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Washington, Dec 14, 2011 - Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement after the House passed the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act:

“Today marks another milestone in our work to support the men and women of our Armed Services and I want to thank Chairman McKeon, all members of the committee and staff for their hard work and commitment to bipartisanship. Producing this bill has been a truly bipartisan effort. I also would like to thank all of my colleagues in the House for the work they put into creating this piece of legislation.

“Overall, this bill prioritizes our troops deployed in Afghanistan, and around the world by ensuring that they have the tools and resources they need to do their job and protect national security. It also provides our troops and their families with the benefits and support that they deserve, including a 1.6 percent pay increase.

“It continues to make counterterrorism a priority and makes significant investments in all branches of our Armed Services, ensuring that our military is prepared to meet the threats of today as well as the future. It supports our troops as they continue to fight overseas, invests in new technologies for the future, and protects vital military equipment production capacity here at home.”

Provisions within the National Defense Authorization Act include:

• $519 million for military construction projects in Washington State
• 1.6 percent pay increase for troops
• $1.683 billion for military family housing
• Required enhancements to psychological health, military suicide prevention and post-suicide response programs
• Significant enhancements to Department of Defense sexual assault and harassment policies
• Six year reauthorization of the Small business Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer

Download the National Defense Authorization Act conference report.

Download the National Defense Authorization Act conference report summary.