Bradley Supports Defense Appropriations Bill
BRADLEY SUPPORTS DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL
Last night, First District Congressman Jeb Bradley voted the for fiscal year 2007 Defense Appropriations Act, which funds essential programs that train, equip and support our troops defending our country at home and abroad. H.R. 5631, which passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming support by a vote of 407 to 19, provides $427.6 billion in funding for research, development and procurement of our nation's defense systems, operations and maintenance, and military personnel.
"For our troops to do their jobs effectively and safely, we owe it to them to provide them with the best training and equipment possible, which this bill does," stated Bradley, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. "This legislation also reflects our continued commitment to improving benefits for servicemembers by providing a 2.2 percent pay raise for next year and by increasing funding over the President's request for the equipment needs of the Army National Guard."
Bradley also spoke on the House floor last night in support of an amendment offered by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) that would block funds for parts of the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) that have been declared illegal by a recent court decision. Earlier this year, a U.S. Federal District Court judge ruled that NSPS, a new personnel system proposed by the Department of Defense, failed to "ensure even minimal collective bargaining rights." The amendment passed by a voice vote and was incorporated into the final bill.
Bradley stated on the floor last night, "For the thousands of federal workers at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the NSPS regulations as proposed would have a damaging effect. The shipyard's unique labor-management relationship has created tremendous efficiencies and progress, making it a model for good government. This progress and this relationship could be lost under the NSPS program. Under the broad and rigid centralized NSPS regime, the flexibility that has led to some of our government's best practices and most successful entities would be impossible."
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http://www.house.gov/bradley/20060621_main.html