Tuesday evening, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly was named to the conference committee that will negotiate a final national defense bill. Last month, the Senate passed the bipartisan national defense bill, which includes several provisions Donnelly led or supported to reinforce Indiana’s role in our national defense and to protect American security interests and U.S. defense-related jobs. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a different version in late May and the two versions must now be reconciled by the conference committee. The defense bill has been signed into law the last 56 consecutive years. Donnelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said following passage of the Senate version of the national defense bill last month, “This bipartisan legislation would support our servicemembers and Indiana’s role in our national defense. It would protect American defense-related jobs and help strengthen the Pentagon’s efforts to combat opioid abuse. I look forward to working with the House to get this quickly to the president’s desk and give our servicemembers, their families, and our military’s leaders the ability to plan for the future.”