Legion to attend 2010 Defense Authorization Act signing today

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act into law at 2:30 this afternoon in the White House. Peter Gaytan, executive director of The American Legion’s Washington office, will attend the signing. Several pieces of the legislation were lobbied for by The American Legion.

The legislation funds the Department of Defense’s budget for fiscal 2010, which includes funding to cover increased military personnel and support the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. The defense bill includes a 3.4 percent across-the-board pay raise for all uniformed personnel, and supports family caregivers by authorizing special compensation for the assistance they give to wounded servicemembers.

Also included in the legislation is the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act, which makes changes that remove barriers to voting for military personnel serving overseas.