Rep. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.) and the majority of his colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee voted in favor of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 on Thursday.
The NDAA authorizes policy and appropriations for the Department of Defense. Within the NDAA were a number of provisions Runyan said he believed were priorities for the military, including funding for projects at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst near Trenton, N.J.
The funding for the projects include, $9.5 million for an automated multipurpose machine gun range, $7.9 million for a consolidated dining facility, $5.4 million for a modified record fire range and $10 million to replace fuel distribution componenets.
“These construction projects are critical to JB MDL, maintaining our national security and supporting our South Jersey defense industry,” Runyan said. “The Joint Base is a vital piece of our regional economy and these projects will help ensure that the base continues to grow and have premier facilities to handle current and future missions.”
Runyan included pay parity language in the legislation that would address wage grade disparities at JB MDL and other joint base military installations.
“Wage grade parity has been an issue at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst since the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure,” Runyan said. “JB MDL has employees doing the same job, but being paid on different wage scales because the employees work on different sides of the base. Many of these wage grade employees are also veterans and should be paid at the same rate.”