by the report'' before the period at the end.
Page 176, after line 19, insert the following:
(3) Public availability.--If a waiver is issued under this subsection, notice of such waiver shall be included in the report made publicly available under subsection (a) for the applicable quarter, together with information about the timing of the waiver.
amendment no. 153 offered by mr. sam johnson of texas
At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following new section:
SEC. 7__. STUDY ON REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN FORMER MEMBERS OF
THE ARMED FORCES TO ENROLL IN MEDICARE PART B
TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR TRICARE FOR LIFE.
(a) Study.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Commissioner of Social Security shall jointly submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a report on the requirement that a covered individual enroll in the supplementary medical insurance program under part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395j et seq.) in order to be eligible for TRICARE for Life.
(b) Matters Included.--The study under subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) An analysis of whether the requirement described in such subsection affects covered individuals from returning to work.
(2) The number of individuals who--
(A) are retired from the Armed Forces under chapter 61 of title 10, United States Code;
(B) are entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act pursuant to receiving benefits for 24 months as described in subparagraph
(A) or (C) of section 226(b)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 426(b)(2)); and
(C) because of such entitlement, are no longer enrolled in TRICARE Standard, TRICARE Prime, TRICARE Extra, or TRICARE Select.
(3) The number of covered individuals who would potentially enroll in TRICARE for Life but not enroll in the supplementary medical insurance program under part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395j et seq.) if able.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``covered individual'' means an individual--
(A) who is under 65 years of age;
(B) who is entitled to hospital insurance benefits under part A of title XVIII of the Social Security Act pursuant to subparagraph (A) or (C) of section 226(b)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 426(b)(2));
(C) whose entitlement to a benefit described in subparagraph (A) of such section has terminated due to performance of substantial gainful activity; and
(D) who is retired under chapter 61 of title 10, United States Code.
(2) The terms ``TRICARE for Life'', ``TRICARE Extra'',
``TRICARE Standard'', ``TRICARE Select'', and ``TRICARE Prime'' have the meanings given those terms in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
amendment no. 154 offered by mr. barr of kentucky
At the end of subtitle F of title V, insert the following new section:
SEC. 560. ENHANCEMENT OF AUTHORITIES IN CONNECTION WITH
JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS
PROGRAMS.
(a) Authority To Convert Otherwise Closing Units to National Defense Cadet Corps Program Units.--If the Secretary of a military department is notified by a local educational agency of the intent of the agency to close its Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) unit, the Secretary shall offer the agency the option of converting the program to a National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) program unit in lieu of closing the unit.
(b) Flexibility in Administration of Instructors.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries of the military departments shall undertake initiatives designed to promote flexibility in the hiring and compensation of instructors for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program under the jurisdiction of such Secretaries.
(2) Elements.--The initiatives undertaken pursuant to this subsection may provide for one or more of the following:
(A) Termination of the requirement for a waiver as a condition of the hiring of well-qualified non-commissioned officers with a bachelor's degree for senior instructor positions within the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
(B) Specification of a single instructor as the minimum number of instructors required to found and operate a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps unit.
(C) Authority for Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructors to undertake school duties, in addition to Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps duties, at small schools.
(D) Authority for the payment of instructor compensation for a limited number of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructors on a 10-month per year basis rather than a 12-month per year basis.
(E) Such other actions as the Secretaries of the military departments consider appropriate.
(c) Flexibility in Allocation and Use of Travel Funding.--The Secretaries of the military departments shall take appropriate actions to provide so-called regional directors of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs located at remote rural schools enhanced discretion in the allocation and use of funds for travel in connection with Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps activities.
(d) Standardization of Program Data.--The Secretary of Defense shall take appropriate actions to standardize the data collected and maintained on the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs in order to facilitate and enhance the collection and analysis of such data. Such actions shall include a requirement for the use of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) identification code for each school with a unit under a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program in order to facilitate identification of such schools and their units under the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.
(e) Authority for Additional Units.--
(1) In general.--The Secretaries of the military departments may, using amounts authorized to be appropriated by paragraph (2), establish an aggregate of not more than 100 units under the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs in low-income and rural areas of the United States and areas of the United States currently underserved by the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs.
(2) Funding.--There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2019 for the Department of Defense amounts as follows:
(A) For Operation and Maintenance, Army, $3,140,000, with the amount available for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Army.
(B) For Operation and Maintenance, Navy, $950,000, with the amount available for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Navy.
(C) For Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, $1,000,000, with the amount available for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Air Force.
(D) For Operation and Maintenance, Marine Corps, $390,000, with the amount available for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Marine Corps.
(E) For Military Personnel, $1,220,000, of which--
(i) $500,000 is for the Army for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Army;
(ii) $270,000 is for the Navy for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Navy;
(iii) $380,000 is for the Air Force for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Air Force; and
(iv) $70,000 is for the Marine Corps for the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program of the Marine Corps.
(3) Supplement not supplant.--The amounts authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2019 for the Department of Defense by this subsection are in addition to any other amounts authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2019 for the Department under any other provision of law.
(4) Offset.--Notwithstanding the amounts set forth in the funding tables in division D--
(A) the amount authorized to be appropriated in section 101 for procurement, as set forth in the corresponding funding table in section 4101, for other procurement, Navy, aircraft support equipment (line 090), is hereby decreased by
$3,200,000; and
(B) the amount authorized to be appropriated in section 101 for procurement, as set forth in the corresponding funding table in section 4101, for other procurement, Navy, civil engineering support equipment, items under $5 million (line 115), is hereby decreased by $3,500,000.
amendment no. 155 offered by mr. carbajal of california
Page 230, line 12, strike ``Management'' and insert
``Medical''.
Page 231, line 8, strike ``Management'' and insert
``Medical''.
amendment no. 156 offered by mr. reed of new york
At the end of subtitle D of title III, insert the following:
SEC. 3__. REPORT ON RELOCATION OF STEAM TURBINE PRODUCTION
FROM NIMITZ-CLASS AND FORD-CLASS AIRCRAFT
CARRIERS, AND VIRGINIA-CLASS AND COLUMBIA-CLASS
SUBMARINES.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, and Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, shall develop and submit to Congress a report describing the potential impacts on national defense and the manufacturing base resulting from contractors or subcontracts relocating steam turbine production for Nimitz-class and Ford-class aircraft carriers, and Virginia-class and Columbia-class submarines. Such report shall address each of the following:
(1) The overall risk of moving production on our national security including likelihood of production delay or reduction in quality of steam turbines.
(2) The impact on natural security from a delay in production of aircraft carriers and submarines.
(3) The impacts on regional suppliers the current production of steam turbines draw on and their ability to perform other contracts should a relocation happen.
(4) The impact on the national industrial and manufacturing base and loss of a critically skilled workforce resulting from a relocation of production.
(5) The risk of moving production on total cost of the acquisition.
amendment no. 157 offered by mr. hastings of florida
At the end of subtitle F of title V, insert the following new section:
SEC. 560. TRANSITION OUTREACH PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs, Labor, Education, and Homeland Security, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shall establish a pilot program through the Transition to Veterans Program Office that fosters contact between veterans and the Department of Defense.
(b) Contact.--The Secretary of Defense, and with respect to members of the Coast Guard, the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, shall direct the Military Transition Assistance Teams of the Department of Defense to contact each veteran from the Armed Forces at least twice during each of the first three months after the veteran separates from the Armed Forces to--
(1) inquire about the transition of the separated member to civilian life, including--
(A) employment;
(B) veterans benefits;
(C) education;
(D) family life; and
(2) hear concerns of the veteran regarding transition.
(c) Termination.--The Secretary shall complete operation of the pilot program under this section not later than September 30, 2019.
(d) Report.--Not later than 90 days after termination of the pilot program under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a report to Congress regarding such pilot program, including the following, disaggregated by armed force:
(1) The number of veterans contacted, including how many times such veterans were contacted.
(2) Information regarding the age, sex, and geographic region of contacted veterans.
(3) Concerns most frequently raised by the veterans.
