The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5515, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019.
After voting FOR the measure, Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) issued the following statement:
“House passage of this year’s NDAA further signals Congress’s continued commitment to fulfill its constitutional duty to provide for the common defense. The House passed a bill which recognizes Utah’s crucial role in national security. It’s now up to the Senate to do its work and support our nation’s men and women in uniform.”
BACKGROUND:
- A Bishop provision in the bill streamlines the process by which the Department of Defense uses public lands in the west on existing military test and training ranges, saving the Pentagon millions of dollars each year in readiness funds by eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy currently required to have military leases renewed. The military will no longer have to undertake expensive 25-year environmental reviews for the Department of Interior to renew the military’s leases on public lands in order for our troops to be able to continue to train to fight and defend our nation.
- Included in the bill is a Bishop provision transferring approximately 80 acres of surplus U.S. Forest Service land in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest near Bear Lake to the Utah State University Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) so that SDL may continue to use this site for advanced scientific research, education, and other endeavors helpful to the military mission.
- Bishop spearheaded an effort to augment funding for nuclear modernization. The bulk of this work will be accomplished at Hill AFB. Orbital ATK is also vying for the solid rocket motor portion of the project.
