In the typical course of enacting an annual defense authorization, congressional staffs receive many requests for information on provisions contained in these bills. This report summarizes selected highlights of S. 1356 , the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (FY2016 NDAA), which was passed by the House of Representatives on November 5, 2015, passed by the Senate on November 10, 2015, and signed by the President on November 25, 2015 ( P.L. 114-92 ), and an initial bill, H.R. 1735 , that was passed by both the House and the Senate. The President had vetoed H.R. 1735 , an earlier version of the FY2016 NDAA, on October 22, 2015. In his veto message, the President objected that the bill would have provided more funding for defense-related activities than would be allowed under spending caps that then were in effect, which initially had been imposed by P.L. 112-25 , the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). The President objected to legislation that would, in effect, allow defense-related spending for FY2016 to exceed the BCA defense spending cap without allowing similar budgetary leeway for nondefense related spending, which was subject to a similar BCA spending cap. Subsequently, the President signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 ( P.L. 114-74 ) which raised the FY2016 spending caps for both defense and nondefense spending. The text of the initial bill ( H.R. 1735 ) then was modified to comply with the revised spending caps while retaining intact the final military personnel provisions discussed in this report. For procedural reasons, the text of that revised NDAA then was substituted for the original text of S. 1356 , an unrelated bill previously passed by the Senate. The amended version of S. 1356 (i.e., the revised FY2016 NDAA) then was passed by the House and Senate and signed by the President. Some issues discussed in this report previously were addressed in the Carl Levin and Howard P. 'Buck' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 ( P.L. Those issues that were considered previously are designated with an asterisk in the relevant section titles of this report. Additionally, it would have allowed the Service Secretaries to decrease the number of personnel in an active component and in the Selected Reserve of a reserve component under their jurisdiction by up to 2% below the authorized end-strength. Section 402 of the final bill ( P.L. Reference(s): Previously discussed in CRS Report R43647, FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues , coordinated by [author name scrubbed], and similar reports from earlier years. Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) adjustments first enacted by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 ( P.L. The final version of the bill contained numerous provisions regarding the legal procedures, policies and programs, and data collection and reporting for military sexual assaults. The initial House-passed bill (H.R. 114-92, S. 1356) include provisions similar to the initial Senate-passed version of H.R. 1735. 114-92 , S. 1356 ) requires that the Secretary of Defense submit a report to the Committees on Armed Services of the House and Senate no later than March 1, 2016, with a plan to obtain budget-neutrality for the DeCA and the military exchange system. 1735 . 114-92, S. 1356) provides for smaller pharmacy copayment increases than would have been provided under the initial Senate-passed bill (H.R. 1735). Reference(s) : Previously discussed in CRS Report R43647, FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues , and CRS Report R43184, FY2014 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues . Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the implementation of that follow-up plan. By not including the provisions of the initial Senate Section 711, the provisions of the enacted bill (P.L. Discussion : Both the initial House and Senate-passed versions of the bill (H.R.
Military personnel issues typically generate significant interest from many Members of Congress and their staffs. Ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, along with the regular use of the reserve component personnel for operational missions, further heighten interest in a wide range of military personnel policies and issues.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has selected a number of the military personnel issues considered in deliberations on H.R. 1735 as passed by the House and by the Senate and the final bill, S. 1356, as enacted (P.L. 114-92). This report provides a brief synopsis of sections in each bill that pertain to selected personnel policy. These include major military retirement reforms, end strengths, compensation, health care, and sexual assault, as well as less prominent issues that nonetheless generate significant public interest.
This report focuses exclusively on the annual defense authorization process. It does not include language concerning appropriations, or tax implications of policy choices, topics which are addressed in other CRS products. Some issues were addressed previously in the FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act and discussed in CRS Report R43647, FY2015 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues, coordinated by [author name scrubbed]. Such issues are designated with an asterisk in the relevant section titles of this report.
This report summarizes selected highlights of S. 1356, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (FY2016 NDAA), which was passed by the House of Representatives on November 5, 2015, passed by the Senate on November 10, 2015, and signed by the President on November 25, 2015 (P.L. 114-92), and an initial bill, H.R. 1735, that was passed by both the House and the Senate.
The President had vetoed H.R. 1735, an earlier version of the FY2016 NDAA, on October 22, 2015. In his veto message, the President objected that the bill would have provided more funding for defense-related activities than would be allowed under spending caps that then were in effect, which initially had been imposed by P.L. 112-25, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). The President objected to legislation that would, in effect, allow defense-related spending for FY2016 to exceed the BCA defense spending cap without allowing similar budgetary leeway for nondefense related spending, which was subject to a similar BCA spending cap.
Subsequently, the President signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) which raised the FY2016 spending caps for both defense and nondefense spending. The text of the initial bill (H.R. 1735) then was modified to comply with the revised spending caps while retaining intact the final military personnel provisions discussed in this report. For procedural reasons, the text of that revised NDAA then was substituted for the original text of S. 1356, an unrelated bill previously passed by the Senate. The amended version of S. 1356 (i.e., the revised FY2016 NDAA) then was passed by the House and Senate and signed by the President.
This report summarizes selected highlights of S. 1356, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (FY2016 NDAA), which was passed by the House of Representatives on November 5, 2015, passed by the Senate on November 10, 2015, and signed by the President on November 25, 2015 (P.L. 114-92), and an initial bill, H.R. 1735, that was passed by both the House and the Senate.
The President had vetoed H.R. 1735, an earlier version of the FY2016 NDAA, on October 22, 2015. In his veto message, the President objected that the bill would have provided more funding for defense-related activities than would be allowed under spending caps that then were in effect, which initially had been imposed by P.L. 112-25, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). The President objected to legislation that would, in effect, allow defense-related spending for FY2016 to exceed the BCA defense spending cap without allowing similar budgetary leeway for nondefense related spending, which was subject to a similar BCA spending cap.
Subsequently, the President signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-74) which raised the FY2016 spending caps for both defense and nondefense spending. The text of the initial bill (H.R. 1735) then was modified to comply with the revised spending caps while retaining intact the final military personnel provisions discussed in this report. For procedural reasons, the text of that revised NDAA then was substituted for the original text of S. 1356, an unrelated bill previously passed by the Senate. The amended version of S. 1356 (i.e., the revised FY2016 NDAA) then was passed by the House and Senate and signed by the President.