Washington, D.C.- After the Senate voted to go to conference with the House of Representatives, With Honor Action sent a letter to Senators Jack Reed and Roger Wicker, the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), urging them to maintain four bipartisan provisions championed by members of the For Country Caucus in the final version of the FY 2024 NDAA that would greatly contribute to US military readiness. These provisions are already included in the House-passed version of the bill and would help modernize the Department of Defense, and support military families and veterans.
With Honor Action’s endorsed provisions for the 2024 NDAA:
- The Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (HR 2597 / S. 1095; Section 601 in H.R. 2670)
- Extends the same active duty parental leave policy to National Guard and Reserve service members by expanding eligibility beyond birthing mothers to include fathers, adoptive parents, and foster parents.
- Military Service in Determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Eligibility for Federal Employees (H.R. 2670, Sec. 1118)
- Allows a federal employee’s military service to count towards the 12 month eligibility requirement for receiving benefits under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
- Expands DoD’s Troops to Teachers program to include JROTC instructors and administrators and reauthorizes the program for an additional two years (HR 2670, Section 574)
- Provides a pathway for veterans to become JROTC instructors under the DOD’s Troops to Teachers program and extends the life of the program for an additional two years.
- Provides a pathway for veterans to become JROTC instructors under the DOD’s Troops to Teachers program and extends the life of the program for an additional two years.
- Organization and Management of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Codification and Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit (HR 2670, Section 925)
- Codifies the DIU, establishing and identifying units in each service branch to acquire and field scalable technology, and clarifies and elevates principal DIU leaders to report directly to the Secretary of Defense.
“It is critical to our national security that we pass the National Defense Authorization Act every fiscal year. With Honor Action urges SASC leadership to support and include these critical provisions spearheaded by members of the For Country Caucus,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “These pieces of legislation are common sense ideas that would strengthen national security and national competitiveness, improve military readiness, and better support military families and veterans.”
As the conference committee goes over what will be included in the final version of the annual defense bill, With Honor Action calls on Senate Armed Services Committee leadership to include these provisions and maintain our military readiness and national security, and support our nation’s heroes and their families. The full version of the letter outlines each provision in detail and can be found below:
The Honorable Jack Reed The Honorable Roger Wicker
U.S. Senate U.S. Senate
728 Hart Senate Office Building 425 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
RE: FY24 NDAA Provisions in Support of Modernizing the DoD, Military Families, and Veterans
Dear Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker:
As the conference committee begins to consider the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24 NDAA), With Honor Action respectfully requests you include the provisions discussed below, which are all included in the House-passed version of the bill. These provisions substantially contribute to military family readiness, improving the lives of our veterans and modernizing our military force.
Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act (HR 2597 / S. 1095; Section 601 in H.R. 2670)
This provision would put parental leave eligibility for members of the National Guard and Reserves on par with active-duty servicemembers. Currently, only birthing mothers are authorized to take parental leave for three drilling periods. This would extend that same leave to fathers, adoptive parents, and long-term foster care parents. To be clear, this provision only extends the same benefits to Reserve and National Guard parents that active-duty parents are already entitled to.
Military Service in Determining Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Eligibility for Federal Employees (H.R. 2670, Sec. 1118)
This legislation allows a federal employee’s military service to count towards the 12-month eligibility requirement for receiving benefits under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This would put FMLA eligibility on par with other federal benefits, such as retirement and vacation days, which already credit military service for eligibility. As you know, approximately 500,000 veterans have chosen to continue serving our nation as civil servants, comprising about 25% of the
federal workforce.
Expands DoD’s Troops to Teachers program to include JROTC instructors and administrators and reauthorizes the program for an additional two years (HR 2670, Section 574)
The Troops-to-Teachers program not only provides veterans with the path to a career as an educator but also provides kids with positive role models who served in the military. Given the ongoing recruiting crisis, such a program is a significant force multiplier for our overworked military recruiters. Failing to include this legislation will sunset this program.
Organization and Management of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and Codification and Elevation of the Defense Innovation Unit (HR 2670, Section 925)
This provision codifies the DIU, establishing and identifying units in each service branch to acquire and field scalable technology, and clarifies and elevates principal DIU leaders to report directly to SECDEF. As our military seeks to modernize itself in an era of great power competition in a global environment of proliferating technology, this provision ensures that we can field new, innovative equipment that may be the difference between deterrence and war or victory and defeat.
Respectfully,
Rye Barcott, Co-founder and CEO
With Honor Action