Jan 21 2008
House Passes Revised Defense Authorization Bill
The House of Representatives returned to session this week, and promptly voted to pass a revised version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (H.R. 4986) to replace the version (H.R. 1585) vetoed by President Bush late last month. Important wounded warrior provisions related to TBI care, and championed by BIAA, remain unchanged in the new version.
The Senate is expected to pass the revised bill when it returns to session next week.
The revised bill contains new language altering a provision in the original bill which expanded the rights of victims to sue foreign governments designated by the State Department as state sponsors of terrorism.
The White House unexpectedly announced on December 28, 2007, that President Bush would not sign the original bill because it included a provision which could allow plaintiffs to freeze Iraq government assets in the United States while their claims against Iraq were being litigated (Iraq was listed as a state sponsor of terrorism under Saddam Hussein’s regime).
