WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) which included a number of bipartisan provisions spearheaded by Senator Tillis to improve the quality of life for servicemembers and military families. The bipartisan legislation supports $778 billion in national defense funding for fiscal year 2022.  

As Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senator Tillis led the effort to pass an across the board 2.7 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the DOD civilian workforce. Senator Tillis’ personnel subcommittee also made efforts to support military spouse employment and expand health care for military members and their families.

“I was proud to lead multiple successful bipartisan efforts, including providing a pay raise for our servicemembers and expanded options to improve the lives of military families,” said Senator Tillis. “Since being elected, one of my top priorities has been ensuring Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point, New River, and Seymour Johnson have the resources they need as they continue to play an important role in protecting the nation. This bipartisan legislation will be a big win for North Carolina’s servicemembers and our military families, and I will work to get this bill to the President’s desk and ensure our men and women in uniform and their families have the support they need.” 

FY2022 Military Construction for North Carolina Installations:

Army:

• Fort Bragg, 10MW Microgrid Utilizing Existing and New Generators - $19.5 million
• Fort Bragg, Emergency Water System - $7.7 million

Marine Corps:

• Camp Lejeune, Water Treatment Plant Replacement - $64.2 million
• Camp Lejeune, II MEF Operations Center Replacement - $42.2 million
• MCAS Cherry Point, Aircraft Maintenance Hangar - $57.9 million
• MCAS Cherry Point, F-35 Flightline Utilities Modernization - $30 million
• MCAS Cherry Point, F-35 Sustainment Center - $10 million
• MCAS Cherry Point, ATC Tower and Airfield Operations - $18.7 million
• MCAS New River, Maintenance Hangar - $13.3 million
• MCAS New River Aircraft Maintenance Hangar Addition/Alterations - $2.7 million

Total MILCON Funding - $266.2 million

Senator Tillis’ Priorities Secured in the NDAA: 

Quality of Life

• Includes funding to support a 2.7 percent pay raise for both military servicemembers and the DOD civilian workforce.
• Authorizes an increase in funding of $70 million for Defense-wide Operations & Maintenance, Department of Defense Education Activity, for Impact Aid, including $10 million for military children with severe disabilities.
• Authorizes $75.3 million from the Armed Forces Retirement Home Trust Fund for fiscal year 2022 for the operation of the Armed Forces Retirement Home. 

Military Justice Reform Legislation

• Includes historic reform to how the military investigates and prosecutes certain offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including by:
• Establishing special trial counsel who would have exclusive authority to refer certain offenses to trial by court-martial. Such referral would be binding on any applicable convening authority.
• Requiring that each Secretary of a Military Department appoint one lead special trial counsel for each military service in the grade of O-7 or above with significant military justice experience reporting directly to the Secretary concerned, without intervening authority.
• Establishing the scope of these reforms to include offenses under the following Articles of the UCMJ: 117a, 118, 119, 120, 120b, 120c, 125, 128b, 130, and 132, and the standalone offense of child pornography under Article 134 of the UCMJ. The scope would also include the inchoate offenses of conspiracy, solicitation, or attempt under Articles 81, 82, or 80 of the UCMJ, relative to the underlying offenses.
• Making numerous necessary conforming amendments to the UCMJ to effectuate this reform.
• Establishing an effective date for this reform of two years after the date of enactment of this Act, and by requiring numerous reports and briefings by the Department concerning implementation.

Other Military Justice and Investigation Matters

• Requires the President to issue regulations to include sexual harassment as a standalone offense punishable under Article 134 of the UCMJ.
• Requires independent investigations of sexual harassment complaints relative to the new standalone offense.
• Amends the UCMJ to require military judge-alone sentencing in non-capital courts martial, subject to the President’s establishment of sentencing parameters and criteria.
• Authorizes the DOD Safe Helpline to receive sexual assault reports in both unrestricted and restricted forms, and to provide support to victims making reports.
• Requires a plan to establish a uniform document management system for the military justice system.
• Establishes a DOD Primary Prevention Workforce tasked with developing training and education programs for the prevention of sexual assault among DOD personnel.
• Requires the Secretary to designate a single office to track allegations of retaliation toward victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment.
• Requires the return to full functionality of the Military Justice Review Panel.
• Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report containing such recommendations as the Secretary considers appropriate with respect to the establishment of a separate punitive article in the UCMJ on violent extremism.

Families

• Creates a new category of bereavement leave for military personnel that would permit servicemembers to take up to two weeks of leave in connection with the death of a spouse or child.
• Increases parental leave to 12 weeks for all servicemembers for the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Establishes a Basic Needs Allowance to ensure that all servicemembers can meet the basic needs of their families.
• Directs the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretaries of the military departments and Superintendents of the military academies, to develop policy that includes the option to preserve parental guardianship rights of cadets and midshipmen.
• Authorizes the Secretary to conduct a pilot program providing direct hire authority to hire military spouses stationed at a duty station outside of the United States to a term position within the DOD.
• Requires the Department of Defense to conduct oversight of the military services in their uniform selections to ensure there is no gender bias in uniform design or selection, and requires payments if like uniform items cost more for one gender or another. 

End Strength

• Army – 485,000
• Navy – 346,920
• Marine Corps – 178,500
• Air Force – 329,220
• Space Force – 8,400

Health Care

• Authorizes coverage of preconception and prenatal carrier screening tests for certain medical conditions under the TRICARE program.
• Requires the Secretary of Defense to provide certain federal employees and their family members experiencing symptoms of anomalous health conditions timely access for medical assessment and treatment, subject to space availability, at certain medical treatment facilities.
• Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to transfer $137.0 million from the Defense Health Program to the Joint Department of Defense-Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility Demonstration Fund for the operation of the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center.

DOD Civilian Personnel

• Establishes new bereavement leave benefit for Federal civilian employees of two weeks for the death of a child.
• Extends premium pay and other temporary pay authorities for Federal civilian employees.
• Repeals the requirement to offset National Guard pay of members of the District of Columbia (DC) National Guard who are also Federal employees, under certain mobilization authorities unique to members of the DC National Guard.
• Repeals the two-year probationary period for Department of Defense civilian employees, effective December 31, 2022.
• Eliminates the primacy of performance ratings in reductions-in-force within the Department of Defense by requiring the Secretary of Defense to account for performance among other factors.
• Extends through 2026 the authority for employees of Domestic Defense Industrial Base Facilities and the Major Range and Test Facilities Base hired to time-limited positions to compete for a permanent appointment in the competitive service. 

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