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By: FEDweek StaffService members would receive a 5.2-percent raise in basic pay on Jan. 1, under provisions of the proposed 2024 defense-spending bill that was approved by the House Appropriations Committee. Junior enlisteds would get a historically high hike in basic pay, averaging 30 percent across the board.
The measure contained a host of key items that address quality-of-life issues.
Lawmakers are calling upon the Pentagon to take a hard look at on-base childcare facilities, and particularly address staff-hiring problems and formulate a plan to reduce wait times for slots.
Youth programs – such as Impact Aid, the National Guard Youth Challenge, Sea Cadets, Young Marines, and STARBASE, would garner more support. The panel also wants the Defense Department to provide clear guidance on professional license portability for military spouses, with a focus upon measuring and improving any related progress. Another provision calls for the “deliberate, cost-effective, and transparent cleanup of environmental contaminations at current and former defense sites.”
The Republican-led House panel also took steps to halt a Biden administration effort for DoD including an executive order on relating to diversity, equity and inclusion, to include defunding of the senior deputy inspector general position within the Pentagon that addresses these issues. (See related story: Spending Measures Signal Fights Ahead over Federal Personnel Policies)
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