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First Congressional District of New Mexico
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ask.heather@mail.house.gov

In Washington DC
442 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC
20515
202-225-6316 Phone
202-225-4975 Fax
In Albuquerque
20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603
Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-346-6781 Phone
505-346-6723 Fax

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Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico


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Wilson: NM Projects to Cross the Finish Line November 05, 2003
 
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a conferee to the FY04 Defense Authorization bill, said today that the final bill will create jobs in New Mexico by including key military construction projects and funding New Mexico’s continued strong participation in national defense. Wilson is the only member of New Mexico’s Congressional delegation who serves on an armed services committee. The House Armed Services Committee, where Wilson serves, has jurisdiction over the military and the nation’s national laboratories. “This defense bill reflects our continued efforts to restore our nation’s defense after a decade of decline in the 1990s,” Wilson said. “We will continue to narrow the gap between military and civilian pay and we have provided for concurrent receipt of retirement and disability pay for military retirees who are 50 percent disabled or more.” The $400 billion Defense Authorization Bill for 2004 is expected to be approved today in the U.S. House of Representatives. It provides a an average 4.15 percent raises for the military, funds New Mexico defense-related projects, and authorizes programs at Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. While the defense budget will increase, because our economy has grown military spending will be 3.4 percent of GDP, in contrast to 6 percent in the Reagan administration and 9 percent in the Kennedy administration. · Military Construction Funding: The House version of the bill authorized five military construction projects in New Mexico, also approved as appropriations. Wilson says they’re important to New Mexico because of their job-creating potential. · $2.533 million to add or alter an Army National Guard readiness center in Albuquerque · $6.957 million for an Arsenic Treatment plant at Kirtland Air Force Base · $4.15 million for an electrical power main switching station at Kirtland Air Force Base · $14.6 million for replacing military family housing at White Sands Missile Range · $3.6 million to upgrade the radar test facility at Tularosa · Base Realignment and Closure: The House passed provisions that would have limited how deeply the base closure round planned for 2005 could cut. The Senate would not accept many of the House-passed provisions that would have limited the scope of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process. However, the bill does include a provision that the military maintain a surge capacity at bases for current and future threats. Wilson, who has opposed another round of BRAC from the beginning said, “The House has never been convinced that another round of base closure is the right way to go. I am disappointed that the Senate has insisted on minimal limitations to the next BRAC round.” Sandia National Laboratories: The bill contains about $58 million in earmarked projects for Sandia, including $36.4 million for test capabilities, $20 million for modernizing the exterior communications infrastructure, and $2 million for multiple engineering and design projects. NM Supersonic Airspace: Wilson has worked to support continued progress on supersonic air bridges linking New Mexico’s training ranges so that New Mexico will be a preferred place to train for Air Force aircraft – another likely factor in the upcoming base realignment and closure process. The conference report directs the Department of Defense to examine the feasibility of expanding supersonic airspace at the Melrose Range in New Mexico. Pay Increase for Troops: Base pay for service men and women will rise 4.15 percent, and up to 6.25 percent for mid-grade and senior noncommissioned officers and select warrant officers. This marks the fifth consecutive year that military pay increases have exceeded pay raises in the private sector. The bill also increases the family separation allowance from $100 per month to $250. Housing expenses were reduced from 7.5 percent to 3.5 percent, followed by elimination of the expense in 2005. Hostile fire and imminent danger pay was boosted from $150 per month to $225 per month. Lab Funding and LDRD: The bill includes $8.877 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration, which funds stockpile stewardship at the nation’s laboratories. That includes Albuquerque’s Sandia National Laboratories, and Los Alamos National Laboratories in Northern New Mexico. Funding for Laboratory Directed Research and Development, a program that has come under fire in years past, should be maintained at 6 percent of laboratory budget. TRICARE for Reservists and their Families: TRICARE, the military health program, is being extended to provide immediate medical and dental care for reservists who have been alerted for mobilization. In additional, TRICARE is being extended to reservists and their families for service members who are unemployed or whose employers do not offer health insurance. TRICARE coverage will extend 180 days after separation from active duty. The current limit is 60 or 120 days, depending on the service member’s years of service. Access to Services for Reservists: The bill aligns many services for activated reservists and their families with the active duty members serving beside them. In particular, activated reservists and their families will get access to commissaries just like active duty families and reserve enlistment and reenlistment bonuses will be the same for active duty and reserves. Health Benefits for Inactive Reservists: The bill includes a provision that would cover health care of people between their commissioning and when they report for duty at their first assignment. This provision was inspired by a New Mexico reservist whose personal tragedy could help close a loophole. A day after receiving his college diploma and commission, Lt. Jesse Spiri was diagnosed with brain cancer. Because his commission cast his military status as “inactive reservist,” Spiri was ineligible for the defense Department’s TRICARE health care program. This rule has now been changed. Concurrent Receipt: The bill provides $22 billion for concurrent receipt of VA disability and retirement. This historic effort funds the concurrent receipt for all combat-related disabilities rated above 10 percent, and phased in over 10 years, all disabilities above 50 percent. Immigration Benefits for Noncitizen soldiers: The bill reduces to one year the length of service requirement for naturalization during peacetime. It allows soldiers who are members of the Selected Reserve during hostilities to immediately seek naturalization, and eliminates state and federal naturalization fees. It allows soldiers to apply for citizenship and take oaths while overseas. It grants permanent resident status to surviving spouses, children and parents of soldiers who are granted posthumous citizenship following death resulting from combat. A conference committee is composed of a House and a Senate delegation appointed to reconcile the differences between the versions of a measure passed by the two chambers. Congress usually uses a conference committee to resolve such disagreements on the more important, controversial, or complex measures. The members of each chamber`s delegation are known as its conferees or, more formally, “managers.”
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