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Klobuchar Leaves Mark on Defense Authorization Bill

Senate adopts Klobuchar provisions to support Minnesota's National Guard and Reserve

July 24, 2009

Washington, D.C. –   The Department of Defense Authorization bill, which passed the Senate late last night, included critical provisions for Minnesota’s National Guard and Reserve authored by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.  Klobuchar’s amendment to improve access to mental health care services for family members of National Guard members was adopted unanimously. Klobuchar and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden also secured a provision to ensure that soldiers receive retroactive pay for leave earned under the Post Deployment and Mobilization Respite Absence (PDMRA).

“When our National Guard and Reserve Members are called to duty, their families bear a tremendous burden – providing these families access to mental health services while their loved ones are deployed is a common sense way support them during stressed times,” said Klobuchar about the mental health services amendment. 

Of the retroactive pay legislation, Klobuchar said, “Many of these soldiers have put their lives and families on hold to serve our nation.  We must make sure they get the benefits they have earned, and we owe it to them to fix this quickly.”

Klobuchar’s mental health initiative would help families cope with the deployment of their loved ones by providing programs and activities to Guard and Reserve families to address potential mental health challenges connected with overseas deployments, provide family members with complete information on all mental health resources available to such family members through the Department of Defense and expand counseling activities for Guard and Reserve families in local communities.

A recent Defense Department Task Force on Mental Health determined that family members of deployed Guard and Reserve soldiers are more likely to experience mental health challenges as a result of these extended mobilizations and deployments than family members of active duty soldiers.

Over 20,000 service members have not received their earned leave due to a delay between the announcement of the leave program by the Department of Defense and the establishment of the program by the individual services.  The retroactive pay legislation pushed for by Klobuchar would reimburse soldiers who were left out during that period.

The Department of Defense Authorization bill now goes to a Conference Committee to reconcile the Senate and House versions.


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