Rep. Tokuda Fights to Protect Hawaiʻi Lands, Secures Key Priorities in Annual Defense Policy Bill

Washington D.C. - U.S. Representative Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, helped advance H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027. During the day-long committee markup, Rep. Tokuda successfully blocked a provision to authorize unilateral condemnation by the Army of military training lands in Hawaiʻi. The congresswoman also secured key priorities brought forward by constituents during state-wide listening veterans' sessions, such as expanding emergency disaster response and increasing funding for barracks maintenance. The measure passed the House Armed Services Committee by a 44-12 vote, with Rep. Tokuda voting in favor of its passage.

"The annual defense bill is a critical vehicle for ensuring national security, but my top priority will always be making sure those goals respect the people, land, and culture of Hawaiʻi," said Rep. Tokuda. "My goal in these negotiations was to keep land condemnation entirely out of this defense bill. Working with the leadership of our committee, we are ensuring federal overreach is stopped at the starting line and that any future for our training lands must be built on good-faith negotiation with our local community."

"While we successfully locked in critical constituent-driven wins, from expanding immediate local disaster response to patient chaperones at military clinics and recognizing atomic civilian employees, our work is far from over," continued Rep. Tokuda.

The Committee voted to include several provisions authored by Rep. Tokuda, many of which were proposed by her constituents, including:

• Increasing the military's ability to respond swiftly to community needs after natural disasters-such as the recent Kona Low Storms-by extending the immediate response window from the current 72 hours to one week.
• Adding new and expanded requirements to invest in barracks maintenance and renovation, which will enable more service members to live in quality on-base housing and reduce the burden on the community's limited housing supply.
• Requiring the Defense Department to expand procurement of fresh local food for commissaries and dining facilities for service members in the Indo-Pacific region, helping to grow local agricultural industries.
• Establishing a DoD commemorative service medal for U.S. Government civilian and contractor employees who participated in the cleanup of radioactive material in the Pacific Islands and elsewhere.
• Responding to hundreds of instances of abuse of patients at Tripler Medical Center and Fort Hood, a requirement that patients be provided trained chaperones during sensitive examinations and procedures performed by an obstetrician-gynecologist at a military clinic or hospital.
• Prohibiting awarding defense contracts to contractors that employ individuals convicted of sex trafficking.
• Requiring the military to notify law enforcement no later than three hours, and next of kin no later than 8 hours, after commanders learn that a service member is missing.
• Expanding the health care workforce by establishing new behavioral health programs at Uniformed Services University and authorizing residency programs for civilian medical providers working in the Military Health System.
• Strengthening the military justice system by limiting the ability of military courts of appeals to overturn verdicts based on disagreements with factual findings of the trial panel, beginning the process to establish a standalone offense of hazing under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and requiring that investigations of alleged sexual harassment by Marines and sailors be conducted by professional investigators at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
• Increasing pay for JROTC instructors in Hawaiʻi and other locations outside of the continental United States to reflect the higher cost of living.
• Establishing a new, $1,000 funeral and burial benefit for military retirees who elect the survivor benefit plan and are predeceased by a beneficiary spouse.
• Requiring the Defense Department to publish an annual report on vulnerabilities to military installations resulting from extreme weather.

A summary of the FY 2027 NDAA can be found here.

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