§8225 Female Members: Congressional Review Period for Assignment to Duty on Submarines or for Reconfiguration of Submarines

Summary

The Navy cannot change its rule that limited submarine service to males as it was on May 10, 2000, until the Secretary of Defense sends Congress a written notice of the change and then 30 days of Congress being in session in a row pass after Congress gets that notice. The 30 days count only days when both the House and the Senate are meeting; days when either chamber is not in session do not count. The Navy also may not spend money to reconfigure an existing submarine or to design a new one to fit female crew members until the Secretary of Defense gives the same written notice to Congress and the same 30-day continuous-session waiting period ends. The run of continuous session is broken only if Congress adjourns sine die (formally ends the session).