(4) What benefits the contacted veterans have received, and an estimate of the cost to the Federal Government for such benefits.
(5) How many contacted veterans are employed or have sought employment, including what fields of employment.
(6) How many contacted veterans are enrolled or have sought to enroll in a course of education, including what fields of study.
(7) Recommendations for legislation to improve the long-term effectiveness of TAP and the well-being of veterans.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``armed force'' has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.
(2) The term ``TAP'' means the Transition Assistance Program under sections 1142 and 1144 of title 10, United States Code.
(3) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
amendment no. 158 offered by mr. foster of illinois
At the end of subtitle E of title XVI, add the following new section:
SEC. 16__. REPORT ON COUNTERMEASURES TEST PROGRAM.
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the status of the countermeasures test program. The report shall include an evaluation and response to the 2010 report by the JASON Defense Advisory Panel titled ``MDA Discrimination'', numbered JSR-10.620, with regard to the recommendations of that report on forming a countermeasures test program through an independent agency to--
(1) challenge the countermeasure efforts of the Missile Defense Agency;
(2) design countermeasures for the Missile Defense Agency;
(3) simulate such countermeasures against the national missile defense; and
(4) as appropriate, in cooperation with the Director, build and test countermeasures in intercept flight tests.
amendment no. 159 offered by ms. jackson lee of texas
At the end of subtitle G of title V, add the following new section:
SEC. 5__. ASSESSMENT AND REPORT ON ACTIVE SHOOTER THREAT
MITIGATION AT SCHOOLS LOCATED ON MILITARY
INSTALLATIONS.
(a) Assessment.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an assessment of strategies that may be used to reduce the security threat posed by active shooter incidents at public elementary schools and secondary schools located on the grounds of Federal military installations.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a).
amendment no. 160 offered by mr. flores of texas
At the end of title II, add the following new section:
SEC. 2__. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PARTNERSHIPS FOR NEXT
GENERATION HYPERSONICS CAPABILITIES.
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of the Air Force should consider entering into long-term partnerships with institutions of higher education, similar to the partnerships between such institutions and the Army and the Navy, to conduct research and science and engineering education for next generation hypersonics capabilities.
amendment no. 161 offered by mr. cramer of north dakota
At the end of subtitle G of title X, insert the following new section:
SEC. 10__. INCLUSION OF CERTAIN NAMES ON THE VIETNAM VETERANS
MEMORIAL.
The Secretary of Defense shall provide for the inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the District of Columbia the names of the seventy-four crew members of the USS Frank E. Evans killed on June 3, 1969.
amendment no. 162 offered by mr. foster of illinois
Page 817, after line 17, insert the following new subsection:
(c) CBO Report on Costs Relating to Ballistic, Cruise, and Hypersonic Defenses of the United States.--
(1) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report setting forth the following:
(A) An estimate of the costs over the 10-year period beginning on the date of the report associated with--
(i) fielding and maintaining the current and planned ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic defenses of the United States; and
(ii) implementing any new recommendations of the Ballistic Missile Defense Review with regard to ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic defenses.
(B) An estimate of the costs to design, launch, maintain, and operate space-based sensors of different constellation sizes ranging from limited to comprehensive.
(2) Form.--The report under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
amendment no. 163 offered by mrs. hartzler of missouri
At the end of subtitle E of title X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF COVERED FACILITY OR
ASSET FOR PURPOSES OF PROTECTION FROM UNMANNED
AIRCRAFT.
Section 130i(j)(3)(C) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in clause (viii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) in clause (ix), by striking the period and inserting
``; or''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(x) mobility airlift.''.
amendment no. 164 offered by mr. ben ray lujan of new mexico
At the end of subtitle B of title XXXI, add the following new section:
SEC. 31__. MANUFACTURING TRADES EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment of Manufacturing Trades Education Program.--
(1) The Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, may establish a program, to be known as the ``DOE Manufacturing Trades Grant Program Act'', under which the Secretary of Energy provides eligible entities described in paragraph (2), on a competitive basis, grants for technical skills-based training programs, including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, that provide recognized post-secondary credentials during the 5-year grant period of 2019 through 2024 to support--
(A) the enhancement of existing programs in manufacturing trades education to further the missions of the Department Of Energy national security laboratories and the NNSA Production Sites; or
(B) the establishment of new programs in manufacturing trades education that meet such requirements.
