II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 542 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize space-available travel 

on military aircraft for members of the reserve components, a member 

or former member of a reserve component who is eligible for retired 

pay but for age, widows and widowers of retired members, and dependents. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 10, 2011 

Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize spaceavailable travel on military aircraft for members of the 

reserve components, a member or former member of 

a reserve component who is eligible for retired pay but 

for age, widows and widowers of retired members, and 

dependents. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Guard, Re5 serve, ‘‘Gray Area’’ Retiree, and Surviving Spouses Space6 available Travel Equity Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF RESERVE MEMBERS, GRAY-AREA 

2 RETIREES, WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS OF RE3 TIRED MEMBERS, AND DEPENDENTS FOR 

4 SPACE-AVAILABLE TRAVEL ON MILITARY AIR5 CRAFT. 

6 (a) ELIGIBILITY.—Chapter 157 of title 10, United 

7 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2641b 

8 the following new section: 

9 ‘‘§ 2641c. Space-available travel on Department of De10 fense aircraft: reserve members, reserve 

11 members eligible for retired pay but for 

12 age; widows and widowers of retired 

13 members and dependents 

14 ‘‘(a) RESERVE MEMBERS.—A member of a reserve 

15 component holding a valid Uniformed Services Identifica16 tion and Privilege Card shall be provided transportation 

17 on Department of Defense aircraft, on a space-available 

18 basis, on the same basis as active duty members of the 

19 uniformed services under any other provision of law or De20 partment of Defense regulation. 

21 ‘‘(b) RESERVE RETIREES UNDER APPLICABLE ELI22 GIBILITY AGE.—A member or former member of a reserve 

23 component who, but for being under the eligibility age ap24 plicable to the member under section 12731 of this title, 

25 otherwise would be eligible for retired pay under chapter 

26 1223 of this title shall be provided transportation on DeVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:34 Mar 10, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S542.IS S542

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1 partment of Defense aircraft, on a space-available basis, 

2 on the same basis as members of the armed forces entitled 

3 to retired pay under any other provision of law or Depart4 ment of Defense regulation. 

5 ‘‘(c) WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS OF RETIRED MEM6 BERS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An unremarried widow or 

8 widower of a member of the armed forces described 

9 in paragraph (2) shall be provided transportation on 

10 Department of Defense aircraft, on a space-available 

11 basis, on the same basis as members of the armed 

12 forces entitled to retired pay under any other provi13 sion of law or Department of Defense regulation. 

14 ‘‘(2) MEMBERS COVERED.—A member of the 

15 armed forces referred to in paragraph (1) is a mem16 ber who— 

17 ‘‘(A) is entitled to retired pay; 

18 ‘‘(B) dies in line of duty while on active 

19 duty and is not eligible for retired pay; or 

20 ‘‘(C) in the case of a member of a reserve 

21 component, dies as a result of a line of duty 

22 condition and is not eligible for retired pay. 

23 ‘‘(d) DEPENDENTS.—A dependent of a member or 

24 former member described in either subsections (a) or (b) 

25 or of a deceased member entitled to retired pay holding 


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1 a valid Uniformed Services Identification and Privilege 

2 Card and a surviving unremarried spouse and the sur3 viving dependent of a deceased member or former member 

4 described in subsection (b) holding a valid Uniformed 

5 Services Identification and Privilege Card shall be pro6 vided transportation on Department of Defense aircraft, 

7 on a space-available basis, if the dependent is accom8 panying the member or, in the case of a deceased member, 

9 is the surviving unremarried spouse of the deceased mem10 ber or is a dependent accompanying the surviving 

11 unremarried spouse of the deceased member. 

12 ‘‘(e) DEFINITION OF DEPENDENT.—In this section, 

13 the term ‘dependent’ has the meaning given that term in 

14 section 1072 of this title.’’. 

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

16 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

17 after the item relating to section 2641b the following new 

18 item: 

‘‘2641c. Space-available travel on Department of Defense aircraft: reserve members, reserve members eligible for retired pay but for age; widows and widowers of retired members and dependents.’’. 

Æ 


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