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 recruit-
ment 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) intro-
duced 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 com-
mittee 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Americans in Uniform Act of 2005’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
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 re-
serve 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 air-
craft. 
Sec. 7. Report on employment matters for members of the National Guard and 
Reserve. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Since September 11, 2001, almost 424,000 
members of the National Guard or Reserve, com-
prising approximately 36 percent of the total mem-
bership, have been called or ordered to active duty. 
(2) Of the 1,718 members of the United States 
Armed Forces who have been killed or have died in 
the Global War on Terrorism, as of April 9, 2005, 
357 were members of the National Guard or Re-
serve, which represents 21 percent of the total cas-
ualties. 
(3) Elements of all 15 Army National Guard 
‘‘enhanced readiness brigades’’ have been mobilized 
and deployed within the Continental United States
Field Command, Iraq, or Afghanistan, or are under-
going training to be deployed, in support of United 
States operations in the Global War on Terrorism. 
(4) During recent cycles of deployments in con-
nection with Operation Iraqi Freedom, six of the 17 
Army and Marine Ground Combat brigades serving 
in Iraq, which is equivalent to two combat divisions, 
are National Guard brigades. 
(5) Approximately 34 percent of the United 
States troops now serving in Iraq and Kuwait are 
members of the National Guard or Reserve. 
(6) Not since the Korean War have so many 
members of the National Guard and Reserve been 
mobilized for service in a theater of war. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF EVALUATION FACTOR FOR DE-
FENSE CONTRACTORS EMPLOYING OR SUB-
CONTRACTING WITH MEMBERS OF THE SE-
LECTED RESERVE OF THE RESERVE COMPO-
NENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 
(a) DEFENSE CONTRACTS.—In awarding any con-
tract for the procurement of goods or services, the Depart-
ment of Defense, when considering source selection cri-
teria, shall use as an evaluation factor whether entities 
intend to carry out the contract using employees or indi-
vidual subcontractors for goods and services who are mem-
bers of the Selected Reserve of the reserve components of 
the Armed Forces. 
(b) DOCUMENTATION OF SELECTED RESERVE-RE-
LATED EVALUATION FACTOR.—Any entity claiming intent 
to carry out a contract using employees or individual sub-
contractors for goods and services who are members of 
the Selected Reserve of the reserve components of the 
Armed Forces shall be required to document to the De-
partment of Defense the number (and names, if re-
quested) of such members of the Selected Reserve that the 
entity will employ, or execute personal services contracts 
with, for the contract in question. 
(c) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The Secretary of 
the military department concerned, or, in the case of con-
tracts which are not negotiated by a military department, 
the Secretary of Defense, may waive the requirement in 
subsection (a) with respect to a contract if the Secretary 
concerned determines that the waiver is necessary for rea-
sons of national security. 
(d) REGULATIONS.—The Federal Acquisition Regula-
tion shall be revised as necessary to implement this sec-
tion.
SEC. 4. INCREASE IN VARIOUS SPECIAL PAYS AND ALLOW-
ANCES 
FOR 
RESERVE 
COMPONENT 
PER-
SONNEL. 
(a) HARDSHIP DUTY PAY.—Section 305(a) of title 
37, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘$300’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$750’’. 
(b) REENLISTMENT BONUS.—Section 308b(b)(1) of 
such title is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘$15,000’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$25,000’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘$7,500’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$12,500’’; and 
(3) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘$6,000’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$11,000’’. 
(c) FAMILY SEPARATION ALLOWANCE.—Section 427 
of such title is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(f) SPECIAL RATE
FOR RESERVE COMPONENT 
MEMBERS.—If a member described in subsection (a) is 
a member of a reserve component, the amount of the 
monthly allowance for the member under this section shall 
be increased to $500.’’. 
SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN PERSONS FOR BURIAL IN 
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Chapter 24 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended—
(A) by redesignating section 2412 as section 
2413; and 
(B) by inserting after section 2411 the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 2412. Arlington National Cemetery: eligibility of 
certain persons for burial 
‘‘(a)(1) The remains of a member or former member 
of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who at the 
time of death was under 60 years of age and who, but 
for age, would have been eligible at the time of death for 
retired pay under chapter 1223 of title 10 may be buried 
in Arlington National Cemetery on the same basis as the 
remains of members of the Armed Forces entitled to re-
tired pay under that chapter. 
‘‘(2) The remains of the dependents of a member 
whose remains are permitted under paragraph (1) to be 
buried in Arlington National Cemetery may be buried in 
that cemetery on the same basis as dependents of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces entitled to retired pay under 
such chapter 1223. 
‘‘(b)(1) The remains of a member of a reserve compo-
nent of the Armed Forces who dies in the line of duty 
while performing active duty for training or inactive duty 
training may be buried in Arlington National Cemetery
on the same basis as the remains of a member of the 
Armed Forces who dies while on active duty. 
‘‘(2) The remains of the dependents of a member 
whose remains are permitted under paragraph (1) to be 
buried in Arlington National Cemetery may be buried in 
that cemetery on the same basis as dependents of mem-
bers on active duty.’’. 
(2) The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 
24 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking 
the item relating to section 2412 and inserting after the 
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.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 2412 of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall 
apply with respect to interments occurring on or after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN PERSONS FOR SPACE- 
AVAILABLE TRAVEL ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY OF ‘‘GRAY AREA’’ RETIREES AND 
SPOUSES.—Chapter 157 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting after section 2641a the following 
new section:
‘‘§ 2641b. Space-available travel on Department of De-
fense aircraft: Reserve members eligible 
for retired pay but for age; spouses 
‘‘(a) RESERVE RETIREES UNDER AGE 60.—A mem-
ber or former member of a reserve component under 60 
years of age who, but for age, would be eligible for retired 
pay under chapter 1223 of this title shall be provided 
transportation on Department of Defense aircraft, on a 
space-available basis, on the same basis as members of the 
armed forces entitled to retired pay under any other provi-
sion of law. 
‘‘(b) SPOUSES.—The spouse of a member or former 
member under 60 years of age who, but for age, would 
be eligible for retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title, 
shall be provided transportation on Department of De-
fense aircraft, on a space-available basis, on the same 
basis as spouses of members of the armed forces entitled 
to retired pay under any other provision of law.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 2641a the following new 
item: 
‘‘2641b. Space-available travel on Department of Defense aircraft: Reserve 
members eligible for retired pay but for age; spouses.’’.
SEC. 7. REPORT ON EMPLOYMENT MATTERS FOR MEM-
BERS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD AND RE-
SERVE. 
(a) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT.—Not later than 
270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report on difficulties faced by members of the 
National Guard and Reserve with respect to employment 
as a result of being ordered to perform full time National 
Guard duty or being ordered to active duty service, respec-
tively. 
(b) SPECIFIC MATTERS.—In preparing the report re-
quired under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall 
include information on the following matters 
(1) TYPE OF EMPLOYERS.—An estimate of the 
number of employers of members of the National 
Guard and Reserve who are private sector employers 
and those who are public sector employers. 
(2) SIZE OF EMPLOYERS.—An estimate of the 
number of employers of members of the National 
Guard and Reserve who employ fewer than 50 full- 
time employees. 
(3) SELF-EMPLOYED.—An estimate of the num-
ber of members of the National Guard and Reserve 
who are self-employed.
(4) NATURE OF BUSINESS.—A description of 
the nature of the business of employers of members 
of the National Guard and Reserve. 
(5) REEMPLOYMENT
DIFFICULTIES.—A de-
scription of difficulties faced by members of the Na-
tional Guard and Reserve in gaining reemployment 
after having performed full time National Guard 
duty or active duty service, including difficulties 
faced by members who are disabled and who are 
Veterans of the Vietnam Era. 
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