WARRIOR Act

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3278 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3278

To limit the use of military personnel for certain purposes, to direct 
 the Secretary of Defense to appoint a Director of COVID Policy of the 
  Department of Defense, and to limit environmental projects of such 
                              Department.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2023

  Mr. Waltz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
     Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To limit the use of military personnel for certain purposes, to direct 
 the Secretary of Defense to appoint a Director of COVID Policy of the 
  Department of Defense, and to limit environmental projects of such 
                              Department.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Working to Address Recruiting and 
Retention to Improve Our Readiness Act'' or the ``WARRIOR Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) throughout history, men and women of all colors, 
        creeds, races, and religions have helped build, defend, and 
        define our great Nation;
            (2) the rich diversity we see in American society today has 
        been greatly influenced by the Constitution and the merit-based 
        structure of our Armed Forces;
            (3) recent, perhaps well-intentioned, diversity, equity, 
        and inclusion programs within the Department have caused 
        greater division within the Armed Forces;
            (4) some of these programs are diverting focus and 
        resources away from force readiness against our potential 
        adversaries;
            (5) the Armed Forces should provide equal opportunity for 
        all members;
            (6) advancement and selection in the Armed Forces should be 
        based solely on merit;
            (7) photos of members should not considered by promotion 
        and selection boards; and
            (8) the needs of the Armed Forces should always take 
        precedence over meeting artificially derived quotas for 
        diversity.

SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS ON USE OF MILITARY PERSONNEL FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES.

    (a) Prohibitions on Uses of Federal Funds.--No Federal funds may be 
used to--
            (1) take into consideration the race, ethnicity, color, 
        national origin, or gender of an individual when making a 
        determination regarding a military accession, assignment, 
        selection, or promotion;
            (2) promote critical race theory at a Service Academy, in 
        military training, or in professional military education; or
            (3) investigate extremism in the Armed Forces or Department 
        of Defense.
    (b) Gender-Neutral Physical Standards.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries of the 
military departments shall establish gender-neutral physical readiness 
standards that ensure members can perform the duties of their 
respective military occupational specialties.
    (c) DEI Hiring Freeze.--Effective on the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall freeze the number of civilian 
employees of the Department of Defense who perform tasks related to 
DEI. Thereafter, the Secretary may hire only one such employee for 
every 2,000 members who join the Armed Forces.
    (d) DEI Report.--Not later than December 1, 2023, the Secretary of 
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate 
and House of Representatives a report on programs of the Department of 
Defense related to DEI. Such report shall include the following:
            (1) The number of such programs.
            (2) The number of personnel assigned to carry out such 
        programs.
            (3) The number of personnel hours spent on each such 
        program.
            (4) The total costs to the Federal Government for such 
        programs.
    (e) Instructors at Service Academies.--The Superintendent of a 
Service Academy may not employ as an instructor at such Service Academy 
an individual who is not a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian 
employee of the Department of Defense unless the Superintendent 
determines no such member or employee may be adequately trained for 
such purpose.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``critical race theory'' means the theory that 
        individuals, by virtue of race, ethnicity, color, or national 
        origin, bear collective guilt and are inherently responsible 
        for actions committed in the past by other individuals of such 
        race, ethnicity, color, or national origin.
            (2) The term ``DEI'' means diversity, equity, and 
        inclusion.
            (3) The term ``Service Academy'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 347 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 4. APPOINTMENT OF DIRECTOR OF COVID POLICY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              DEFENSE.

    The Secretary of Defense shall appoint a Director of COVID Policy 
to determine and take any action the Director determines appropriate 
regarding a member of the Armed Forces involuntarily separated solely 
on the basis of refusing to receive a vaccination against COVID-19. 
Such actions may include reinstatement and payment of back pay.

SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              DEFENSE.

    No Federal funds may be used for any environmental project of the 
Department of Defense unless the Secretary of Defense submits to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives 
a report in which the Secretary that contains--
            (1) a cost-benefit analysis of such project; and
            (2) the certification of the Secretary that such project--
                    (A) improves readiness; and
                    (B) is the least costly option.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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