(2) Grants and awards under this section may be made to industry, not-for-profit institutions, institutions of higher education, workforce intermediaries, or to consortia of such institutions or industry.
(3) If the Secretary establishes the program, the Secretary shall establish the program in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Education, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the heads of such other relevant Federal agencies as the Secretary of Energy considers appropriate.
(4) If the Secretary establishes the program, the Secretary shall ensure that the program is coordinated with Department programs associated with advanced manufacturing activities for missions within the Department Of Energy National Security Laboratories and the NNSA Production Sites.
(b) Geographical Distribution of Grants and Awards.--In awarding grants and other awards under this section, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, avoid geographical and Departmental concentration of awards.
(c) Covered Programs.--A program of manufacturing trades education supported pursuant to this section shall meet the requirements of this section.
(d) Components of Program.--The program of education for which such a grant is made shall be a consolidated and integrated multidisciplinary program of education with an emphasis on the following components:
(1) Multidisciplinary instruction that encompasses the total manufacturing engineering enterprise and that may include--
(A) manufacturing trades education and training through classroom activities, laboratory, or employer site activities
(or a combination thereof), on the job training activities, participation in employer site projects, sponsored pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship programs, cooperative work-study programs, and interactions with other industrial facilities, consortia, or such other activities and organizations in the United States and foreign countries as the Secretary considers appropriate;
(B) Subject Matter Expert development programs;
(C) recruitment of experienced and licensed professionals that are highly qualified in relevant manufacturing trades to teach or develop manufacturing trade courses and program content;
(D) presentation of seminars, workshops, and training for the development of specific manufacturing trades skills;
(E) activities involving interaction between students and industry, including programs for visiting experts from industry or other sites or industry and personnel exchanges between Department Of Energy National Security Laboratories and the NNSA Production Sites;
(F) development of new, or updating and modification of existing, manufacturing trades curriculum, course offerings, and education programs;
(G) establishment of programs in manufacturing workforce training that are specific to the unique skills and requirements needed at the Department Of Energy National Security Laboratories and the NNSA Production Sites;
(H) establishment of joint manufacturing trades education programs with defense laboratories and, depots, national security laboratories, and NNSA production sites; and
(I) expansion of manufacturing trades training and education programs and outreach for members of the armed forces, dependents and children of such members, veterans, and employees of the Department of Defense, National Security Laboratories, and NNSA production sites.
(2) Opportunities for students to obtain work experience in manufacturing through such activities as apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship programs, internships, summer job placements, or cooperative work-study programs.
(3) Faculty and student engagement with industry that is directly related to, and supportive of, the education of students in the manufacturing trades because of--
(A) the increased understanding of manufacturing challenges and potential solutions; and
(B) the enhanced quality and effectiveness of the instruction that result from that increased understanding.
(e) Proposals.--If the Secretary establishes the program, the Secretary shall solicit proposals for grants and other awards to be made pursuant to this section for the support of programs of manufacturing trades education that are consistent with the purposes of this section.
(f) Merit Competition.--Applications for awards shall be evaluated on the basis of merit pursuant to competitive procedures prescribed by the Secretary.
(g) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary may select a proposal for an award pursuant to this section if the proposal, at a minimum, does each of the following:
(1) Provides students access to registered apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship programs for improving trades education in manufacturing technology.
(2) Contains innovative approaches for improving trades education in manufacturing technology.
(3) Demonstrates a strong commitment by the proponents to apply the resources necessary to achieve the objectives for which the award is to be made.
(4) Provides for effective engagement with industry or government organizations that supports the instruction to be provided in the proposed program and is likely to improve manufacturing capability and technology.
(5) Demonstrates a significant level of involvement of United States industry in the proposed instructional and research activities.
