Rep. Schrier’s Amendments to Help Veterans and Military Families Pass the House with Bipartisan Support

WASHINGTON, DC – Today Congresswoman Kim Schrier’s, M.D. (WA-08) amendments to support Veterans, improve childcare for families of servicemembers, and strengthen wildfire preparedness passed the House with bipartisan support as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023. The NDAA is Congress’ bill to maintain military readiness and increase national security. Rep. Schrier’s remarks about the bill may be viewed here.

“This bill provides key investments to strengthen national security and support those who protect our country. As families continue to feel squeezed by rising costs, I’m glad the NDAA provides pay raises combined with inflation adjustments for service members,” said Rep. Schrier. “The men and women who work tirelessly to protect our country deserve these benefits.”

Rep. Schrier's first amendment would direct a review of health screenings for separating servicemembers, specifically regarding social isolation as a risk factor. “Veterans in our country are committing suicide at alarming rates. My amendment will help reduce rates of homelessness, substance use, and suicide by identifying risk factors early on and offering help as service members transition out of the military and into civilian life.”

Rep. Schrier’s second amendment would establish data reporting on military families’ access to childcare. Washington is unique in having a military child workgroup composed of representatives from the Department of Defense, military installations, Child Care Aware of Washington, Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington, YMCA of Washington, local school districts, and childcare providers that is looking at the needs of military families and expanding quality childcare access. “Child care costs and access are the last thing our servicemembers should have to be concerned with,” Rep. Schrier continued. “Better data will help us know where these programs are successful, and what changes we can make to better assist our servicemembers and their families.”

The third amendment would strengthen interagency coordination for weather stations to help prevent and track wildfires, particularly in remote areas with limited radar coverage. Under this amendment, the Department of Defense (DoD) would optimize and improve the nation’s primary weather monitoring network first developed in the 1990’s. “As wildfires and severe weather become more common across the 8^th and the United States, we need to make sure our weather monitoring infrastructure is efficient and up-to-date. This amendment will ensure our emergency response to wildfires is as quick as possible.”

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023:

• Raises pay for service members and civilians by 4.6%, and issues inflation bonuses for those earning less than $45,000 per year
• Strengthens the domestic supply chain for critical elements of microelectronics production
• Provides additional support and assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces
• Creates a pilot program focused on semiconductors in the National Defense Stockpile
• Extends the National Guard support to fight wildfires until 2029
• Allows the Department of Defense (DoD) to transfer aircraft to other departments to aid in search and rescue operations or emergency operations related to wildfires
• Extends the authorization of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, including extending the deadline for those who qualify to apply for SIVs, and allows those Afghans wounded during their service to the U.S. Government to apply for the SIV program even if they have not met the one-year minimum employment threshold
• Requires the DoD to implement recommendations for the timely clean-up of formerly used defense sites