Jun 20, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON - Led by Chairman Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Ranking Member Jackie Speier (D-CA), the Committee on Armed Services Subcommittee for Military Personnel today released its proposals for the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The Subcommittee will meet at 11:30 AM on Thursday, June 22nd, in Rayburn 2212. The markup will be live streamed on the Committee's website. The subcommittee markup is available here.
The Military Personnel proposal is an integral part of the NDAA, supporting and protecting our warfighters with the care and benefits they need, deserve, and have earned. Specifically, this year's proposal:
- Authorizes increased endstrength across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Army Guard and Reserve, Naval and Air Reserve, and Air Guard;
- Extends special pay and bonuses for Servicemembers;
- Enhances the tools available to prosecute perpetrators of nonconsensual sharing of intimate images by adding a new provision to the Uniform Code of Military Justice specifically prohibiting these crimes;
- Improves the process for consideration of former Servicemembers’ discharge upgrade requests by requiring boards to consider non-military medical evidence and requiring liberal consideration of evidence relating to Post-Traumatic Stress or Traumatic Brain Injury;
- Supports the recent Military Health System organizational reform by ensuring the Services have a role in the readiness of military health professionals and the operation of military medical treatment facilities;
- Expands special victims counsel training to require training on the unique challenges faced by male victims of sexual assault;
- Authorizes a pilot program that allows the Army National Guard to leverage recently retired senior enlisted members to serve as recruiters;
- Prohibits the reduction of inpatient care for military Medical Treatment facilities located outside the United States;
- Strongly encourages the Secretary of Defense to explore complementary and integrative post-traumatic stress disorder therapies, supports the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine Brain Tissue Repository, and requires the Secretary of Defense to devise a plan to inform service members how to donate their brains for research after death;
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide a physical examination to reserve component service members that have served on active duty in support of a contingency operation for a period of more than 30 days.
- Authorizes the Services to reimburse a service member up to $500 for a spouse’s expenses related to obtaining licensing or certification in another State because of a military move.