National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
Latest action. Read twice. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 512.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
This bill authorizes FY2020 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation.
The bill authorizes appropriations to DOD for
Procurement, including aircraft, weapons and tracked combat vehicles, shipbuilding and conversion, missiles, and space procurement;
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation;
Operation and Maintenance;
Working Capital Funds;
Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction;
Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities;
the Defense Inspector General;
the Defense Health Program;
the Armed Forces Retirement Home;
Overseas Contingency Operations; and
Military Construction.
The bill authorizes the FY2020 personnel strengths for active duty and reserve forces and sets forth policies regarding
military personnel;
acquisition policy and management;
international programs;
National Guard and Reserve Forces facilities;
compensation and other personnel benefits;
health care;
DOD organization and management;
civilian personnel matters;
matters relating to foreign nations; and
strategic programs, cyber, and intelligence matters.
The bill authorizes appropriations for base realignment and closure activities, and maritime matters.
The bill also authorizes appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Energy national security programs, including the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
The bill sets forth policies for
North Korea nuclear sanctions,
paid family leave for federal personnel,
limiting the use of criminal history in federal hiring and contracting,
defense equipment sales to foreign countries or international organizations,
matters relating to Burma,
Saudi Arabia human rights and accountability,
measures to combat illicit trafficking that finances Al-Shabaab,
sanctions with respect to foreign traffickers of illicit synthetic opioids, and
a Cable Security Fleet to meet national security requirements.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House" stage on July 12, 2019. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on August 11, 2020: Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 512.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
ADAM SMITH (D-WA) introduced it on May 2, 2019, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 2, 2019, 2688 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2221 days ago, on August 11, 2020.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers