On August 1, 2019, NDAA published a press release endorsing Pell grant restoration for incarcerated students. Specifically, NDAA will be supporting the REAL Act as an amendment to this year’s Higher Education Reauthorization Act. The legislation would remove a provision in the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that denies all prisoners access to Pell funding.

“I hope that members make a special effort to come to Washington for the Capitol Conference. As much as we should appreciate the outstanding work that NDAA staff does for us on the Hill, there is no substitute for a face to face visit during the annual conference. And even if you have a relationship with your representatives, you likely don’t know their staff members in DC. Those are the folks who will be crafting, amending and polishing legislation. They are the ones that we can get down in the weeds with before the legislator has to simply vote up or down." - Mark Vargo, States Attorney, Pennington County, SD & NDAA Legislative Committee Chair

On August 21, 2019, Microsoft Corporation and NDAA launched a campaign to highlight online safety, human trafficking and how data is used in the criminal justice system, specifically within prosecutors’ offices.