Also remember .. the President did mention vetoing this spending bill ... I'll be very surprised if he vetos this one. Even loaded with amendments, nothing pops up that is obviously objectionable.
The list of amendments is interesting tho'
- To repeal the requirement for the reduction of certain Survivor Benefit Plan annuities by the amount of dependency and indemnity compensation and to modify the effective date for paid-up coverage under the Survivor Benefit Plan.
- To strengthen civil-military relationships by permitting State and local governments to enter into lease purchase agreements with the United States Armed Forces.
- To establish limitations on excess charges under time-and-materials contracts and labor-hour contracts of the Department of Defense.
- To repeal the requirement for the reduction of certain Survivor Benefit Plan annuities by the amount of dependency and indemnity compensation and to modify the effective date for paid-up coverage under the Survivor Benefit Plan.
- To authorize a program to provide health, medical, and life insurance benefits to workers at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Colorado, who would otherwise fail to qualify for such benefits because of an early physical completion date.
- To require the Secretary of Defense, subject to a national security exception, to offer to transfer to local redevelopment authorities for no consideration real property and personal property located at military installations that are closed or realigned as part of the 2005 round of defense base closure and realignment, and to clarify that the requirement does not affect certain property interests.
- To provide that veterans with service-connected disabilities rated as total by virtue of unemployability shall be covered by the termination of the phase-in of concurrent receipt of retired pay and veterans disability compensation for military retirees.
- To restate United States policy on the use of riot control agents by members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
- To improve the availability to survivors of military decedents of information on the benefits and assistance available through the Federal Government.
- To authorize the United States Air Force Institute of Technology to receive faulty research grants for scientific, literary, and educational purposes. [???]
- To state the policy of the United States on the intercontinental ballistic missile force.
- To make available, with an offset, an additional $20,300,000 for aircraft procurement for the Army to increase the number of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to be procured in response to attrition from 2 helicopters to 4 helicopters.
- To require a study on the use of the Space Radar for topographical mapping for scientific and civil purposes.
- To amend the assistance to local educational agencies with significant enrollment changes in military dependent students due to force structure changes, troop [sic] relocations, creation of new units, and realignment under BRAC.
- To require a pilot program on enhanced quality of life for members of the Army Reserve and their families.
- To make available $80,000,000 for coproduction of the Arrow ballistic missile defense system.
- To provide for a Department of Defense task force on mental health.
See -> http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01042:@@@S for more