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Senate Completes Defense Authorization Bill

On July 23, the Senate passed, 87-7, the FY2010 National Defense Authorization bill (S. 1390), following two weeks of debate. The chamber began its consideration of the bill last week (see The Source, 7/17/09); the House passed its version on June 25 (see The Source, 6/26/09).

The Senate adopted, by unanimous consent, the following amendments:

  • an amendment by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to require the comptroller general of the United States to conduct an audit of assistance to local educational agencies for the education of dependent children of members of the armed forces;
  • an amendment by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs (the House passed similar legislation on July 8, see The Source, 7/10/09);
  • an amendment by Sen. Landrieu to create parity among small business contracting programs and permit the Small Business Administrator to establish a mentor-protégé program for service-disabled businesses or women- and minority owned-small businesses;
  • an amendment by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) to provide service members and their families with comprehensive information about their benefits;
  • an amendment by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to require the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide full access to mental health care for members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families; and
  • an amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to require the comptroller general of the United States to report to Congress on financial assistance for child care available to deployed members of the reserve components of the armed forces.

The Senate rejected, 58-39, an amendment by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to allow individuals who hold concealed weapons permits in their home state to carry such weapons into states that also allow concealed weapons.

Speaking on behalf of his amendment, Sen. Thune said, “Reliable, empirical research shows that states with concealed carry laws enjoy significantly lower violent crimes rates than those states that do not. For example, for every year a state has a concealed carry law, the murder rate declines by three percent, rape by two percent, and robberies by over two percent. Additionally, research shows that ‘minorities and women tend to be the ones with the most to gain from being allowed to protect themselves’…research shows that when unrestrictive conceal and carry laws are passed, it not only benefits those who are armed, but also others, like children.”

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) said, “One must ask how we would ever want to permit, as a matter not of state but federal law, those whose motives may not be pure to walk into a playground, school, or crowded stadium in any state licensed under federal law, to carry a concealed weapon in their coat pocket or bag. Do we honestly believe that person will be the priest or the rabbi? Do we think it will be the mother taking her child to a school, saying: Let me think, I have the house keys, the cell phone oh yes, the permit for the gun in my bag… Whom do we think will benefit from this amendment?…It will be criminals such as Michael Iheme, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his wife in St. Louis Park, MN. She had an active restraining order against her husband because of a history of domestic violence. After shooting his wife, he called 911 and said, ‘I killed that woman that messed my life up.’ He was a concealed carry permit holder as well.”