I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2484 

To improve benefits for members of the National Guard and Reserve to 

recognize their service to the United States and to encourage the recruitment and retention of National Guard and Reserve personnel, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 19, 2005 

Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. KIRK, Mr. SIMMONS, Mr. HAYES, Mr. CANTOR, 

Mr. GERLACH, Mr. GRAVES, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. MILLER

of Florida, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. SODREL, and Mr. REICHERT) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 

Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve benefits for members of the National Guard 

and Reserve to recognize their service to the United 

States and to encourage the recruitment and retention 

of National Guard and Reserve personnel, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Americans in Uniform Act of 2005’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Establishment of evaluation factor for defense contractors employing or 

subcontracting with members of the Selected Reserve of the reserve components of the Armed Forces. 

Sec. 4. Increase in various special pays and allowances for reserve component 

personnel. 

Sec. 5. Eligibility of certain persons for burial in Arlington National Cemetery. 

Sec. 6. Eligibility of certain persons for space-available travel on military aircraft. 

Sec. 7. Report on employment matters for members of the National Guard and 

Reserve. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Since September 11, 2001, almost 424,000 

9 members of the National Guard or Reserve, com10 prising approximately 36 percent of the total mem11 bership, have been called or ordered to active duty. 

12 (2) Of the 1,718 members of the United States 

13 Armed Forces who have been killed or have died in 

14 the Global War on Terrorism, as of April 9, 2005, 

15 357 were members of the National Guard or Re16 serve, which represents 21 percent of the total cas17 ualties. 

18 (3) Elements of all 15 Army National Guard 

19 ‘‘enhanced readiness brigades’’ have been mobilized 

20 and deployed within the Continental United States 
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1 Field Command, Iraq, or Afghanistan, or are under2 going training to be deployed, in support of United 

3 States operations in the Global War on Terrorism. 

4 (4) During recent cycles of deployments in con5 nection with Operation Iraqi Freedom, six of the 17 

6 Army and Marine Ground Combat brigades serving 

7 in Iraq, which is equivalent to two combat divisions, 

8 are National Guard brigades. 

9 (5) Approximately 34 percent of the United 

10 States troops now serving in Iraq and Kuwait are 

11 members of the National Guard or Reserve. 

12 (6) Not since the Korean War have so many 

13 members of the National Guard and Reserve been 

14 mobilized for service in a theater of war. 

15 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF EVALUATION FACTOR FOR DE16 FENSE CONTRACTORS EMPLOYING OR SUB17 CONTRACTING WITH MEMBERS OF THE SE18 LECTED RESERVE OF THE RESERVE COMPO19 NENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

20 (a) DEFENSE CONTRACTS.—In awarding any con21 tract for the procurement of goods or services, the Depart22 ment of Defense, when considering source selection cri23 teria, shall use as an evaluation factor whether entities 

24 intend to carry out the contract using employees or indi25 vidual subcontractors for goods and services who are mem-
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1 bers of the Selected Reserve of the reserve components of 

2 the Armed Forces. 

3 (b) DOCUMENTATION OF SELECTED RESERVE-RE4 LATED EVALUATION FACTOR.—Any entity claiming intent 

5 to carry out a contract using employees or individual sub6 contractors for goods and services who are members of 

7 the Selected Reserve of the reserve components of the 

8 Armed Forces shall be required to document to the De9 partment of Defense the number (and names, if re10 quested) of such members of the Selected Reserve that the 

11 entity will employ, or execute personal services contracts 

12 with, for the contract in question. 

13 (c) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Secretary of 

14 the military department concerned, or, in the case of con15 tracts which are not negotiated by a military department, 

16 the Secretary of Defense, may waive the requirement in 

17 subsection (a) with respect to a contract if the Secretary 

18 concerned determines that the waiver is necessary for rea19 sons of national security. 

20 (d) REGULATIONS.—The Federal Acquisition Regula21 tion shall be revised as necessary to implement this sec22 tion. 
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1 SEC. 4. INCREASE IN VARIOUS SPECIAL PAYS AND ALLOW2 ANCES FOR RESERVE COMPONENT PER3 SONNEL. 

4 (a) HARDSHIP DUTY PAY.—Section 305(a) of title 

5 37, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘$300’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘$750’’. 

7 (b) REENLISTMENT BONUS.—Section 308b(b)(1) of 

8 such title is amended— 

9 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘$15,000’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘$25,000’’; 

11 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘$7,500’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘$12,500’’; and 

13 (3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘$6,000’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘$11,000’’. 

15 (c) FAMILY SEPARATION ALLOWANCE.—Section 427 

16 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following 

17 new subsection: 

18 ‘‘(f) SPECIAL RATE FOR RESERVE COMPONENT

19 MEMBERS.—If a member described in subsection (a) is 

20 a member of a reserve component, the amount of the 

21 monthly allowance for the member under this section shall 

22 be increased to $500.’’. 

23 SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN PERSONS FOR BURIAL IN 

24 ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY. 

