Congressman Don Bacon (NE-02), member of the House Armed Services Committee, had several legislative priorities adopted during the Committee’s markup and consideration of H.R. 5515, the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Markup is when a committee debates proposed legislation.

Rep. Bacon, an Air Force veteran and retired Brigadier General, is a leading congressional advocate for men and women in uniform. Last year, Rep. Bacon was the sole freshman member of the Committee named to the joint House-Senate conference to finalize the FY18 NDAA.

“The FY19 NDAA supports our servicemembers and their families, and gets us on a path to make our military more lethal, resilient, and efficient. I thank the Committee for supporting my bipartisan proposals to restore readiness, and ensure our men and women in uniform have what they need to support the National Defense Strategy,” said Rep. Bacon. 

The bill includes robust funding for Offutt Air Force Base, including more than $500 million for fleet-wide upgrades to RC-135, WC-135, and E-4 aircraft. The Committee recognizes the important role Offutt Air Force Base plays and this funding will give these Airmen the tools they need to succeed. 

The bill now moves forward for consideration by the full House of Representatives later this month.

Dozens of Rep. Bacon’s legislative priorities were included in H.R. 5515, including language from eight of his bills:

• H.R. 3897, the Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017
• H.R. 5522, Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Readiness Act of 2018
• H.R. 5553, the Loya-Sears Warrior Transition Assistance Reform Act of 2018
• H.R. 4754, the Change Order Transparency for Federal Contractors Act
• H.R. 5528, the Speed Warrior Outcomes, Research, Detection and Diagnosis (SWORDD) Act of 2018
• H.R. 5482, the Military Biodefense Readiness and Protection Act of 2018
• H.R. 5680, the Taiwan Defense Assessment Commission Act of 2018
• H.R. 1383, Recognizing Officers and Enlisted Men of the Korean Constabulary

H.R. 5515 will also include additional amendments offered by Rep. Bacon that will:

• Require DoD to study and report on options to consolidate its retail sales activities (military commissaries and exchanges) while preserving benefits for servicemembers and military families.
• Require DoD to limit the use of Russian energy in a new medical center being built in Germany.
• Require DoD to report on the operational viability of OC-135 Open Skies Treaty observation aircraft.  The Offutt-based OC-135 aircraft first entered service in 1961 and are now in their 57^th year of operation.
• Require DoD to provide public updates on China’s provocative actions in the Indo-Pacific region.