July 15, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 118 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E918-E919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. GILBERT RAY CISNEROS, JR.

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 15, 2019

  Mr. CISNEROS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express. my gratitude 
that the House has approved H.R. 2500, the National Defense 
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year FY) 2020. The bill contains 
many much-needed and valuable provisions and I am proud to have had the 
opportunity to work with Chairman Smith as well as Democratic and 
Republican members of the Armed Services Committee to secure them. I 
urge these provisions to be maintained through the conference process.
  H.R. 2500 is a boon for transition assistance that servicemembers 
rely upon when they leave the military. I am proud to have secured 
bipartisan language to assist active-duty reservists and national 
guardsmen, veterans, their dependents, and Gold Star families apply for 
and secure jobs in the civilian workforce. Specifically, the provision 
would help states across the nation expand or establish a pilot program 
to provide job placement assistance and related employment services to 
those servicemembers, veterans, and their families. As a veteran 
myself, I understand firsthand the challenges servicemembers, and their 
families, face when they enter the civilian workforce, and I am proud 
to have been able to secure provisions to assist these heroes as they 
transition to civilian life. Similarly, I am proud to have fought for 
and secured language calling on the Department of Defense to provide 
separating servicemembers with a comprehensive and individualized 
statement of benefits listing the benefits to which each servicemember 
is entitled and directing them to modernize the DD214 form that will 
facilitate better connectivity with veterans that have separated from 
the military. Additionally, at my request, H.R. 2500 requires the 
Department of Defense to review recent Transition Assistance Program 
reforms and provide a progress report on implementation to date. I look 
forward to receiving this report so that Congress may determine how to 
best improve upon the program and ensure our servicemembers are 
receiving the guidance and services they need to succeed when they 
transition to civilian life. Finally, I am pleased that H.R. 2500 
includes language from my bill, H.R. 2944, the TALENT Act, which 
directs the Department of Defense to create a two-way exchange program 
between the Department's acquisition workforce and the private sector. 
The program will enable Department personnel, including military 
officers, to gain private sector experience and bring best practices 
they have learned back to the Department. Such a program brings 
benefits to the Department and to the individuals who may seek civilian 
employment after they conclude their military service.
  Another area of importance I worked to address in H.R. 2500 is 
improving access to and outcomes in military health. I am proud to have 
secured language in the bill to extend and expand an ongoing pilot 
program jointly run with the U.S. Air Force and Department of Veterans 
Affairs under the Transition Assistance Program that educates 
transitioning servicewomen about women's health care at the VA and 
encourages female servicemembers to participate. Furthermore, I worked 
with the Armed Services Committee to include language in the bill to 
direct the Department of Defense to create a comprehensive policy for 
mental health care across several key elements: pain management, opioid 
addiction, suicide prevention, and post-traumatic stress disorder. I 
would also like to note that I worked with colleagues to respond to the 
disturbing reports of hazardous and unhealthy privatized military 
housing at installations across the nation. H.R. 2500 includes language 
to ensure safe privatized military housing through the creation of a 
tenant's bill of rights, prohibition on the use of non-disclosure 
agreements in connection with entering into, continuing, or terminating 
a lease for a housing unit, establishment of a dispute resolution 
process, and creation of an electronic work order system. Finally, I am 
also happy to state that my colleagues and I were also able to secure 
language in H.R. 2500 encouraging the Department of Defense to 
accelerate research and development into technology or equipment 
solutions to eliminate the need for open air burn pits and establish 
long-term solutions for toxic waste disposal.
  As a Latino and former officer in the Navy, I am proud to have worked 
to secure language in H.R. 2500 that will improve diversity and 
inclusion in the Department of Defense. I know firsthand the benefits a 
diverse leadership can have on the force. Moreover, I believe a diverse 
military force reflects our values as a democratic society and provides 
the United States with a strategic advantage. To that end, I secured 
language in the bill to direct the Department of Defense to develop a 
new strategic plan for diversity and inclusion and worked with my 
colleagues to secure provisions to improve research capacity at 
Historic Black Colleges and Universities. Additionally, I was happy to 
support language during the Committee markup of H.R. 2500, under the 
leadership of Representative Jackie Speier, to require gender 
integration of Marine Corps basic training at Parris Island and San 
Diego. The Marine Corps is the only remaining military service that 
does not integrate basic training and it is time the Corps caught up to 
the other services in this regard. Finally, this bill includes an 
amendment--offered by myself and several colleagues and adopted on the 
House floor--to require that qualifications for eligibility to serve in 
an armed force account only for the ability of an individual to meet 
gender-neutral occupational standards and not include any criteria 
relating to the race, color, national origin, religion, or sex 
(including gender identity or sexual orientation) of an individual. We 
cannot stand for bans on individuals, including transgender 
individuals, serving in the armed forces purely because of who they 
are.
  I also worked to ensure H.R. 2500 includes provisions to addresses 
sexual assault in the military. I was troubled to learn of the findings 
in 2018 Department of Defense annual report on sexual assault in the 
military. According to the report, 20,500 service members--13,000 women 
and 7,500 men-across the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and the 
National Guard experienced ``contact or penetrative sexual assault'' 
while serving in the military in 2018--an increase from 14,900 in 2016. 
That is simply unacceptable. I am proud to have

[[Page E919]]

secured language in H.R. 2500 that extends the Defense Advisory 
Committee on Investigation, Prosecution, and Defense of Sexual Assault 
(DAC-IPAD) for an additional 5 years and expands its mandate to cover 
restorative justice models and interpretation of the Rules for Courts-
Martial 1001(c) that affect sexual assault survivors. I also fought for 
and passed a provision to direct the Department of Defense to provide a 
report on how the Department can establish a clear standard for victims 
and victims' counsel to have access to all nonprivileged court filings 
and related materials derived directly from and pertaining directly to 
the victim such that victims' rights can be enforced. Additionally, I 
am proud to have sought language to address the issue of protective 
orders--the FY 2020 NDAA now requires unit commanders to notify 
civilian authorities of the issuance of a military protective order 
against a member of the Armed Forces and would require unit commanders 
to notify a receiving unit of the issuance of a military protective 
order in the event a member is transferred to another unit. And I am 
happy to have helped secure language to create the new Defense Advisory 
Committee for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and I cosponsored an 
adopted amendment that prohibits the Department of Defense from 
contracting with companies that do not have a sexual harassment policy 
that penalizes instances of sexual harassment.

  Another key challenge H.R. 2500 tackles is climate change. I am 
grateful that language I requested to have the Department of Defense 
explore the possibility of maintaining plug-in hybrid and electric 
government vehicle fleet on defense installations and building a 
microgrid infrastructure to support them was included in the bill. The 
Department of Defense must do its part to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and this language moves the Department in that direction. I 
am also pleased that the bill includes provisions to require all 
proposals for military construction projects to consider long-term 
changes in environmental conditions, mandate the Department of Defense 
to report on progress towards meeting the goal of 25 percent renewable 
energy for military facilities by 2025, and direct the Secretary of 
Defense to develop a climate vulnerability and risk assessment tool.
  Puerto Rico recently felt the impact of climate change's most severe 
forces in Hurricane Maria, and I am proud to have cosponsored language 
led by Representative Nydia Velazquez that was included in H.R. 2500 
that will support Puerto Rico's recovery by increasing the value of 
Puerto Rican subcontractors in the federal government's contracting 
goal. Increasing the value of Puerto Rican subcontractors will 
incentivize the contracting and subcontracting of Puerto Rican 
businesses--supporting the Puerto Rican economy and business as it 
recovers from Hurricane Maria.
  H.R. 2500 also includes language to help shape a foreign policy that 
is consistent with American values. I was happy to work with my 
colleagues to increase oversight and transparency of civilian 
casualties resulting from strikes outside areas of active hostilities 
and direct the Department of Defense to work with a federally funded 
research and development center to conduct an independent assessment of 
processes and procedures related to civilian casualties. Additionally, 
I was proud to co-sponsor adopted amendments that tackled priority 
foreign policy challenges that our nation faces. These amendments 
reasserted congressional authority to authorize the use of force, 
including vis-a-vis Iran, and called for an end of war declaration and 
peace agreement that will formally and responsibly end the Korean war.
  I would also like to note that the FY 2020 NDAA includes important 
education related provisions. I am grateful to see the amendment I 
cosponsored with several of my colleagues to enable the Secretary of 
Defense to make grants to Department of Defense schools or those with 
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps programs to support world 
language study was included in the bill. I am also proud to have 
secured language in the bill to direct the Secretary of Defense to 
explore how the Department may carry out a program under which the 
Secretary makes grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to 
carry out STEM educational events for military communities across the 
United States.
  In conclusion, Madam Speaker, H.R. 2500 is a strong defense bill that 
supports our troops, protects our nation, and reflects American values. 
I was proud to vote in favor of this bill and encourage my colleagues 
in the House and Senate to maintain these important provisions through 
the conference process.

                          ____________________