Government affairs

Following months of negotiation and passage in both chambers with strong bipartisan support, the President has signed the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2500/S. 1790) into law. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and Jack Reed (D-RI) and Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX), the respective chairmen and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, reached a compromise in early December on the $738 billion defense policy bill, paving the way for its passage in the House via a 377-48 vote and in the Senate via a 86-8 vote.

The massive bill is must-pass legislation each year as it authorizes funding for a range of military programs. Among the many provisions of this far-reaching legislation is language that provides a 3.1 percent pay raise for the military, 12 weeks of paid parental leave to the entire federal workforce (which unfortunately does not apply to postal employees as we bargain over such benefits), and adopt the Fair Chance Act, which prevents all branches of the federal government and federal contractors from requesting criminal history information at the start of the hiring process.

"This bipartisan, bicameral agreement puts our troops and America’s security first by continuing to rebuild our military, positioning our Armed Forces to meet the next wave of threats outlined in the National Defense Strategy, reforming the business side of the Pentagon — and, most importantly, caring for our service members and their families," said the four House and Senate Armed Services chairmen and ranking members in a statement.