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Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved in a bipartisan vote its comprehensive defense policy bill for the upcoming fiscal year, a measure crafted in part by Congressman Salud Carbajal and amended in recent days to include multiple measures authored by Carbajal.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23 NDAA) includes multiple provisions championed by Congressman Carbajal in his role on the House Armed Services Committee that will support operations at Vandenberg Space Force Base, promote the welfare of U.S. servicemembers and military families, and invest in research partnerships with Central Coast colleges and universities.

In addition, this week Rep. Carbajal successfully fought to include measures that he’d previously co-authored to support and reauthorize Coast Guard operations, protect 250,000 acres of public land in Carrizo Plain National Monument and Los Padres National Forest, expand health benefits for federal firefighters, and improve mental health care access for children of military families.

“Over my past three terms in Congress, I’ve had the privilege to work every year with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to craft bipartisan legislation that invests in keeping Americans safe today and in the future; and that is what we have done again this year,” said Rep. Carbajal. “I’m proud that this bill also reflects the values and priorities of the Central Coast, its communities, and its servicemembers. It supports our cornerstone installation, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and the military families that call our area home–as well as the research institutions that are innovating to keep the United States on the cutting edge and protecting its interests around the globe.”

“In addition, as this measure is a must-pass piece of legislation, I was proud to see the House once again pass, as amendments to the NDAA, bipartisan bills that I have co-authored – ensuring there are more pathways to getting these commonsense measures signed into law.”

The following provision are included in the 2023 NDAA:

Support for Vandenberg Space Force Base Operations and Future Endeavors on the Central Coast

• Carbajal secured a $7 million increase to the Spacelift Range System, which would improve the infrastructure at space launch ranges including the ones at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
• Language supporting the ‘Range of the Future’ initiative at Vandenberg, expressing Congress’ support for the need to build on the report secured by Carbajal’s efforts in last year’s NDAA.
• Rep. Carbajal also successfully amended the measure at the committee level to include a provision that would mandate the creation of a Space National Guard.
• Rep. Carbajal also commissioned a study to ensure that military airspace routes can interact safely with on and offshore wind installations, including the one slated for lease sale in Morro Bay later this year.

Promoting the Welfare of Servicemembers and Central Coast Military Families

• The FY23 NDAA supports a historic $4.6% pay raise for U.S. servicemembers.
• Includes a bipartisan measure co-led by Reps. Carbajal and Glenn “GT” Thompson that would create a new a centralized Military Housing Feedback Tool for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families to identify, rate, and compare housing.
  • More information on the Military Housing Transparency and Accountability Act can be found here.
• Requires a report on a more transparent, fair, and flexible way to calculate the basic allowance for housing.
• Rep. Carbajal co-sponsored an amendment that would waive naturalization fees and certain other immigration-related benefits for the immediate relatives of Purple Heart recipients.
  • The amendment is identical to the bill Carbajal co-led with Rep. Michael Waltz last year, the Sergeant First Class Javier J. Gutierrez Purple Heart Survivor Naturalization Fee Relief Act.
• The U.S. House approved an amendment this week co-sponsored by Rep. Carbajal that improve access to mental health resources for children of military families.
  This amendment reflects part of a bipartisan measure originally introduced by Carbajal in 2021.

Support for Partnerships with Local Universities

• UCSB: Rep. Carbajal secured increased funding for research programs that are conducted in partnership with U.C. Santa Barbara and other universities: $10 million for silicon-based laser research, $4 million for biotechnology research, and $9 million for cold and complex environment-sensing research.
• Cal Poly SLO: Carbajal also supported a $10 million increase for aerospace engineering research, which is done in partnership with Air Force Research Lab and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Measures Added by U.S. House This Week

During floor debate on the FY23 NDAA, the following bills co-authored by Rep. Carbajal were approved as amendments to the comprehensive annual defense bill:

• The Central Coast Heritage Protection Act, which would protect nearly 250,000 acres of public land in the Los Padres National Forest and Carrizo Plain National Monument.
• The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, crafted in part by Rep. Carbajal in his role as Chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, which includes key reforms that Carbajal has worked towards over the past year, including reforms to maritime liability rules in response to the 2019 Conception boat fire that killed 34 people and additional protections to eliminate sexual violence in the maritime industry.
• The Federal Firefighters Fairness Act, which ensures federal firefighters receive the same access to job-related disability and retirement benefits as state, county, and municipal firefighters.
• The Don Young American Grown Act, which requires that any cut flowers or cut green officially on display in public areas of the Executive Office of the President, Department of Defense, or Department of State be grown in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. territory.

The FY23 NDAA also expresses the Sense of Congress that the United States strongly supports membership for Finland and Sweden in NATO, extends the authorization for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) program, and includes $950 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which provides support and assistance to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Additional details and a summary of all the provisions included in the FY23 NDAA can be found here.