Sen. Hagan Helps Pass National Defense Authorization Act

Washington, DC – On Tuesday U.S. Senator Kay Hagan praised Senate passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and all military and defense-related activities.

Hagan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, fought to include provisions that support North Carolina’s military bases, servicemembers, veterans and their families, including a pay raise for members of the armed forces. The NDAA passed the Senate by a vote of 98 to 0 and now must be reconciled with the House version, according to Chris Moyer in a news release.

"North Carolina has one of the largest military footprints in the nation, and the NDAA enhances the ability of our military to protect our national security while also providing much-needed support for our military men and women, retirees, and their families—including a well-deserved pay raise for servicemembers," Hagan said. "I'm pleased that my amendment to preserve a program that will strengthen U.S. energy security passed the Senate and is included in the final bill. Overall, the NDAA will ensure that the men and women in our military have the resources they need to effectively and safely protect our country."

The NC senator serves as Chair of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and worked to include provisions in the final bill critical to military readiness, including her amendment that preserves a key military biofuels program.

Hagan's bipartisan amendment, which was approved by the Senate last week, removed a provision from the NDAA that would have prohibited the Navy from proceeding with a public-private partnership that helps create refineries needed to produce advanced biofuels for the military. For more on Hagan’s amendment, please click here.

The final NDAA also repeals provisions of last year's National Defense Authorization Act that could have disrupted the longstanding balance of work between Fleet Readiness Center-East at Cherry Point, North Carolina and private businesses. This year’s bill helps to ensure FRC-East can continue to provide world-class support for Navy and Marine Corps aviation and protects the economy in the surrounding community. Together with MCAS Cherry Point, FRC-East has a $2 billion economic impact on the surrounding area. Over 5,000 civilians and military personnel make up the workforce at FRC-East, making it North Carolina’s largest civilian employer east of I-95.

Major highlights for North Carolina:

·      The FY13 NDAA authorizes almost half a billion dollars in military construction projects for bases in North Carolina. The 16 NC projects authorized by the bill include facilities for special operations forces at Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune, a medical clinic at Seymour Johnson, and buildings at Cherry Point and New River. These projects must now be funded through the annual appropriations process.

·      Hagan amendment preserves military biofuels program that diversifies energy sources, promotes readiness and creates new markets for NC’s farmers and biotech industry.

·      Authorizes a 1.7 percent across-the-board pay raise for all members of the uniformed services, including more than 100,000 active duty, reserve and National Guard personnel in North Carolina.

·      Does not authorize Department of Defense (DoD) proposals that would establish enrollment fees for TRICARE Standard and TRICARE for Life and increase TRICARE deductibles and the annual catastrophic cap.

·      Encourages DoD to identify and develop methods to match departing servicemembers with viable post-service career opportunities.

·      Repeals provisions of last year's National Defense Authorization Act that could have upset the balance of work at FRC-East.

·      Requires DoD to issue defense-wide guidance on the tracking and handling of possible environmental contamination exposures on military installations, as recommended by the Government Accountability Office.

·      Protects the warfighter with several provisions addressing post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and sexual assault prevention.

·      Declines to authorize the requested additional rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC).