{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-defends-hawaii-priorities-in-markup-of-annual-defense-policy-bill", "Rep. Tokuda Defends Hawai\u2018i Priorities in Markup of Annual Defense Policy Bill", "2025-07-16", "2025", "2025-07", "Democrat", "House", "HI", "Jill N. Tokuda", "T000487", "tokuda.house.gov", "tokuda", "https://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases?PageNum_rs=3&", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Last night, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted to send H.R. 3838, the Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, to the full House of Representatives. If enacted into law, this NDAA would mark the 65th consecutive year in which Congress has passed this critical law for national security. The committee reported the bill as amended by a vote of 56 to 2.\n\n\u201cAs a member of the House Armed Services Committee, it\u2019s important to me that the Department of Defense is a good neighbor to those that reside in Hawai\u2019i and takes the utmost care to protect our most vulnerable communities,\u201d said Rep. Tokuda. \u201cBy mandating the Department to more accurately capture its housing needs, we can plan for a proper amount of military workforce housing while responding to the local impact of the military\u2019s presence on Hawaii\u2019s limited supply of affordable homes. I also fought for new reporting mandates for cases of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and child abuse to ensure that the Department of Defense meets its responsibility to care for our military families.\u201d\n\n\"In response to the tragic deaths of Mischa Johnson and her unborn child, I worked with my colleagues to increase the maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter cases under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This important change strengthens military justice and ensures that future violent criminals face consequences as serious as the strong laws in Hawai\u2018i and other states,\u201d continued Rep. Tokuda.\n\n\u201cThese various provisions directly address the challenges facing our military families, from including civilian employees in housing market analyses to ensuring swift reporting of abuse and neglect. By holding the Department accountable for the safety of servicemembers and their families, these measures reflect our commitment to their well-being.\u201d\n\nThe bill, as amended, also includes several top priorities for Hawai\u2018i and for servicemembers, veterans, Department of Defense civilian employees, and their families secured by Rep. Tokuda, including:\n\nA requirement for the Department of Defense to report to Congress quarterly on efforts to combat sexual assault, sexual harassment, and intimate partner violence;\n\nA requirement to review and increase the maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, currently much lower than the maximum sentence in Hawai\u2018i and many other states, which came to light amid the prosecution for the gruesome killing of Hawai\u2018i resident Mischa Johnson and her unborn child by her Soldier husband;\n\nThe full inclusion of Department of Defense civilian employees and contractors in the military\u2019s regular housing market analyses, plus an independent review of the suitability of Department of Defense land in Hawai\u2018i for housing construction for service members to help address the military\u2019s impact on the local housing market;\n\nA 24-hour parental notification requirement for child abuse and neglect that occurs at Department of Defense child and youth programs, plus a 72-hour congressional notification requirement to hold the Department accountable;\n\nA provision to prevent the Trump Administration from decommissioning oceanographic ships, like the Kilo Moana, without providing a plan to maintain and recapitalize the oceanographic fleet;\n\nA new authority to fund ordnance disposal through intergovernmental support agreements, opening up a new possibility for local and state governments in Hawai\u2018i and throughout the nation to assist in the demining of formerly used defense lands;\n\nAn independent review of the military\u2019s efforts to prevent criminal activity and other misconduct by service members stationed in Okinawa, Japan, along with reporting requirements on the Department\u2019s efforts to improve communication with the local community in Okinawa regarding criminal allegations involving U.S. service members; and\n\nA review by the Government Accountability Office of the costs and impacts on military readiness of the Trump Administration\u2019s efforts to use the military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for immigration enforcement;\n\nThis year\u2019s NDAA also includes other provisions to improve the quality of life for military servicemembers and their families, including a 3.8 percent pay increase for military personnel, extending the \u201cChild Care In Your Home\u201d Pilot Program, and creating a new initiative to provide TRICARE coverage of obstetrical and gynecological care without the need for a referral.\n\nA full summary of the FY 2026 NDAA, as reported by the House Armed Services Committee, can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:40:33Z"]], "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://tokuda.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tokuda-defends-hawaii-priorities-in-markup-of-annual-defense-policy-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0513318702578545, "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"}