Enhancing America's Guard and Reserve Act

Bill: 108-hr-4753
Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]
Introduced: 2004-06-25 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Armed forces reserves
College costs
Commerce
Cost of living adjustments
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Employee rights
Federal employees
Government Operations and Politics
Grants-in-aid
Health
Higher education
Income tax
Indexing (Economic policy)
Iraq compilation
Labor and Employment
Local employees
Military medicine
Military pay
Military pensions
Military training
Military transportation
National Guard
Salaries
Science, Technology, Communications
State employees
Tax credits
Taxation
Telecommuting
Transportation and Public Works
Travel costs
Veterans' benefits
Veterans' education
Wages

Summary:
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: 
Enhancing America's Guard and Reserve Act - Entitles a Federal employee who is a member of a reserve component to receive the difference in pay between military compensation and civilian compensation during periods of active duty exceeding 30 days.
 
Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to reimburse States or local governments for 50 percent of the civilian compensation paid by such governments to equalize military and civilian pay. Increases the reimbursement rate to 100 percent if active duty extends beyond nine months. 
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish an active-duty reserve component employee credit for employers who provide compensation to employees on active duty. 
Modifies age and service requirements for receipt of retired pay for non-regular service. 
Permanently extends authority for certain TRICARE benefits for members of reserve components. 
Makes permanent the extended time period during which members of the Armed Forces separated from active duty may seek transitional health care (repealing time limits set forth in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 and the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan). 
Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for members of reserve components under the Montgomery GI Bill and indexes such payments to the cost of higher education. 
Prohibits the termination of educational assistance for a member's failure to participate satisfactorily in required training due solely to a call to active duty. 
Authorizes the limited use of telecommuting to satisfy inactive-duty training. 
Requires the Secretary of Defense to give Selected Reserve members eligibility for travel on Department of Defense aircraft on a space-available basis.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-07-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Civil Service and Agency Organization.
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform, and Ways and Means, 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.
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform, and Ways and Means, 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.
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform, and Ways and Means, 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.
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform, and Ways and Means, 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.
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2004-06-25
text: Introduced in House