Text of Senate Amendment 6063

On 2026-06-24, Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6063" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6063

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3268-S3269] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6063. Mr. LUJAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle D of title VI, add the following: SEC. 639. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MILITARY RETIREMENT FUND: PAYMENT OF RETIRED PAY FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. (a) In General.--Section 1463 of title 10, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``retired lists'' and all that follows through ``Space Force'' and inserting ``retired lists of the uniformed services''; (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``armed forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; and (3) in paragraph (4)-- (A) by striking ``Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security'' and inserting ``Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce, and Health and Human Services''; (B) by striking ``armed forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; (C) by striking ``and section'' and inserting ``section''; and (D) by inserting ``, subtitle C of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (33 U.S.C. 3041 et seq.), and section 229 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 429)'' after ``Public Law 96-402''. (b) Conforming Amendments.-- (1) Fund purpose; definition.--Section 1461 of such title is amended-- (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard'' and inserting ``the uniformed services''; and (B) in subsection (b)-- (i) in paragraph (2)-- (I) by striking ``armed forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; and (II) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon; (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (iii) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: ``(4) a program under subtitle C of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (33 U.S.C. 3041 et seq.); and [[Page S3269]] ``(5) a program under section 211 or 221 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 212, 213a).''. (2) Determination of contributions to the fund.--Section 1465 of such title is amended-- (A) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ``(3) Not later than January 1, 2027, the Board of Actuaries, in consultation with the Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title, shall determine the amount that is the value on the date of such determination of future benefits payable from the Fund that are attributable to service in the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and of the Public Health Service performed before such date. That amount is the original National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Service unfunded liability of the Fund. The Board shall determine the period of time over which the original National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Service unfunded liability should be liquidated and shall determine an amortization schedule for the liquidation of such liability over that period. Contributions to the Fund for the liquidation of the original National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Public Health Service unfunded liability in accordance with such schedule shall be made as provided in section 1466(b) of this title.''; (B) in subsection (b)-- (i) in paragraph (1)-- (I) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)-- (aa) by striking ``Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating'' and inserting ``Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title''; and (bb) by striking ``Department of Defense and Coast Guard'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; (II) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ``Armed Forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; and (III) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ``armed forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, the Department of Health and Human Services Retirement Pay account for Commissioned officers, and the Department of Commerce NOAA Corps Retirement Pay account for Commissioned officers'' after ``Coast Guard Retired Pay account''; and (iii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Department of Defense and Coast Guard''; (C) in subsection (c)-- (i) in paragraph (1)-- (I) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ``Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating'' and inserting ``Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title''; (II) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``Armed Forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; and (III) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``armed forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; and (ii) in paragraphs (2) and (3), by striking ``Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating'' both places it appears and inserting ``Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title''; and (D) in subsection (e), by striking ``The Secretary of Defense and, with regard to the Coast Guard, the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall'' and inserting ``The Secretary of a department specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title shall, with regard to the respective department''. (3) Payments into the fund.--Section 1466 of such title is amended-- (A) in subsection (a)-- (i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)-- (I) by striking ``Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, with respect to the Coast Guard'' and inserting ``Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title''; and (II) by striking ``the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating'' and inserting ``such Secretaries''; (ii) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``, the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service'' after ``Coast Guard''; and (iii) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``armed forces'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; (B) in subsection (b)-- (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; and (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``Coast Guard'' and inserting ``Coast Guard, commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service''; and (C) in subsection (c)-- (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Secretary of Defense'' and inserting ``Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title of this title''; (ii) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard'' and inserting ``each uniformed service''; and (iii) in paragraph (3), by striking ``Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating'' and inserting ``Secretaries of the departments specified in section 1463(a)(4) of this title''. (4) Retired serviceman's family protection plan.-- Subchapter I of chapter 73 of title 10, United States Code, is amended-- (A) in section 1444(a), by striking ``armed forces, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Public Health Service'' and inserting ``uniformed services''; (B) by striking ``armed forces'' each place it appears and inserting ``uniformed services''; (C) by striking ``an armed force'' both places it appears and inserting ``a uniformed service''; (D) by striking ``armed force'' each place it appears and inserting ``uniformed service''; and (E) in the headings to sections 1431 and 1432 by striking ``armed forces'' both places it appears and inserting ``uniformed services''. (5) Survivor benefit plan.--Section 1449(a) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking ``armed force'' and inserting ``uniformed service''. (6) National oceanic and atmospheric administration commissioned officer corps act of 2002.--Section 261(a) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-372; 33 U.S.C. 3071) is amended-- (A) by redesignating paragraphs (21) through (27) as paragraphs (22) through (28), respectively; and (B) by inserting, after paragraph (20), the following new paragraph (21): ``(21) Chapter 74, relating to the Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund.''. (7) Public health service act.--Section 221(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 213a(a)) is amended-- (A) by redesignating paragraphs (6) through (21) as paragraphs (7) through (22), respectively; and (B) by inserting, after paragraph (5), the following new paragraph (6): ``(6) Chapter 74, Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund.''. ______