On Wednesday,5 July, the HASC passed its version of the 2018 NDAA, by a vote of 60 to 1. Just a few of the provisions in this bill:
• Would provide a 2.4 percent military pay raise.
• Would allow military families to stay in base housing, under certain circumstances, up to six months after the sponsor PCSs to a new location. They would also be allowed to move six months early when the sponsor has orders and to use the higher BAH rate, if applicable.
• Would permit the children and dependents of military retirees who reside in military housing to attend DoD elementary and secondary schools, rather than requiring students to transfer once their parent(s) retire from service.
• Would prohibit funds for another round of base realignments and closures.
• Did not approve an extension of the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance past its current expiration date of 31 May 2018.
• Refused to include a proposal to decrease the basic allowance for housing for those residing in privatized housing.
• Refused to include DoD’s call to raise TRICARE fees for working-age retirees.
• Refused to include DoD’s call to increase co-pays for prescriptions at TRICARE retail stores and/or those obtained through the TRICARE mail order program.
• Refused a proposal to have women register for the draft.
An article in The Hill reports on the committee passage of this legislation in writing, “The bill would authorize $621.5 billion in the base defense budget and $75 billion in a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account. Of the OCO, $10 billion would be used for base budget items. The bill is $28.5 billion above what President Trump had requested, but $8.5 billion less than what committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) originally planned to put in the bill.
Read the entire article at http://thehill.com/policy/defense/339997-house-panel-approves-6965b-defense-policy-bill.