To make permanent the authority to provide travel and transportation allowances for dependents to visit hospitalized members injured in combat operation or combat zone with funding provided out of existing funds through a reduction in nonessential civilian travel.

SA 1367. Mr. FEINGOLD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1042, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2006 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed Forces, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

(a) Authority to Continue Allowance.--Effective as of September 30, 2005, section 1026 of division A of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Public Law 109-13), is amended by striking subsections (d) and (e).

(b) Codification of Reporting Requirement.--Section 411h of title 37, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(e) If the amount of travel and transportation allowances provided in a fiscal year under clause (ii) of subsection (a)(2)(B) exceeds $20,000,000, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report specifying the total amount of travel and transportation allowances provided under such clause in such fiscal year.”.

(c) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (a)(2)(B)(ii) of such section, as added by section 1026 of division A of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Public Law 109-13), is amended by striking “under section 1967(c)(1)(A) of title 38”.

(d) Funding.--Funding shall be provided out of existing funds.