U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

November 15, 2005

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Press Secretary

                        202-228-3630

Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary

                        303-455-7600

 

Senate Passes DOD Authorization with Six Salazar Amendments

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate acted today to shape the way the Defense Department will spend its appropriated funds in the upcoming fiscal year with its passage of S. 1042, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. The bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support today by a vote of 98 to 0. United States Senator Ken Salazar successfully added six amendments to improve the quality of life for America’s service members and their families as well as job training opportunities for military spouses.

“With these amendments,” said Senator Salazar, “our service members will be better protected at home and abroad, the livelihoods of their families will be more secure and the city of Pueblo will be safer from the threat of chemical leaks. I am pleased to have affected this bill in such a broad way for Colorado.”

Senator Salazar’s six successful amendments to the DOD Authorization bill are as follows. A quote from Senator Salazar accompanies each amendment description:

  • Pushing the Administration to Better Protect Soldiers In Iraq and Afghanistan: Senator Salazar’s amendment (S.A. 2481) expresses the Sense of the Senate that the administration should ask for full funding in their next supplemental budget request of the Common Remotely Operated Weapons Station (CROWS) program, a remote gun turret mounted on top of an up-armored Humvee that allows a soldier to move out of exposed gunner’s seat and inside the vehicle, substantially reducing their exposure to enemy fire or IED attacks. “The simple fact is that CROWS can save lives. When we ask our soldiers to risk their lives, we owe it to them to provide every possible protection to keep them safe,” said Senator Salazar.
  • Providing Mental Health Care for Our Service Members: The Landrieu-Salazar amendment (S.A. 1451) requires the Department of Defense to provide mental health screenings for members of our armed forces. Mental health experts predict that because of the intensity of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, between 15 percent and 30 percent of the service members returning from these conflicts will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, concussions both small and large can cause what is known as Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI, considered the “signature injury” of the war. “Without more mental health screenings, too many of these injuries will continue to go undiagnosed. This amendment will help to diagnose soldiers earlier, and improve their long-term quality of life,” said Senator Salazar.
  • Providing DOD Safety and Security Support to the Paralympics: Senator Salazar’s amendment (S.A. 2490), which was added to the Defense Authorization bill on Wednesday, will allow the DOD to provide security and logistical support to a broad group of officially-sanctioned Paralympic events. The amendment has no cost, instead making a technical correction to allow the Paralympics access to already existing funds available to the Olympics and Special Olympics. In 2005, six Paralympic events could have received support. In 2006, 11 Paralympic events could be eligible for assistance. “Keeping Americans safe, at home and abroad, is the paramount responsibility of the federal government. A technical quirk should not prevent the Defense Department from using its know-how to protect international athletes,” said Senator Salazar.
  • Training Spouses Uprooted By a Duty Station Change for a New Job: Senator Salazar’s amendment will create a grant program for employment services provided to service members’ spouses who have lost their job to accommodate a service member’s permanent change in duty station, as well as those who have experienced a reduction in family income due to a service member’s deployment, disability, death or the activation of a National Guardsman or Reservist. “Helping our military families cope with the disruption that comes with deployment cycles and frequent moves is the least we can do, and I thank the managers for including my amendment,” said Senator Salazar.
  • Moving Work at Pueblo Chemical Depot Forward: The McConnell-Salazar amendment – added to the bill earlier this year – will correct a technical problem previously stalling work at the Pueblo Chemical Depot and ensure that $51 million dollars will be available to be spent in FY2006 for construction, planning, and design work at both the Pueblo Chemical and at the Bluegrass, Kentucky Chemical Depots. Senator Salazar stated, “This amendment is an essential step forward for the destruction of the tons of chemical weapons still stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. I hope this is another indication that the Pentagon recognizes the urgency this situation demands – an urgency the people of Pueblo and all of Colorado are right to expect.”
  • Allowing Dept. of Energy to Purchase Mineral Rights for Rocky Flats: The Salazar-Allard amendment will allow the DOD to use $10 million to purchase the mineral rights associated with the Rocky Flats site, which will ensure that the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge will continue to be a natural sanctuary for wildlife. “Securing the private mineral rights at Rocky Flats is an important step for the people of Colorado. We will forever protect the tall grass prairie at Rocky Flats from destruction by future mining operations, and we will preserve this precious habitat as a home for the wildlife of our State. And we will do this the right way, by making sure that mineral rights owners are compensated fairly and voluntarily,” Senator Salazar said.

Having been approved today by the Senate, the FY06 Defense Authorization bill will proceed to conference committee to iron out differences between House and Senate versions before being voted upon a second time by both the House and Senate. If the House and Senate both approve the conference report, it will go on to the President’s desk for signature or veto.

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