Reserve Component Parental Leave Parity Act

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2597 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2597

To authorize members of reserve components of the Armed Forces to take 
parental leave for the adoption or placement for long-term foster care 
                              of a child.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 13, 2023

   Mr. Jackson of North Carolina (for himself and Mr. Nunn of Iowa) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize members of reserve components of the Armed Forces to take 
parental leave for the adoption or placement for long-term foster care 
                              of a child.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Reserve Component Parental Leave 
Parity Act''.

SEC. 2. PARENTAL LEAVE PARITY FOR MEMBERS OF RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE 
              ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Compensation.--Section 206 of title 37, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by amending paragraph (4) to read as 
        follows:
            ``(4) for each of six days for each period during which the 
        member is on parental leave during--
                    ``(A) the one-year period beginning after--
                            ``(i) the birth or adoption of a child of 
                        the member; or
                            ``(ii) the placement of a minor child with 
                        the member for adoption or long-term foster 
                        care; or
                    ``(B) such other period as is provided for under 
                subsection (g).''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g)(1) The Secretary concerned, under uniform regulations to be 
prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, may authorize leave described 
in subsection (a)(4) to be taken after the one-year period described in 
subparagraph (A) of that subsection in the case of a member described 
in subsection (a) who, except for this subsection, would lose unused 
parental leave at the end of that one-year period as a result of--
            ``(A) operational requirements;
            ``(B) professional military education obligations; or
            ``(C) other circumstances that the Secretary determines 
        reasonable and appropriate.
    ``(2) The regulations prescribed under paragraph (1) shall require 
that any leave authorized to be taken after the one-year period 
described in subsection (a)(4)(A) shall be taken within a reasonable 
period of time, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, after 
cessation of the circumstances warranting the extended deadline.''.
    (b) Contribution of Leave Toward Entitlement to Retired Pay.--
Section 12732(a)(2)(G) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``maternity leave.'' and inserting the following: ``parental 
leave following--
                            ``(i) the birth or adoption of a child of 
                        the member; or
                            ``(ii) the placement of a minor child with 
                        the member for adoption or long-term foster 
                        care.''.
    (c) Credit for Retired Pay Purposes.--Section 602(b) of the William 
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2021 (Public Law 116-283; 10 U.S.C. 12732 note) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``maternity leave'' and 
        all that follows through ``birth of a child'' and inserting 
        ``parental leave described in section 12732(a)(2)(G) of title 
        10, United States Code, taken by a member of the reserve 
        components of the Armed Forces'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``maternity leave'' and 
        all that follows through ``childbirth event'' and inserting 
        ``parental leave taken by the member''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``maternity leave'' each 
        place it appears and inserting ``parental leave''.
    (d) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this 
section shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and 
apply with respect to periods of parental leave that commence on or 
after that date.
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