Text of Senate Amendment 6184

On 2026-06-24, Senator Raphael G. Warnock (D-GA) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6184" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6184

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S3370] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6184. Mr. WARNOCK 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 appropriate place in title II, insert the following: SEC. ___. COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM TO BUILD PIPELINE OF QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS WORKFORCE. (a) Comprehensive Program Required.--The Secretary of Defense shall, acting through an Under Secretary of Defense whom the Secretary shall designate for purposes of this section, carry out a comprehensive program to build a pipeline of United States individuals with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics qualifications to fill job vacancies within the Department of Defense in shipbuilding, aerospace, computer science, cybersecurity, and such other fields as the Secretary considers appropriate. (b) SMART Program Increase.--In carrying out the program required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall increase the number of Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program participants that are funded by the Department of Defense to 10,000. (c) Use of ROTC.--The Secretary shall draw from the Reserve Officer Training Corps who are pursuing programs of education in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics for the pipeline built under subsection (a). (d) Partnerships.--In carrying out the subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish partnerships between Department of Defense laboratories and the colleges and universities of the United States, including community colleges, women's colleges, and historically Black colleges or universities. (e) Apprenticeships and Internship Programs.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall enhance apprenticeship and internship programs so that the participants in such programs are ready to serve in the Armed Forces on their first day of service in the Armed Forces, regardless of academic institution from which they matriculate. (f) Diversification of Qualifications.--The Secretary shall ensure that the pipeline built under the comprehensive program required by subsection (a) encompasses more than just inviduals pursuing programs of education leading to a degree, but also individuals pursuing programs of education other than programs of education leading to a degree, such as programs of education leading to technical certificates, and programs of education leading to a postgraduate degree. ______