Cybersecurity activities with China blocked in House vote

The vote came just days after the issue of China’s cyber-spying on the United States was raised, when President Obama met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Despite occasional claims of Chinese computers hacking into U.S. systems, Obama said the U.S. and China should find a way to “work together to address issues like cybersecurity.”

{mosads}DeSantis’s language was approved in an en bloc package of amendments, all of which were approved by voice vote. Several others, including one from Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), dealt with mental health issues in the military.

Thompson’s language would require the Defense Department to run preliminary mental health assessments on everyone before they join the military. These assessments would be used as a baseline to help track the mental health of recruits over their careers.

Another, from Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Texas), would empower the secretary of Defense to determine whether the military’s suicide prevention efforts are working.

Several others proposals were included in the en bloc package, including language from:

— Rob Andrews (D-N.J.), requiring a report on whether the DOD could automate accrual of interest for certain service members.

— Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.), requiring the secretary of the Army to review and provide a report on the Medal of Honor nomination of Capt. William L. Albracht.

— Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), setting standards for replacement of military medals and decorations.

— Ron Kind (D-Wis.), authorizing an award of the Medal of Honor to Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing for acts of valor during the Civil War.

— Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), requiring the DOD to provide service records to Veterans Affairs 90 days after a military discharge.

— Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.), adding a sense of Congress that the remains of U.S. crewmen should be recovered from Thurston Island, Antarctica.

— Thompson, extending the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) coverage for service members and their families by 180 days for treatment provided by telemedicine.

— Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), requiring policies for the care of service members with urotrauma, or wounds to the kidneys, reproductive organs and urinary organs.

— Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), requiring a report on the role of Veterans Administration on the prevention of brain injuries, PTSD and other conditions.

— Paul Broun (R-Ga.), requiring the secretary of the Air Force to report on the implementation of recommendations of the Palomares Nuclear Weapons Accident Revised Dose Evaluation Report.

— Mike Conaway (R-Texas), allowing the U.S. military to provide integrated air-missile defense training/coordination to Gulf Cooperation Council countries.