Van Hollen Secures Priorities for Maryland in Annual Defense Bill for Fiscal Year 2023 | U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

December 08, 2022

As we speak, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) introduced the inclusion of a number of Maryland priorities within the Home and Senate management’s negotiated fiscal 12 months 2023 Nationwide Protection Authorization Act (NDAA). The laws is anticipated to be thought of within the Home subsequent week and the Senate shortly thereafter. The laws incorporates provisions and investments in key Maryland navy installations that the Senator fought for, in addition to a 4.6 p.c pay elevate for navy and Division of Protection (DoD) civilian workers.

“This 12 months’s protection invoice helps our service members, bolsters our safety each at residence and overseas, and advances essential protection tasks throughout our state,” stated Senator Van Hollen. “For Maryland – which is the proud residence of tens of 1000’s of navy members and civilian workers in addition to essential navy installations – this laws invests over $800 million in these property and ensures they are often prepared to deal with the challenges of immediately and tomorrow, whereas selling essential priorities like our Coast Guard Yard’s infrastructure and strengthening the analysis capabilities of our HBCUs. Moreover, it’s going to enhance the standard of lifetime of the individuals who assist our nation’s protection via a 4.6 p.c pay elevate and investments of their well being and youngster care advantages. Like all invoice, this package deal isn’t excellent, however general I imagine it’s going to meaningfully advance our nationwide safety targets, assist our protection workforce, and put money into essential priorities for our state.”

Inside the FY 2023 NDAA, Senator Van Hollen fought to safe:

Authorization of $636 million for a significant infrastructure overhaul on the Coast Guard Yard in Curtis Bay, Maryland. Senators Van Hollen and Cardin fought to incorporate language within the NDAA from their Service to the Fleet Act, which can authorize the funding vital for the Coast Guard to hold out its infrastructure modernization plan for the Yard. This effort will higher equip the Coast Guard to service new lessons of bigger and extra technologically-advanced ships whereas enhancing circumstances for the workforce.

Funding authorization for added navy building tasks in Maryland, together with:

• $17.5 million for street tasks at Fort Meade
• $2.64 million for planning and design of a ship techniques integration and design facility and $2 million for a laboratory at Naval Floor Warfare Middle (NSWC) Carderock
• $28.2 million to finish relocation of hazmat and explosive ordnance disposal services at Joint Base Andrews
• $75.5 million for the Bethesda Naval Medical Middle Addition/Alteration Challenge
• $37.6 million for a fabrication facility at Aberdeen Proving Floor
• $6 million for a laboratory, $5.4 million for a contained burn facility, and $2 million for an explosive ordnance disposal testing vary at NSWC Indian Head Division

A brand new program to assist STEM actions and assist Traditionally Black Schools and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Establishments (MSIs) obtain R1 analysis standing. The Division of Protection will arrange a brand new, focused effort to assist STEM training at HBCUs and MSIs and assist them obtain R1 “very excessive analysis exercise” standing. Senator Van Hollen is a number one advocate for elevated federal funding to assist analysis exercise and promote STEM training at HBCUs and launched the HBCU RISE Act to associate with HBCUs and assist them in changing into main analysis establishments.

Senator Van Hollen’s 1LT Hugh Conor McDowell Security in Armed Forces Tools Act. This laws requires the providers to hold out a pilot program to put in knowledge recorders in navy tactical autos with the purpose of figuring out the causes of accidents and eliminating coaching accidents just like the one which took the lifetime of First Lieutenant McDowell, whose household resides in Chestertown, Maryland on the Jap Shore.

Elimination of the supply that will have ended the providers’ authority to hold out minor navy building tasks as a part of the Lab Revitalization Program (LRP) in 2025. This is a crucial step in Senator Van Hollen’s broader efforts to extend the cap for minor navy building tasks to permit tasks as much as $12 million to be constructed utilizing expedited authority. The LRP is an revolutionary software for installations to deal with the backlog in infrastructure wants at DoD laboratories throughout the enterprise. This system gives a threshold of $6 million for DoD and repair secretaries to fund these tasks. The edge was final elevated in 2016, however price will increase make it harder accommodate tasks to suit beneath the brink.

Language supporting the demolition of contaminated services at Aberdeen Proving Floor, Edgewood Space. These contaminated, unused chemical testing services endanger readiness and value extra to take care of in the long run than they may price to demolish.

Historic reforms to the navy justice system. The NDAA contains language from the Army Justice Enchancment and Growing Prevention Act, of which Senator Van Hollen is a co-sponsor, to strip commanders of all remaining judicial features and prosecutorial duties for lined offenses, together with sexual assault, and add two new lined offenses to the listing of these created final 12 months. This bipartisan reform is supported by a broad coalition of organizations, together with the VFW, IAVA, American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America, Defend Our Defenders, Nationwide Alliance to Finish Sexual Violence, SWAN, Nationwide Coalition In opposition to Home Violence (NCADV), Widespread Protection, and the Veterans Restoration Challenge.

Monitoring data for returning identification paperwork to U.S. passport candidates. The State Division can be required to supply an possibility for passport candidates to have supporting paperwork returned to them by USPS Licensed Mail. Misplaced documentation is a big, time-consuming, and really costly burden for constituents and this feature would offer for extra dependable supply.

Bettering safety clearance processing. The State Division can be required to submit suggestions to Congress concerning streamlining the safety clearance approval course of. Maryland is residence to a excessive variety of residents holding and searching for safety clearances, that are required for sure federal authorities jobs. Unreasonably lengthy processing instances harm U.S. nationwide safety by leaving essential positions vacant. A extra environment friendly evaluate course of would make us safer and enhance staffing at federal companies the place clearances are vital.