The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Friday evening, funding several policy changes for civilian federal employees along with a host of defense initiatives.
The $584.2 billion bill passed the Senate 89-11. It passed the House on Dec. 4.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, noted that the 2015 NDAA is the 53rd straight defense authorization bill to pass in as many years.
Along with defense spending, the bill contains a number of provisions for civilian agencies.
One such section allows retired employees to return to the federal workforce without taking a cut to their salaries.
Another requires agencies to conduct a survey of employees every two years to identify instances of harassment and discrimination.
The bill also includes the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), sweeping legislation that redefines the roles of chief information officers in civilian agencies. Defense Department CIOs are specifically left out of the FITARA language, as defense is addressed later in the bill.
