On the recordJuly 12, 2023
I thank my colleague and friend and all the members of the Armed Services Committee for allowing me to encourage my colleagues to support amendments 723 and 731 of the NDAA. Amendment 723 offers whistleblower protections in investigations considering evidence. We certainly want to protect those who are courageous enough to come forward, including preventing undue, adverse, and retaliatory personnel actions by their employers within DOD. Amendment 731 is the Bereavement Leave for All amendment. This commonsense, plain and simple amendment will expand the definition of family members in bereavement policies to include nonbiological family members such as foster and adopted children. Again, this is common sense and goes to just keeping families together in their very time of need. We do not want families in a situation where they lost a loved one and they are not allowed leave because they are not a blood child. It is my hope that my colleagues support both amendments that afford our servicemembers and civilians the same protections and rights that we would want in their positions.