(6) Is likely to attract regional students that will provide long careers to the Department Of Energy National Security Laboratories and the NNSA Production Sites and promote careers in manufacturing trades at these locations.
(7) Proposes to involve fully qualified personnel and employer site subject matter experts who are experienced in manufacturing engineering education and technology.
(8) Proposes a program that, within 3 years after the award is made, is likely to attract from sources other than the Federal Government the financial and other support necessary to sustain such program.
(9) Proposes to achieve a significant level of participation by women, members of minority groups, young adults in the age range of 17 to 29, and individuals with disabilities through active recruitment of students from among such persons.
(10) Trains students in advanced manufacturing trades and in relevant emerging technologies and production processes.
(h) Institution of Higher Education Defined.--In this section the term ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
amendment no. 165 offered by mr. mcclintock of california
Add at the end the following:
DIVISION E--FEES FOR MEDICAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
PERSONNEL
SEC. 5101. FEES FOR MEDICAL SERVICES.
(a) Fees Authorized.--The Secretary may establish and collect fees for medical services provided by National Park Service personnel to persons--
(1) inside of a unit of the National Park System; and
(2) outside of a unit of the National Park System.
(b) National Park Medical Services Fund.--There is hereby established in the Treasury a fund to be known as the
``National Park Medical Services Fund''. The Fund shall consist of--
(1) donations to the Fund; and
(2) fees collected under subsection (a).
(c) Availability of Amounts.--All amounts deposited into the Fund shall be available to the Secretary, to the extent provided in advance by Acts of appropriation, for the following:
(1) Provision of services listed in subsection (a).
(2) Preparing needs assessments or other programmatic analyses for medical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and other needs and costs of providing services listed in subsection (a).
(3) Developing management plans for medical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and other needs and costs of services listed in subsection (a).
(4) Training related to providing services listed in subsection (a).
(5) Obtaining or improving medical facilities, equipment, vehicles, and other needs and costs of providing services listed in subsection (a).
(d) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
(1) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the National Park Medical Services Fund established by subsection (b).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior.
amendment no. 166 offered by mr. rohrabacher of california
At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 12__. SECURITY COOPERATION WITH ERITREA.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of State, shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the potential strategic benefits and risks of conducting security cooperation with the Government of Eritrea, including benefits and risks with respect to each of the following:
(1) Counterterrorism efforts.
(2) The security situation in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and Yemen.
(3) Other national security priorities of the United States.
amendment no. 167 offered by ms. shea-porter of new hampshire
At the end of subtitle A of title XII, add the following new section:
SEC. 12_. MODIFICATIONS TO CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION
REQUIREMENTS REGARDING SUPPORT FOR OPERATIONS
AND CAPACITY BUILDING.
(a) Authority to Provide Support for Conduct of Operations.--Section 331(d)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (H); and
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new subparagraphs:
``(E) An evaluation of political, social, economic, diplomatic, and historical factors, if any, of the participating country that may impair or inhibit the effectiveness of support to be provided to the participating country.
``(F) An assessment of the sustainability of support to be provided to the participating country by the United States.
``(G) A description of measures being taken to ensure the participating country does not become dependent on United States assistance to be provided under this section.''.
(b) Defense Institution Capacity Building.--Section 332(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
``(D) An assessment of the objectives of the United States and foreign countries participating in the program.
``(E) An evaluation of political, social, economic, diplomatic, and historical factors, if any, of foreign countries participating in the program that may impair or inhibit the effectiveness of the program.
``(F) An assessment of the sustainability of support to be provided to foreign countries participating in the program.
``(G) A description of measures being taken to ensure foreign countries participating in the program do not become dependent on United States assistance to be provided under the program.''.
(c) Foreign Security Forces Capacity Building.--Section 333(e) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(8) An evaluation of political, social, economic, diplomatic, and historical factors, if any, of the foreign country that may impair or inhibit the effectiveness of the program.''.
The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 908, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Smith) each will control 10 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I want to take a moment as we approach the conclusion of this debate to again express my appreciation to the members of the Armed Services Committee, to all of the Members of the House who have contributed to this product, as well as to our staff.
