Rep. Neguse Secures Final Passage of Colorado-Led Bills

Lafayette, CO — Today, Congressman Joe Neguse secured the passage of two bills through the Congress. The bills advance critical priorities for the people of Colorado’s 2nd Congressional district, including expanding mental health care for Colorado’s military families and bolstering the resilience of federal data centers – like the Rocky Mountain Research Data Center (RMRDC), located at the University of Colorado Boulder – to protect against cyber intrusions, as well as physical attacks, like wildfires and other natural disasters. Both bills passed the House as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) and now head to President Biden’s desk for signature. 

“I am proud to see these proposals make their way through Congress and to the President’s desk for enactment. Both bills work to update the ways in which we protect the American people – and families across our state – from real and current threats. In passing these proposals, we are advancing protections for military families and improving cybersecurity in the federal government,” said Congressman Neguse. 

The bills championed by Congressman Neguse, include:

• The Mental Health for Military Families Act – To expand access to counseling and mental health services for Colorado’s military families. The bill allows the Secretary of Defense to waive out-of-pocket expenses for military families on TRICARE for their first three outpatient mental health visits per year, lowering costs and helping families access the treatment they need.

• The Federal Data Center Enhancement Act – To coordinate a government-wide effort to develop minimum requirements for federal data centers related to cyber intrusions, data center availability, mission-critical uptime, and resilience against physical attacks, wildfires, and other natural disasters. The bill helps ensure federal agencies are equipped with safe and reliable data centers. 

Background

Congressman Neguse is a strong advocate for veterans and service members. In May, he introduced a bipartisan legislative package to ensure that veterans can access the services and resources they deserve. Earlier this year, Congressman Neguse introduced the Veterans Jobs Training Act to increase funding for the highly successful Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), which works to expand job training and placement services for our nation’s veterans. In that same vein, as part of the 2023 government funding bill, Rep. Neguse secured $650,000 for the Veterans Community Project Transitional Housing in Longmont, Colorado. This project supports the construction of tiny homes for unhoused veterans in Colorado's Second Congressional District. 

Additionally, Colorado is home to over 30 federally funded research labs and joint institutes across the state, making it one of the highest concentrations of federally funded science and research centers in the nation. As an advocate for advancing and expanding Colorado’s innovation ecosystem, Rep. Neguse introduced the Federal Labs Modernization Act. 

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