Rogers and Smith Introduce Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act

On Thursday, U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-Saks) and Adam Smith (D-Washington), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, introduced H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act. The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act will serve as the base text for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

"Day and night, the brave men and women who serve in our Armed Forces are working to keep our nation safe. It's vital that we in Congress do our job and ensure our nation's heroes are being taken care of," Chairman Mike Rogers said. "The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act will serve as the foundation for everything we do in the FY25 NDAA. Servicemembers should never have to worry about making ends meet, putting food on the table, or affording housing. Improving the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families is my number one priority – we're going to get this done."

"For over six decades, this Committee has come together to pass the National Defense Authorization Act and to reiterate our unwavering commitment to investing in the greatest source of our country's strength: service members and their families," said Ranking Member Smith. "This year's bill leaves no doubt that the heart of America's defense will get the recognition and resources they need and deserve. I look forward to working with Chairman Rogers and all our colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee in passing this year's NDAA in the full committee and in Congress."

Reps. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Quality of Life Panel, joined Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith in cosponsoring the legislation.

"I thank Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith for their dedication to improving the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families," said Rep. Bacon. "I am thrilled to see the Quality of Life panel's bipartisan recommendations serving as the foundation of the FY25 NDAA. Our servicemembers put their lives on the line to keep our nation safe – they are the backbone of our military. It is vital that we act now to improve the quality of life for our military families – the FY25 NDAA will do just that."

"Quality of life issues must be front and center to our defense priorities to ensure the readiness of our men and women in uniform and our collective national security," Rep. Houlahan said. "I'm proud to cosponsor the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act, which will address many of the essential findings from our panel's report and bring historic change to our nation's military. I'm also thrilled that it will serve as the base text for the NDAA, the most crucial and substantial bill for our military, which has been signed into law every year for over 60 years without fail. I appreciate Chairman Rogers' and Ranking Member Smith's work prioritizing our military's greatest assets, our people, for this year's NDAA. I look forward to its monumental impact on our service members and their families."

Other original cosponsors include panel members, Reps. Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas), Sara Jacobs (D-California), Jennifer Kiggans (R-Virginia), Marilyn Strickland (D-Washington), James Moylan (R-Guam), Don Davis (D-North Carolina), Mark Alford (R-Missouri), Andy Kim (D-New Jersey), and Jim Banks (R-Indiana).

The House Armed Services Committee is expected to meet the week of May 20th to consider H.R. 8070. At that time, additional legislative text associated with the National Defense Authorization Act will be added.

The 2024 NDAA passage was the most divisive in decades. A bipartisan NDAA passed out of the Senate. A bipartisan NDAA passed out of the House Armed Services Committee. On the House floor, Republicans added a number of partisan GOP priority amendments to the bill. It passed out of the House on a narrow party-line vote and the Senate refused to act on the House version. The September 30 deadline came and went with the government operating on continuing resolutions. Eventually a bipartisan NDAA, stripped of the GOP amendments, came out of the conference committee. That version passed both Houses and became law, but only after months of partisan rancor went by.

Rogers was effectively re-elected in the March Republican primary when he crushed his two GOP primary challengers to win a 12th term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has no Democratic election opponent. Rogers previously served the people of Calhoun County in the Alabama House of Representatives where he was the House Minority Leader. Prior to that he was a Calhoun County Commissioner. Rogers is an attorney.

To read the current version of the bill:

https://armedservices.house.gov/sites/republicans.armedservices.house.gov/files/QOL_xml.pdf

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