WASHINGTON \u2014 The House Armed Services Committee is holding its annual defense authorization bill debate today, marking up the first full draft of the massive military budget and policy measure that will dictate thousands of policy changes for the armed forces next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislative marathon began at 10 a.m. and is expected to last well into the evening. Unlike their counterparts in the Senate, the House committee\u2019s work is all done in public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the daylong work, the 62 lawmakers on committee will consider more than 400 amendments, some with lengthy, heated debate. But last year, more than 200 non-controversial amendments were also adopted by the committee with far less attention despite wide-ranging impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Military Times and Defense News is keeping a running tally of those issues below, in an effort to help highlight the wide range of policy items being discussed by elected officials:<\/p>\n\n\n\n