Representative John B. Larson
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The Issue

Today, Reservists and National Guard members make up 50 percent of the troops in Iraq, with some having served up to three tours of duty. Over the last 2 ˝ years, more than 300,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists have been called up and more than 45,000 have had their deployments extended.

As Guard and reserve units continue to be called to serve extended tours overseas, our part-time “weekend warriors” have become full time soldiers. However, Guard and reserve members continue to be treated separately from the active duty counterparts in areas of benefits, pay and deployment - a practice that lowers retention of current members and keeps many potential recruits from signing up. 

The Solution

In March 2005, I introduced the Reserve Pay and Benefits Modernization Act (H.R. 1169) to address a number of critical needs specifically facing America's Guard and Reserve.  The bill would:

  • Require the Department of Defense to treat active and reserve forces equally in terms of the lengths of their deployments
  • Ensure that Guard and reserve units serving overseas get the pay they deserve, accurately and on time
  • Open access to the TRICARE health system for all guard and reserve personnel
  • Provide funds to service members’ families to help secure access for children to child care and development programs
  • Lower the reservist retirement age from 60 to 55
  • Establishing a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (Reserve Affairs) under the Secretary of Defense to be responsible for the overall supervision of reserve component affairs of the Department of Defense
  • Provide potential recruits with a detailed explanation of what their commitment to the military entails, including how Stop Loss orders and call ups of the Individual Ready Reserve, or other potential special circumstances or declarations could affect their contract.

The Details

Legislative Information

District Office: 221 Main Street, 2nd Floor | Hartford, CT 06106 | Phone: (860) 278-8888 | Fax: (860) 278-2111
D.C. Office: 1005 Longworth HOB | Washington, D.C. 20515 | Phone: (202) 225-2265 | Fax: (202) 225-1031