Recruiting, Retention, and Reservist Promotion Act of 2000

Summary: Directs the Secretary of Defense to study and report to Congress on the extent to which such allowance is being paid to regular and reserve personnel, its effect on morale and retention rates, and the feasibility of establishing a reduced eligibility threshold for members of National Guard and reserve units serving on active duty of more than 30 days. Authorizes the Secretary, after such study, to reduce the threshold below 251 days (requiring congressional notification of any such change).
Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the possibility of tax credits or small business loan incentives for businesses that employ National Guard and reserve personnel.
Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility and desirability of expanding the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps of each military department, the Civil Air Patrol, the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and the Young Marines.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Recruiting, Retention, and Reservist 
Promotion Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. PER DIEM ALLOWANCE FOR LENGTHY OR NUMEROUS DEPLOYMENTS.

    (a) Expedited Implementation.--(1) Section 435 of title 37, United 
States Code, as added by section 586(b) of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 106-65; 113 Stat. 
638), is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Implementation.--This section shall take effect on the first 
day of the first month beginning after the date of the enactment of 
this subsection. For purposes of determining the eligibility of a 
member for the high-deployment per diem allowance on and after that 
date, the Secretary concerned shall consider days on which the member 
was deployed before that date.''.
    (2) Section 586(d) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 106-65; 113 Stat. 639) is amended--
            (A) by striking ``(1)'' before ``Section 991''; and
            (B) by striking paragraph (2).
    (b) Inclusion of Coast Guard.--(1) Subsection (a) of section 435 of 
title 37, United States Code, is amended by inserting after ``military 
department concerned'' the following: ``, and the Secretary of 
Transportation, with respect to members of the Coast Guard when it is 
not operating as a service in the Department of the Navy,''.
    (2) Section 991 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (A) in subsection (c), by striking ``of each military 
        department'' and inserting ``concerned'';
            (B) in subsection (d), by striking ``of the military 
        department''; and
            (C) in subsection (e), by striking ``This section'' and 
        inserting ``Subsection (a)''.
    (c) Evaluation of Eligibility Threshold.--(1) Beginning six months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, shall conduct a 
study regarding--
            (A) the extent to which the high-deployment per diem 
        allowance authorized by section 435 of title 37, United States 
        Code, is being paid to members of the regular and reserve 
        components of the Armed Forces;
            (B) the effect of the availability of the allowance on the 
        morale of members and on retention and recruitment rates; and
            (C) the feasibility of establishing a reduced eligibility 
        threshold for a members of National Guard and Reserve units 
        serving on active duty for a period of more than 30 days, at 
        possibly a reduced per diem rate, to address the disruption of 
        the member's civilian employment.
    (2) Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report 
containing the results of the study and the Secretary's recommendations 
regarding--
            (A) appropriate changes to the eligibility threshold for 
        the allowance and the per diem amount specified in such section 
        435; and
            (B) the establishment of a separate eligibility threshold 
        and per diem rate for members of National Guard and Reserve 
        units serving on active duty for a period of more than 30 days.
    (3) If the Secretary of Defense determines that the threshold of 
251 days of deployment during the preceding 365 days is too high a 
threshold for eligibility for the high-deployment per diem allowance, 
the Secretary may reduce the threshold to such days of deployment as 
the Secretary considers appropriate. The Secretary shall notify the 
Congress in writing of any change in the eligibility threshold made 
under the authority of this paragraph.

SEC. 3. STUDY OF TAX CREDITS AND SMALL BUSINESS LOAN CHANGES TO ASSIST 
              BUSINESSES THAT EMPLOY GUARD AND RESERVE MEMBERS.

    (a) Study Required.--The Comptroller General shall conduct a study 
to determine--
            (1) whether members of the National Guard and Reserve 
        comprise a disproportionately large portion of the employees of 
        any size or type of business, including small business 
        concerns;
            (2) the amount of Federal tax benefit which would be 
        appropriate to compensate such a business for costs associated 
        with employing members of National Guard and Reserve units and 
        having such members called to active duty; and
            (3) whether changes can be made to the small business loan 
        program, such as a targeted level of loans, reduced interest 
        rates, and reduced paperwork burdens for loan applications, to 
        assist small business concerns to deal with the costs 
        associated with employing members of National Guard and Reserve 
        units and having such members called to active duty.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to Congress 
a report containing the results of the study. The report shall include 
legislative proposals--
            (1) to provide the recommended tax benefit identified in 
        the study; and
            (2) to modify the small business loan program to assist 
        small business concerns that employ members of National Guard 
        and Reserve units.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON EXPANSION OF JUNIOR ROTC AND SIMILAR MILITARY 
              PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, the Civil 
        Air Patrol, the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and the Young Marines of 
        the Marine Corps League provide significant benefits for the 
        Armed Forces, including significant public relations benefits; 
        and
            (2) there is substantial interest in expanding the scope of 
        these programs.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
Congress a report providing the Secretary's assessment of the 
feasibility and desirability of expanding the Junior Reserve Officers' 
Training Corps program of each of the military departments, the Civil 
Air Patrol, the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and the Young Marines of the 
Marine Corps League. The report shall include such recommendations as 
the Secretary considers appropriate for expansion of these programs 
through an increase in the number of units or participants in these 
programs, increased funding for these programs, or such other means as 
the Secretary determines.