Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 123.djvu/3567

123STA T . 3 547CON C UR R E NT RESO L UT I ONS — A P R.2 9, 2 0 09 toensur e i t ha s the m ost e f fe c ti v emi x of g overnment an d contracted p ersonne l;(6) the D epartment of Defense report to C ongress on its assessment of Cold W ar - era w eaponr y, its progress on imple- menting GAO recommendations, and its review of contractors at the Department as outlined in paragraphs ( 3 ),( 4 ), and ( 5 ) b y a date to be determined by the appropriate committees; ( 7 ) the GAO provide a report to the appropriate congres- sional committees by December 3 1 , 20 0 9 , on the Department of Defense ’ s progress in implementing its audit recommenda- tions; ( 8 ) ballistic missile defense technologies that are not proven to wor k through ade q uate testing and that are not operationally viable should not be deployed, and that no funding should be provided for the research or development of space-based interceptors; (9) cooperative threat reduction and other nonproliferation programs (securing ‘ ‘loose nukes’’ and other materials used in weapons of mass destruction), which were highlighted as high priorities by the 9 / 11 Commission, need to be funded at a level that is commensurate with the evolving threat; (10) readiness of our troops, particularly the N ational Guard and R eserves, is a high priority, and that continued emphasis is needed to ensure adequate equipment and training; (11) improving military health care services and ensuring quality health care for returning combat veterans is a high priority; (12) military pay and benefits should be enhanced to improve the quality of life for military personnel and their families; (13) the Department of Defense should make every effort to investigate the national security benefits of energy independ- ence, including those that may be associated with alternative energy sources and energy efficiency conversions; (14) the Administration’s budget requests should continue to comply with section 1008, P ublic L aw 109 – 364, the J ohn Warner National Defense Authori z ation Act for F iscal Y ear 2007, and that to the extent practicable overseas military oper- ations should no longer be funded through emergency supple- mental appropriations; and (15) when assessing security threats and reviewing the programs and funding needed to counter these threats, the Administration should do so in a comprehensive manner that includes all agencies involved in our national security .TI T LEV I —S E N SE OF T H E C ON GR ESS SEC.601 . SE N SE OFTH E CON GR ESS ON V ETER A NS ’ AN D SERV I CE M EM B ERS’ HEA L TH CARE. I t is the sense of the Congress that — (1) the Congress supports excellent health care for current and former members of the U nited S tates Armed Services— they have served well and honorably and have made significant sacrifices for this Nation; (2) the President’s budget will improve health care for veterans by increasing appropriations for V A by 10 percent