Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (HI-02), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted to send H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, 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 57 to 1.
“Ensuring that the Department of Defense works hard to rebuild trust in Hawai‘i’s communities and helps tackle our shared challenges is my top priority as a member of the House Armed Services Committee,” stated Rep. Tokuda. “I’m especially proud that this bill includes my provisions for the Department of Defense to improve its efforts to combat and control the spread of invasive species in Hawai‘i, especially the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle that has been ravaging our local agriculture.”
“As a mom, I am outraged by the abuse or harm of any child, but it especially aggrieves me when it takes place in a federal facility. It is unacceptable that our military families have struggled to get information when their child experiences abuse or harm at a military child care center,” stated Rep. Jill Tokuda. “I know the Department of Defense Inspector General is looking into this, but we absolutely cannot afford to wait for what could be a months-long investigation to yield recommendations that then take months longer to implement. Military families deserve immediate action that gives them peace of mind in knowing their children are safe. My amendment, adopted by the committee, ensures that the Department will act immediately to notify parents and investigate cases of abuse and harm with the proper authorities. And this must be just the beginning to ensuring that our child care centers are the safe and nurturing environments we need them to be. Our children and families deserve nothing less.”
“There’s no denial that there’s a tremendous housing challenge right now on Maui in the aftermath of the fires last August,” continued Rep. Tokuda. “This year’s NDAA also includes language directing our Department of Defense to report on how it can provide stable housing supply for personnel on Maui and allowing it to include civilian and contractor personnel in calculating its housing requirements. This would not only support our service member quality of life through housing security but also relieve pressure on Maui’s tight housing market as it works to rebuild.”
The bill, as amended, includes several top priorities for Hawai‘i pushed and secured by Rep. Tokuda, including:
- a new initiative for the Department of Defense to control and combat the spread of the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle on military installations in Hawai‘i;
- a requirement for the Department of Defense to review and implement improvements to its biosecurity protocols in Hawai‘i, including collaboration with State and local entities, to prevent and control the spread of invasive species;
- the inclusion of civilian personal and defense contractors in the Department of Defense’s availability analysis of suitable housing for rural locations;
- a briefing requirement to analyze the impacts of the August 2023 Maui fires on the availability and affordability of housing for Department of Defense personnel on Maui and the feasibility of creating privatized or government-owned housing solutions to create stable housing supply for Department of Defense and Coast Guard personnel on Maui;
- a pilot program to develop an advanced manufacturing facility and associated workforce development program to support Department of Defense needs in the Indo-Pacific region;
- revisions to safety regulations to require stricter reporting requirements for child abuse and harm at military child development centers, following a Military.com article and Rep. Tokuda’s letter to the Department of Defense urging swift action to address this issue;
- a requirement for the Department of Defense to evaluate its current calculation methods for cost-of-living allowances, including for locations outside the continental United States like Hawai‘i;
- a reporting requirement to assess the feasibility of establishing a grant program that supports local community resources and organizations that provide child care, health care, workforce development, and other services for service members and their families;
- language encouraging the Department of Defense to expand the National Disaster Medical System pilot program to the Pacific to support long-term interoperability between military-civilian health care systems; and
- a reporting requirement on expanding the current one-vehicle policy for military service members with dependents conducting permanent changes of station to Hawai‘i, Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands to improve military spousal employment and retention.
This year’s NDAA focuses on addressing quality-of-life issues for military service members and their families, such as pay and compensation, housing, health care, child care, and spousal support. This includes a 19.5 percent pay raise for junior enlisted service members, increases to the Basic Allowance for Housing, and more. A full summary of the FY 2025 NDAA, as reported by the House Armed Services Committee, can be found here.
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