Seven Hickenlooper Bills to Pass Congress as Part of Annual Defense Bill

This year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes seven Hickenlooper bills and a provision, strengthening U.S. national security, and delivering historic pay raise for junior enlisted service members

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper applauded the inclusion of seven of his bills in the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets national security policy and recommended spending levels for the Department of Defense. The legislation is expected to pass the Senate today and then head to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

“Colorado is central to our national security and the NDAA shows it. This bill invests in our military so our service members in Colorado and across the globe can continue keeping us safe,” said Hickenlooper.

Hickenlooper secured the inclusion of the following bipartisan bills he introduced or cosponsored in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NDAA:

• Hickenlooper’s bipartisan Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act: extends the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program for seven years, which, combined, protect four threatened and endangered native fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins. The legislation builds on the success of Hickenlooper’s Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act in the 117th Congress, which provided a one-year extension for the programs and was passed into law with the FY23 government funding bill.

“Local communities, Tribes, water users, and Congress – we’re all in to protect our native fish and rivers,” said Hickenlooper. “These programs are tried and true. Our extension will help continue them to save our fish and make our rivers healthier.”

• Hickenlooper’s bipartisan Summit of the Americas Act: affirms U.S. support for the Summit of the Americas, a convention for heads of state in the Western Hemisphere to strengthen bilateral relationships.

“The Summit of the Americas provides us and our democratic partners in the Western Hemisphere a unique forum to tackle the world’s largest issues and deepen our economic ties,” said Hickenlooper.  

• Hickenlooper’s bipartisan Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act: direct portions of Hickenlooper’s bill were included, requiring DOD to develop and implement a plan to sustain and recapitalize the 25 fighter squadrons of the Air National Guard, like the 140th Wing at Buckley Space Force Base.

“Our Air National Guard fighter squadrons – like the Buckley-based 140th Wing – are responsible for 94 percent of homeland defense missions,” said Hickenlooper. “Forced reductions with no plan to replace their capabilities is dangerous. Our bipartisan bill puts these vital units on the path to full replacement and secures our national security.”

• Access to Contraception for Servicemembers and Dependents Act: Cosponsored by Hickenlooper, the language makes contraception free under TRICARE, creating benefit parity between the military health plan and private insurance.
• Enhancing Public Private-Sharing on Manipulative Adversary Practices in Critical Minerals Projects Act: Cosponsored by Hickenlooper, this bipartisan legislation improves information sharing between the Intelligence Community and private sector companies regarding foreign adversaries’ attempts to thwart U.S. involvement in critical minerals, energy generation, and storage projects.
• Coordinating AUKUS Engagement with Japan Act of 2024: Cosponsored by Hickenlooper, this bipartisan legislation will consider cooperation with Japan on Pillar II of the trilateral defense pact with Australia, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. (AUKUS), focused on developing advanced weaponry.
• Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act: Cosponsored by Hickenlooper, this bipartisan legislation posthumously awards a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, commonly known as the ‘Hello Girls,’ in recognition of their military service, devotion to duty, and 60-year struggle for veterans’ benefits and recognition as soldiers.

The FY2025 NDAA also authorizes a funding mechanism for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to pay for the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program, known as Rip and Replace. The program reimburses smaller communications service providers for the costs of removing and replacing risky Chinese network equipment. Hickenlooper introduced the bipartisan Defend our Networks Act to fund the current program and led a bipartisan letter of more than 30 of his Senate colleagues to close the funding shortfall and strengthen communications networks nationwide. The funding mechanism will also provide at least $220 million, and up to $500 million in total overall, for Regional Tech Hubs like Colorado’s Elevate Quantum.

“Rural telecom providers put their businesses on the line to make sure Chinese companies can’t spy on Americans through our communications systems,” said Hickenlooper. “We’re finally repaying those businesses so they can maintain essential connectivity.”

The legislation also includes numerous funding and policy priorities that are important to Colorado communities and our military installations, including:

• $72 Million for Buckley Space Force Base: authorizes $68 million to expand Buckley’s power capacity to expand Buckley’s power generation capabilities to field new missile warning capabilities, and $4 million to complete the construction of an Air National Guard corrosion control facility.
• Over $61 Million in Military Construction Funds for Fort Carson: authorizes $61 million to build a new Ambulatory Care Center that will provide medical services for service members and their families.
• FireGuard Modernization: allows DOD to coordinate with commercial space companies to provide imagery to aid the Colorado National Guard in its wildfire response efforts.
• Continued Response on PFAS Contamination: requires the Secretary of Defense to conduct preliminary assessments on all covered facilities and take certain actions to address potential drinking water contamination, including at Peterson Space Force Base.
• Funding for the Readiness and Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI): Authorizes $187 million for a DOD program that supports land conservation near military installations, including in Colorado Springs and Aurora. These efforts advance environmental goals while preserving mission readiness and preventing harmful encroachment.

The legislation also strengthens America’s promise to our service members to ensure those who work to keep us safe receive the benefits they earn.

• Pay Raise for our Service Members: authorizes a 4.5% annual pay raise for all military personnel and a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members.
• Housing Affordability: increases the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for members of the armed forces.
• Mental Health Telehealth Services: authorizes TRICARE mental health providers to provide telehealth services to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents without regard to the location of the provider or the patient, which means patients can continue seeing a steady mental health provider.
• Military Child Care Improvements: directs the Department of Defense to redesign and modernize its staffing compensation model to improve child care services for service members.
• Military Spouse Employment Opportunities: makes permanent interstate compacts for portability of occupational licenses of military spouses and creates a program to provide spouses of military service members with paid fellowships.

The legislation authorizes a number of significant provisions that will strengthen our national security and reinforce American global engagement, including on:

• Critical Minerals:
  • Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to fully fund existing National Defense Stockpile requirements, which includes prioritizing the procurement of rare earth elements and critical minerals.
    
  • Requires the Secretary of Defense to proactively consult with any agency responsible for producing an environmental assessment of any project that would increase the availability of strategic and critical materials for the National Defense Stockpile.
    
  • Directs the Secretary of Defense to study the amount of strategic materials that have been manufactured in China and Russia and acquired by the Department of Defense since January 1, 2020
  • Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing on the Department’s capacity to increase domestic industrial production and procurement of strategic and critical materials.
    
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Quantum Computing:
  • Requires DOD to fully identify the Department’s AI workforce and develop a qualifications program for AI work roles.
    
  • Establishes pilot programs to assess the feasibility of using AI-enabled software to optimize operations for manufacturing facilities, contract review and adjudication, and other workflow.
    
  • Requires the Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to rapidly expand the development of fault-tolerant, utility scale quantum computing capabilities available to DOD.
    
  • Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish an advanced computing infrastructure program within DOD to research, test, and develop advanced AI intelligence applications for future defense programs.
    
  • Establishes an AI Security Center within the National Security Agency focused on promoting secure AI practices and efforts to develop counter-AI techniques.
    
• Cybersecurity:
  • Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish a dedicated cyber intelligence capability to support the requirements of the U.S. Cyber Command and provide all source analysis on the capabilities and plans of cyber threat actors.
    
  • Requires an independent evaluation from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine regarding the advisability of establishing a dedicated U.S. Cyber Force.

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