Jacky Rosen

10/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/02/2024 13:28

Rosen Secures Additional Provisions for Servicemembers, Veterans in Senate’s Bipartisan National Defense Bill Final Text

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) announced that she has secured additional provisions for Nevada veterans and servicemembers in the final text of the Senate's bipartisan national defense bill. This is in addition to the Rosen-backed bills, amendments, and provisions already included in the text of the bill passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The final Senate text of the legislation includes Senator Rosen's bipartisan bill to maintain a permanent helpline to assist veterans with all services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and a Rosen-backed bipartisan bill to better inform students about military careers.

"As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I helped draft the Senate's annual defense package to enhance our national security and deliver for our servicemembers, veterans, military families, and Nevada's military and nuclear security installations," said Senator Rosen. "I'm proud that two additional bipartisan bills I led are included in the final Senate bill to support our veterans and help inform young people about military careers. I'll keep working across the aisle to ensure we have the resources to confront international threats and advance our state's priorities."

Additional Rosen-led bipartisan bills in the final Senate version of the FY25 NDAA include:

  • Bipartisan Veterans Assistance Helpline Act: Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to maintain a permanent helpline for veterans to use in order to quickly obtain information and assistance with all services from the VA.
  • Bipartisan Military and Educational Data Integration Act: Requires the Department of Defense to create a data-sharing program to enable state education systems to access military enlistment data, allowing high schools to track the outcomes of students who enter military service after graduation.

The Senate's bipartisan national defense bill already includes many Rosen-led victories for Nevada, including preventing any funding from being authorized for storing defense nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. Other provisions will directly benefit Nevada's servicemembers and national security installations, such as funding for Nevada's first certified small arms training range for the Nevada National Guard at Hawthorne Army Depot, which she secured; requiring a plan for providing the VA with the documentation needed to help veterans who served near nuclear testing to submit claims for the radiation exposure benefits they deserve; increasing land in Nevada for Tribal housing; expanding health care coverage for veterans' families; and creating programs to strengthen collaboration with Israel, Taiwan, and other allies in the areas of space, artificial intelligence, and the defense industrial base.

###