Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) has been named to the conference committee charged with the responsibility of negotiating a final national defense bill.
The Senate passed the measure, which officials said included several provisions Donnelly led or supported to reinforce Indiana’s role in national defense, protect American security interests and defense-related jobs.
The House of Representatives passed a different version of the bill in late May, with the two versions now slated to be reconciled by the conference committee.
“This bipartisan legislation would support our servicemembers and Indiana’s role in our national defense,” Donnelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. “It would protect American defense-related jobs and help strengthen the Pentagon’s efforts to combat opioid abuse. I look forward to working with the House to get this quickly to the president’s desk and give our servicemembers, their families, and our military’s leaders the ability to plan for the future.”
The Senate version of the measure includes a Donnelly-led provision that would allow for the correction of the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) allocation for Ft. Wayne’s 122nd Fighter Wing, enabling the BAH to increase, giving 122nd families funds for housing.
More than 200 military members in the Ft. Wayne area would see an average of more than $130 per month in BAH increase.
Another Donnelly-led provision includes advocating Department of Defense contracts should be considered for companies that primarily employ American workers and are not outsourcing American work.