WASHINGTON- Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, today released a discussion draft of Military Family Readiness legislation they intend to offer for inclusion in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act.
A fact sheet summarizing the legislation can be found here.
Legislative text can be found here.
Releasing the bill, Rep. Thornberry said: “Family readiness is a major component of military readiness. Servicemembers shouldn’t have to worry about whether their next duty station can support the medical needs of their family or whether they will be able to afford safe, reliable childcare. The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many of these daily challenges. This effort is an extension of the bipartisan family readiness reforms the House Armed Services Committee has championed in the past, including a new blended retirement system, reforms to the military healthcare system, and repeated reforms of the widow’s tax.”
Rep. Kelly added, “Military Family Readiness has been a focal point of my tenure during the 116th Congress. I am proud to co-sponsor a proposal that will address many areas that have been highlighted in recent months, including the Exceptional Family Member Program, behavioral health, opioid abuse and child care .”