Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) issued the following statement after the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, which included several pieces of legislation introduced or cosponsored by Senator Brown:
"The Defense Authorization bill is critical to our national security, our service members and their families. It ensures our military will continue to be the best in the world and that our fighting forces have the tools necessary to protect the homeland and defeat our enemies abroad. I thank the senators in both parties who worked with me to pass amendments that are critical to Massachusetts and the country, and I hope the bipartisanship at work today will find its way into the many other important issues before the Senate."
Senator Brown’s Accomplishments in the 2013 Defense Authorization bill:
Stolen Valor Act of 2012 Amendment: Last November, Senator Brown introduced S.1728, the "Stolen Valor Act of 2011," making it a federal crime to misrepresent military service in order to profit, punishable by a fine and/or up to one year in prison. Based on the Supreme Court’s ruling, the legislation would be constitutional because it focuses on those who seek to benefit from their misrepresentation -- a key change to the Stolen Valor Act of 2005. Senators Brown and Jim Webb (D-VA) worked together to put forward an amendment to the FY13 NDAA which maintains the same penalty and crime as Senator Brown’s legislation, with the added clarification that intentionally misrepresenting military service in order to profit is a crime when it causes harm to an identifiable victim who suffers a tangible or material loss.
National Guard BAH Amendment: Senator Brown’s amendment clarifies language included in the Senate Armed Services Committee version of the FY13 NDAA pertaining to National Guard Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). Although both the House and Senate versions of the NDAA prohibits reducing the rate of basic allowance for housing paid to Army National Guard or Air National Guard when transitioning from full-time National Guard duty to active duty, or active duty to full-time National Guard duty, neither version addresses for Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves. This is a refinement to Senator Brown’s National Guard BAH legislation that passed in 2011.
Boko Haram FTO Report Amendment: Senator Brown’s amendment will direct the Secretary of State to report to Congress on whether Boko Haram meets the criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Senator Brown introduced a bill earlier this year calling on the Department of State to consider designating Boko Haram as an FTO.
Gillibrand Autism Amendment: Senator Brown is the lead Republican sponsor of this amendment, which would reclassify Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) as it relates to the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders as a medical therapy, rather than an educational service. This language will ensure that military families are treated like every other federal government employee when it comes to this critical form of autism therapy.
Cornyn Amendment on Veterans’ Disability Benefits Claims Backlog: Senator Brown is a cosponsor of this amendment, which would require a report by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide a plan to reduce the backlog of pending claims for Veterans benefits and more efficiently process claims for such benefits in the future. Last year, Senator Brown held a field hearing at Quincy City Hall in Massachusetts to discuss the unacceptable delay in completing veterans disability claims through the Department of Defense/VA joint adjudication system.
Fairness in Women-Owned Contracting Amendment: Senator Brown is a cosponsor of this amendment, which would remove contract-award limitations and provide women tools needed to compete fairly for federal contracts. This amendment will ensure that Women-Owned Small Businesses are on equal footing with other small business programs.
Reauthorize Fire Grants Amendment: Senator Brown is an original cosponsor of this amendment, which would reauthorize three grant programs that provide support to firefighters for five years: the Assistance to Firefighters grants (AFG) and the Fire Prevention and Safety program (FP&S) that provide funds for critical equipment and safety training programs; and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response program (SAFER), that provides funding for the hiring and retention of firefighters.
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