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House-passed defense bill includes preferred provisions of Colorado delegation

By Michael Karlik December 10, 2020 | updated 5 years ago

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved next year’s National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill to set defense policy, including several provisions from Colorado’s members of Congress.

Those included:

  • Afghanistan Partnership and Transparency Act, requiring the administration to engage with Congress in attempts to withdraw soldiers from Afghanistan.
  • Protecting American Space Assets Act, directing the development of a comprehensive national space strategy.
  • Responsibility and Accountability in Strategic Pandemic/Biodefense Planning Act, clarifying roles of federal agencies in pandemics.
  • DOD Water Act, requiring a water scarcity assessment for certain military installations.
  • Defense Community Investment Act, to protect the Office of Economic Adjustment from budget cuts.
  • An amendment ensuring active duty personnel at diplomatic missions receive express mailing labels for ballots.
  • A requirement to update the U.S. Department of Defense’s climate change roadmap.
  • Full funding for Stars & Stripes, the independent news outlet of the department.
  • $984.2 million for defense programs in the Fifth Congressional District, including $150 million in military construction projects, a consolidated space operations facility, and a physical fitness center and Special Operations Forces equipment maintenance facility.
  • Permanent expansion of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
  • A study to understand the prevalence of cancer-linked chemicals known as PFAS, used in consumer products and firefighting gear.

Those provisions enjoyed the support of U.S. Reps. Jason Crow, Ed Perlmutter or Doug Lamborn. In addition, Lamborn and U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette served on the conference committee negotiating the final bill for the House and Senate. The House originally included a provision from DeGette to protect western land, including 660,000 acres in Colorado, as wilderness. However, The Los Angeles Times reported the conference committee removed that language.

The House vote was 335-78 and would be sufficient to override a veto from President Donald Trump, if representatives were asked to take such a vote. Trump threatened a veto if the conference committee excluded a goal of his to repeal a law shielding social media companies from liability for third parties’ online posts, which it did.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated he expects the upper chamber to approve the conference committee’s report.

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