{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://green.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-gene-green-provision-included-passage-2018-national-defense", "Rep. Gene Green Provision Included in Passage of 2018 National Defense Authorization Act", "2017-11-14", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "TX", "Gene Green", "G000410", "green.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 Today, the House of Representatives passed the Conference Report on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a bipartisan defense policy bill that authorizes $692 billion in defense spending in fiscal year 2018. Included in the authorization is a provision based on legislation introduced by Reps. Green (D-TX) and Rob Wittman (R-VA), H.R. 2286, the Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence Act.\nThe Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence Act was introduced in May 2017 and was successfully added as an amendment to the NDAA during the committee markup. It will authorize the U.S. Maritime Administration to designate and provide assistance to certain community colleges and workforce training centers as \u201ccenters of excellence\u201d that provide valuable skills in the maritime sector. The provision, Section 3507, will advance the capabilities of two-year community and technical colleges to expand the talent pipeline for domestic maritime industry jobs at the Port of Houston and other ports around the country. \u00a0\n\u201cWe have a surplus of good-paying maritime jobs in our district and not enough people with the skills and training to fill them,\u201d said Green. \u201cThe industry is continuing to invest and grow along the Port of Houston. We need to make sure that members of our community have the opportunity to secure these highly skilled jobs. This bipartisan legislation will go far to help bridge the gap. It\u2019s good for our local community, it\u2019s good for our businesses, and it\u2019s good for the American economy.\u201d\nOther provisions in the 2018 NDAA include:\n A much deserved 2.4 percent pay increase and extension of special pay and bonuses for service members.\n\tSupport for military families by prohibiting the proposed reduction in inpatient care for military medical treatment facilities located outside the United States.\n\tProvisions to strengthen deterrence against Russian aggression\n\tAcknowledging climate change is a direct threat to U.S. national security interests and requires a report on vulnerabilities to military installations and commands.\n A copy of the Domestic Maritime Centers of Excellence Act can be found HERE.\n\u00a0###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://green.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-gene-green-provision-included-passage-2018-national-defense"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8707570377737284, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}