Mr. Chairman, I think many Members do not realize that it requires a lot of long, hard, late work on the part of the staff to sift through the 578 amendments that were filed for the Rules Committee in order to make our floor consideration go as smoothly as it has.
I want to express again, as I have started our general debate, my appreciation to not only our committee staff, who have been doing this throughout markup and on to floor consideration, but the Rules Committee staff and the leadership staff on both sides that have facilitated this product.
It was a good bill to begin with, but with the assistance of a number of Members, it has become a better product, and it is certainly a worthy cause for Members to participate in and to show our support for the men and women who serve.
Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Chairman, I, too, want to thank all the people who worked to put together this product. As always, our committee, I think, was a fine example, both of how to legislate and how to do it in a bipartisan way, starting at the committee process, starting with the chairman's mark.
As the chairman has mentioned, just about everybody in this House has contributed to this product, either in committee or once we got to the Rules Committee with the amendments that they offered.
It took an extraordinary amount of work on behalf of the Members, but, most importantly, on behalf of staff to sift through all of those amendments, to reach agreements where they could, to set up reasonable debate where they couldn't, and they did an outstanding job.
This is the best staff I have ever worked with. They do an amazing job.
And we all have to remember the baseline reason why we are doing this. As the authorizing bill for the Department of Defense, this is the bill that sets the policy that helps the men and women who fight and serve to protect our country. So it is an incredibly important task.
I want to particularly thank the chairman. It has been a great working relationship this year, as always. I think we have an excellent product. I look forward to getting it passed today and going to conference with the Senate.
Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), the distinguished Speaker of the House.
(Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Mr. Chairman, this has been a very busy week in the House.
I just came to the floor from a ceremony where I signed three major pieces of legislation that are now headed to the President's desk to become law.
This House has been very busy keeping its promises: to unleash our economy, to take care of our veterans, to provide hope for the terminally ill.
We just signed those three things that are now on their way to the President's desk.
But perhaps the most important promise that we made was the one that we made to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.
We promised to start rebuilding our military to give them the resources that they need to do their jobs, to reassert the United States' dominance in our military in the world.
After tax reform, that was my most important legislative priority, because that was our most important legislative priority.
Mr. Chairman, it is another promise kept.
Earlier this year, we enacted a historic increase in military funding, made possible by the bipartisan budget agreement that came before it.
This allowed us to advance the bill that we have before us right here today.
I want to thank the members of the Armed Services Committee, the ranking member, but I especially want to thank Chairman Thornberry for his work on this bill and his tireless advocacy for our men and women in uniform.
This National Defense Authorization presents another major step toward rebuilding and reforming our military. It will repair the damage done over the previous decade. It starts with readiness. It starts with readiness because this country has had a readiness crisis that has been costing us lives.
More American servicemembers are being killed in accidents and training exercises than on the battlefield. As Secretary Mattis put it, he was shocked by the poor state of our readiness. We must reverse that.
This bill invests in training. This bill invests in equipment. It grows the size of all branches of our military, and it prioritizes missile defense and our nuclear deterrent.
It is a very dangerous world, and this legislation will help us counter the threats, whether they are new or traditional, whether from China or Russia or Iran or North Korea.
But, like I said, we are not just rebuilding our military, we are reforming our military. The legislation streamlines the bureaucracy and improves the buying practices so that we are not devoting more resources to waste, we are devoting more resources to what counts: keeping this country strong and keeping this country safe.
And, of course, we are taking care of our servicemembers and their families with the biggest pay raise for our troops in 9 years.
I am so proud of this legislation. I am so proud of our legislators. I am so proud of the chairman for making this moment possible.
Here we are, not just keeping our promise, but making this a better, stronger, safer United States. This will have a lasting impact, and this will ensure that America continues to lead in the 21st century.
Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and the members of the committee, and I urge adoption of this bill.
Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Chairman, with appreciation for the kind words, but especially for the commitment from the Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry).
The en bloc amendments were agreed to.
The Acting CHAIR. The Committee will rise informally.
The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Ferguson) assumed the chair.
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