Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s special panel on military quality of life issues will hold a public hearing as one of their last formal events this week as the group begins to wrap up nearly a year of work on the topic.

The bipartisan panel has held numerous roundtables out of the public’s eye with military families, advocates, and military officials to discuss problems and fixes they see among servicemembers. The group is expected to offer recommendations in coming weeks on a host of proposals to help military families, including new pay boosts, child care assistance and housing oversight.

But before that report is issued, the panel will host Sgt. Maj. Troy Black, senior enlisted advisor to the Joint Chiefs Chairman, and each of the services top senior enlisted leaders to publicly discuss the complaints lawmakers have heard in recent months.

The Wednesday hearing is expected to preview some policy items that may be included in the annual defense authorization bill debate later this spring.

Monday, Jan. 29

House Veterans' Affairs — 3:30 p.m. — 360 Cannon
Veterans Data Privacy
Department officials will testify on artificial intelligence initiatives and security processes for veterans’ personal data.

Tuesday, Jan. 30

House Transportation — 10 a.m. — 2167 Rayburn
Red Sea Shipping Threats
Security officials will testify on current shipping threats in the Red Sea.

House Homeland Security — 10 a.m. — 310 Cannon
Mayorkas Impeachment Resolution
Committee members will consider articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

House Veterans' Affairs — 10:30 a.m. — 360 Cannon
Military Family Support
Department officials will testify on federal and private-sector family support programs.

House Administration — 10:30 a.m. — 1310 Longworth
Artificial intelligence
Committee members will discuss potential innovations in artificial intelligence for use in the legislative branch.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

House Armed Services — 10a.m. — Rayburn 2118
Quality of Life Issues
Senior enlisted leaders from each of the services will testify on quality of life challenges facing military families.

House Budget — 10 a.m. — 210 Cannon
Fiscal responsibility
Officials from the Congressional Budget Office will discuss their roles and responsibilities.

House Oversight — 10 a.m. — 2154 Rayburn
Health and Human Services
Department of Health and Human Services officials will testify on how information is released to Congress.

Senate Homeland Security — 10:15 a.m. — 562 Dirksen
Pending Business
The committee will consider several pending bills and nominations.

House Foreign Affairs — 2 p.m. — 2200 Rayburn
Taliban Reprisals
Outside experts will testify on Taliban attacks on U.S. allies after the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.

Senate Foreign Relations — 2:30 p.m. — 419 Dirksen
NATO Future Plans
Outside experts will testify on NATO current operations and future challenges.

Senate Veterans' Affairs — 3 p.m. — 418 Russell
Mental Health
Department officials will testify on mental health resources for troops and veterans provided by VA Vet Centers.

Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.

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