{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-secures-key-provisions-in-annual-defense-bill-passed-by-senate", "Van Hollen Secures Key Provisions in Annual Defense Bill Passed by Senate", "2023-12-13", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "MD", "Chris Van Hollen", "V000128", "www.vanhollen.senate.gov", "vanhollen", "https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) voted to pass the final fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the Senate, which includes critical investments and legislative priorities the Senator worked to secure. The legislation provides more than $1 billion to Maryland military installations as well as a 5.2 percent pay raise for military and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees.\n\n\u201cIn the face of evolving threats around the world, this year\u2019s defense bill helps keep Americans safe by investing in the resources necessary to counter challenges from our adversaries, advance our development of key emerging technologies, and strengthen our international security partnerships with our allies. With our state playing a key role in these national security missions, I\u2019m pleased that this bill provides over $1 billion for military assets based in Maryland, boosts pay and benefits for our service members, and includes measures to improve the quality of life of our foreign service professionals. This bill is not perfect \u2013 and I believe we must continue to look at how we prioritize defense spending. However, on balance, this legislation positions us well to confront the security challenges our nation faces and contains many provisions that are critical to our state and our nation,\u201d said Senator Van Hollen.\n\nHaving passed the Senate, the FY24 NDAA now advances to the House of Representatives where it is expected to be considered this week. The bill must pass the House and be signed by the President before becoming law.\n\nWithin the FY24 NDAA, Senator Van Hollen fought to include the following provisions:\n\nPublic access protection for the Greenbury Point Conservation Area at Naval Support Activity Annapolis (NSA Annapolis). Senator Van Hollen, alongside Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman John Sarbanes (all D-Md.), included language to prevent the U.S. Navy from unilaterally curbing access to the Conservation Area.\n\nSenator Van Hollen\u2019s GRATEFUL Act. This legislation, co-led by Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) ensures that foreign U.S. government employees who have provided exceptional service to our nation abroad over a long career have a secure and efficient path to immigrate to the United States, along with their families.\n\nEnding China\u2019s unfair international advantages in global trade and diplomacy. The FY24 NDAA includes the bipartisan Ending China\u2019s Developing Nation Status Act, legislation led by Senators Van Hollen, Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and others, which establishes U.S. policy to oppose the granting of \u201cdeveloping nation\u201d status to China in future treaties and international organizations. It also directs the Secretary of State to pursue changing the status of China to \u201cdeveloped nation\u201d in treaties or organizations where a mechanism for change exists.\n\nFunding authorization for critical military construction projects in Maryland, including:\n\n$885 million for joint military construction on Fort Meade, including, among other projects:\n\n$380 million for expansion and renovation of the National Security Agency campus\n\n$105 million for mission operations and records center at the National Security Agency campus\n\n$60.5 million for a cybersecurity operations facility\n\n$101.8 million for the Bethesda Naval Hospital\n\n$58 million for aircraft development and maintenance facilities at Naval Air Station, Patuxent River\n\n$38 million for the hydrant fueling system at Joint Base Andrews\n\nThe FY24 NDAA also includes the Department of State Authorization Act, bipartisan legislation to support America\u2019s diplomatic corps and advance U.S. diplomacy around the world. Senator Van Hollen fought to include the following provisions:\n\nEducational allowance for State Department employees in U.S. territories. This provision authorizes State Department employees to receive an educational allowance for their dependents to attend private schools while employed in U.S. territories in cases when there is no U.S. equivalent available.\n\nAuthorization for a U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Center. This center will provide grants for research to support and elevate the importance of the U.S.-ASEAN partnership; trainings to both U.S. citizens and citizens of ASEAN states that improve people-to-people ties; and efforts to increase educational awareness for both the U.S. and ASEAN states on the importance of U.S.-ASEAN relations.\n\nCyber Protection Support of Personal Accounts for Vulnerable Employees. There are currently no protections for the personal accounts of State Department employees, which are vulnerable to cyber-attacks and hostile information collection. This provision enables the State Department to provide cyber protection support for the personal technology devices and personal accounts of employees considered vulnerable, based on their geographic location or position in the State Department.\n\nAddressing long wait times for Office of Authentication requests. The Office of Authentications provides signed certificates of authenticity for a variety of documents to individuals, institutions, and government agencies to be used abroad. Senator Van Hollen\u2019s office has received a significant number of complaints about wait times repeatedly ballooning for requested documents without warning, which interrupts international transactions for constituents and Maryland businesses. The language that Senator Van Hollen secured requires the State Department to issue a report that shows how wait times fluctuate and authorizes the Office to hire additional permanent staff to accommodate requests.\n\nInternet access as a utility for hardship overseas posts. Many Foreign Service employees and their family members now routinely conduct work from their homes, often as part of evening and weekend work. This language requires the State Department to consider internet access as a utility for officers in posts involving significant hardship and danger \u2013 ensuring secure consistent service so they can remain connected with their families.\n\nAdditional Provisions to Support Servicemembers and their families:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "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://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-secures-key-provisions-in-annual-defense-bill-passed-by-senate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2641120702028275, "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"}