25 (a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Chapter 24 of title 38, United 

26 States Code, is amended— 
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1 (A) by redesignating section 2412 as section 

2 2413; and 

3 (B) by inserting after section 2411 the fol4 lowing new section: 

5 ‘‘§ 2412. Arlington National Cemetery: eligibility of 

6 certain persons for burial 

7 ‘‘(a)(1) The remains of a member or former member 

8 of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who at the 

9 time of death was under 60 years of age and who, but 

10 for age, would have been eligible at the time of death for 

11 retired pay under chapter 1223 of title 10 may be buried 

12 in Arlington National Cemetery on the same basis as the 

13 remains of members of the Armed Forces entitled to re14 tired pay under that chapter. 

15 ‘‘(2) The remains of the dependents of a member 

16 whose remains are permitted under paragraph (1) to be 

17 buried in Arlington National Cemetery may be buried in 

18 that cemetery on the same basis as dependents of mem19 bers of the Armed Forces entitled to retired pay under 

20 such chapter 1223. 

21 ‘‘(b)(1) The remains of a member of a reserve compo22 nent of the Armed Forces who dies in the line of duty 

23 while performing active duty for training or inactive duty 

24 training may be buried in Arlington National Cemetery 
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1 on the same basis as the remains of a member of the 

2 Armed Forces who dies while on active duty. 

3 ‘‘(2) The remains of the dependents of a member 

4 whose remains are permitted under paragraph (1) to be 

5 buried in Arlington National Cemetery may be buried in 

6 that cemetery on the same basis as dependents of mem7 bers on active duty.’’. 

8 (2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 

9 24 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking 

10 the item relating to section 2412 and inserting after the 

11 item relating to section 2411 the following new items: 

‘‘2412. Arlington National Cemetery: eligibility of certain persons for burial. 

‘‘2413. Lease of land and buildings.’’. 

12 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 2412 of title 38, 

13 United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall 

14 apply with respect to interments occurring on or after the 

15 date of the enactment of this Act. 

16 SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN PERSONS FOR SPACE17 AVAILABLE TRAVEL ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT. 

18 (a) ELIGIBILITY OF ‘‘GRAY AREA’’ RETIREES AND

19 SPOUSES.—Chapter 157 of title 10, United States Code, 

20 is amended by inserting after section 2641a the following 

21 new section: 
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1 ‘‘§ 2641b. Space-available travel on Department of De2 fense aircraft: Reserve members eligible 

3 for retired pay but for age; spouses 

4 ‘‘(a) RESERVE RETIREES UNDER AGE 60.—A mem5 ber or former member of a reserve component under 60 

6 years of age who, but for age, would be eligible for retired 

7 pay under chapter 1223 of this title shall be provided 

8 transportation on Department of Defense aircraft, on a 

9 space-available basis, on the same basis as members of the 

10 armed forces entitled to retired pay under any other provi11 sion of law. 

12 ‘‘(b) SPOUSES.—The spouse of a member or former 

13 member under 60 years of age who, but for age, would 

14 be eligible for retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title, 

15 shall be provided transportation on Department of De16 fense aircraft, on a space-available basis, on the same 

17 basis as spouses of members of the armed forces entitled 

18 to retired pay under any other provision of law.’’. 

19 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

20 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

21 after the item relating to section 2641a the following new 

22 item: 

‘‘2641b. Space-available travel on Department of Defense aircraft: Reserve 

members eligible for retired pay but for age; spouses.’’. 
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1 SEC. 7. REPORT ON EMPLOYMENT MATTERS FOR MEM2 BERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RE3 SERVE. 

4 (a) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT.—Not later than 

5 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

6 Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 

7 Congress a report on difficulties faced by members of the 

8 National Guard and Reserve with respect to employment 

9 as a result of being ordered to perform full time National 

10 Guard duty or being ordered to active duty service, respec11 tively. 

12 (b) SPECIFIC MATTERS.—In preparing the report re13 quired under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall 

14 include information on the following matters 

15 (1) TYPE OF EMPLOYERS.—An estimate of the 

16 number of employers of members of the National 

17 Guard and Reserve who are private sector employers 

18 and those who are public sector employers. 

19 (2) SIZE OF EMPLOYERS.—An estimate of the 

20 number of employers of members of the National 

21 Guard and Reserve who employ fewer than 50 full22 time employees. 

23 (3) SELF-EMPLOYED.—An estimate of the num24 ber of members of the National Guard and Reserve 

25 who are self-employed. 
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1 (4) NATURE OF BUSINESS.—A description of 

2 the nature of the business of employers of members 

3 of the National Guard and Reserve. 

4 (5) REEMPLOYMENT DIFFICULTIES.—A de5 scription of difficulties faced by members of the Na6 tional Guard and Reserve in gaining reemployment 

7 after having performed full time National Guard 

8 duty or active duty service, including difficulties 

9 faced by members who are disabled and who are 

10 Veterans of the Vietnam Era. 

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