House Passes Legislation To Improve Child Care For Military Families

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Forest Hills Congresswoman Grace Meng, alongside Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Tom Cotton, recently announced that the House had passed its legislation to improve child care services for military families.

The measure comes as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), according to a recent release. The NDAA sets funding levels and policies for the Department of Defense.

Meng’s provision is intended to enhance the hours of operation for Department of Defense childcare development centers and establish childcare coordinators for military installations, the release said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

“This bipartisan provision would help boost our military’s readiness and retention by making sure our military families have access to child care that actually meets their needs,” Gillibrand said in the release.

Also included in the House-passed version of the NDAA, per the release, were two other amendments sponsored by Meng: a guideline for pregnant service members that outlines decisions, actions and requirements related to pregnancy, the postpartum period and parenthood as well as a review of the design, material, sizing price, availability, quality and utility of maternity uniforms.

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense