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It's been six years since members in Congress first proposed legislation that, if enacted into law, would permit military reservists to draw retirement pay prior to age 60. Why the sudden interest in reserve retirement pay?
According to a 2006 resolution by the Reserve Officers Association (RAO), "The realities of Guard and Reserve military service in the 21st century offer an unparalleled opportunity for reform of the Reserve Component retirement and benefits system." Moreover, ROA "…urged the Congress to recognize the increasingly seamless relationship between Active and Reserve components of the Total Force and enact legislation that modifies the current Reserve compensation, retirement and benefit systems, enabling Reservists with at least 20 years' satisfactory service to draw their retirement earlier than age 60." More
There are two bills on Capitol Hill of the utmost importance to all military members, be they active duty, guardsmen, reservist or retired: the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and the Defense Appropriations Act.
These two important pieces of legislation occur on an annual basis and have an enormous impact on military life. If you're having trouble remembering the difference between them, you're not alone. Try thinking about it like this: the authorization bill puts the money in the bank and prescribes a lot of policy changes to the US Code – and particularly to Title 10, which governs the administration of the US Armed Forces. The appropriations bill simply writes the check. More
Active duty Armed Forces personnel could see some Federal tax relief next year, that is, if Congressman John Culbertson (R-TX) has his way. On March 19, 2007, Rep. Culbertson introduced HR 1559, the Armed Forces Tax Relief Act. If signed into law, this bill would exclude all active duty members of the Armed Forces from paying Federal income taxes. Currently only personnel operating in designated combat zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan receive this exemption.
According to Rep. Culbertson, "US Soldiers are fighting hard to protect our freedoms, and they should be protected from the long arm of the IRS. The Armed Forces Tax Relief Act will allow Soldiers to concentrate on defending America, rather than worrying about paying their taxes. We owe our military men and women an enormous debt of gratitude for keeping us safe and honorably serving our country. Exempting Soldiers from income taxes is the least we can do to repay them for their service." More
Welcome to "What's Happening on the Hill," an insider's guide to things you care about in the legislative branch.
As members of the US military, we owe it to ourselves to be familiar with the legislative process because it impacts everything we will ever do while wearing the uniform and in retirement. Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the legislative process, a little history on the role of Congress in national security.
Article (1), Section 8 of the Constitution delegates to the legislative branch certain powers that conflict with the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief's position on how national security policy is derived and implemented. More
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