congressional_record: CREC-2002-11-22-pt1-PgE2131
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2002-11-22-pt1-PgE2131 | 2002-11-22 | 107 | 2 | CONFERENCE REPORT FOR H.R. 4546, THE BOB STUMP NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003 | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2131 | E2131 | [{"name": "Walter B. Jones Jr.", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "107", "type": "HR", "number": "303"}, {"congress": "107", "type": "HR", "number": "4546"}, {"congress": "107", "type": "HR", "number": "4546"}] | 148 Cong. Rec. E2131 | Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002) [Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E2131] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CONFERENCE REPORT FOR H.R. 4546, THE BOB STUMP NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003 ______ HON. WALTER B. JONES of north carolina in the house of representatives Friday, November 22, 2002 Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week, the House of Representatives took up and passed the conference report to H.R. 4546, the Fiscal Year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act. As one of the conferees to that measure, I was proud to support the overall bill and was pleased to see its passage. The Bob Stump National Defense Act was a fitting tribute to a man whose congressional career was spent working for our Nation's men and women in uniform. This year's Defense Authorization Act has three main principles: protecting and defending America's homeland, supporting U.S. service members and their families, and better equipping troops with training, equipment and weapons to fight and win the war against terrorism. It marks the largest increase in defense spending in over 20 years, providing billions of additional dollars for procurement, research, and development for the next generation of weapons. The measure continues our commitment to improving the pay of military personnel by providing a 4.1 percent pay increase and continued the administration's plans to eliminate out-of-pocket housing costs for military families. H.R. 4546 devotes considerable resources toward protecting our homeland from the threat of terrorist attacks and from the growing proliferation of ballistic missiles. I stand behind this bill because I believe it provides our military with the foundation it needs and deserves. We are living in a time of war and must act accordingly. Despite the important advances this bill makes for our national defense, I retain two reservations about the final product. One significant issue which has not been addressed is legislation I sponsored to redesignate the position of the Secretary of the Navy as the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. For over 200 years the Navy and Marine Corps have shared a secretary in being, but not in name. Notwithstanding their jointness, the Navy and Marine Corps are distinct with their own history, honors, and tradition. Rather than detracting from those traditions, this legislation seeks to recognize the separate, but equal traditions that the Navy and the Marine Corps team share. It acknowledges that there are two members of the same team and seeks to reinforce to the American people that the Secretary is a proud supporter of both. The legislation was adopted unanimously in the House Armed Services Committee, over half of whose membership had cosponsored the legislation. It was supported by three former Secretaries of the Navy, the current and two former Commandants of the Marine Corps, a former Secretary of the Veterans Administration, and many other former senior leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Fleet Reserve Association and the Marine Corps League, each boasting thousands of members, also strongly urged passage of the legislation. Yet because of the concerns of a few, it was not included in the final conference report. However I do not view this as a setback, but instead an opportunity. I remain committed to introducing the measure again early in the 108th Congress. As Commandant Jim Jones stated, this is an idea whose time has come. I will be working diligently with my Navy and Marine Corps friends to broaden the support and communicate the importance of this measure. By passing this legislation, the teamwork that has been present for over 200 years will finally be recognized in the title of the person who coaches the team. A second shortcoming of the otherwise outstanding measure is the compromise on concurrent receipt. Although the language in the conference report regarding concurrent receipt is a very important step forward, I strongly believe that more should be done. As I stated in a letter to President Bush, if a man or woman served in uniform and retired honorably, they deserve to receive the retirement pay they were promised. If in the course of that service, that military member was injured and sustained a lasting disability, they should be compensated for that as well. One was earned for service and one was earned for sacrifice. It is for that reason that I have been a strong supporter of legislation to eliminate this offset since coming to Congress. It is true that correcting this unfair penalty is expensive, however I also believe that our military retirees are priorities for which we must be willing to support. Congressman Bilirakis, numerous military and veteran organizations such as the Fleet Reserve Association, and countless veterans have waged a tireless effort to see legislation ending the prohibition against concurrent receipt enacted. They should be commended for the great work that has been accomplished to date and encouraged to continue this fight in the future. I look forward to working with them on future efforts to meet the principles behind H.R. 303. Our military retirees did not fail us when they were called. We should not fail them. ____________________ |