[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2514 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2514

To improve benefits for members of the reserve components of the Armed 
                      Forces and their dependents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 4, 2000

 Mr. Grams (for himself, Mr. Sessions, and Mr. Allard) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve benefits for members of the reserve components of the Armed 
                      Forces and their dependents.

    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 ``Fairness for the Military Reserve 
Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. TRAVEL BY RESERVES ON MILITARY AIRCRAFT OUTSIDE CONTINENTAL 
              UNITED STATES.

    (a) Space-Required Travel for Travel to Duty Stations OCONUS.--(1) 
Subsection (a) of section 18505 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (A) by inserting ``annual training duty or'' before 
        ``inactive-duty training'' both places it appears; and
            (B) by inserting ``duty or'' before ``training if''.
    (2) The heading of such section is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 18505. Space-required travel: Reserves traveling to annual 
              training duty or inactive-duty training OCONUS''.
    (b) Space-Available Travel for Members of Selected Reserve and Gray 
Area Retirees.--(1) Chapter 1805 of such title is amended by adding at 
the end the following new section:
``Sec. 18506. Space-available travel: Selected Reserve members and 
              reserve retirees under age 60; dependents
    ``(a) Eligibility for Space-Available Travel.--The Secretary of 
Defense shall prescribe regulations to provide persons described in 
subsection (b) with transportation on aircraft of the Department of 
Defense on a space-available basis under the same terms and conditions 
(including terms and conditions applicable to travel outside the United 
States) as apply to members and former members of the armed forces 
entitled to retired pay.
    ``(b) Eligible Persons.--Subsection (a) applies to the following 
persons:
            ``(1) A person who is a member of the Selected Reserve in 
        good standing (as determined by the Secretary concerned).
            ``(2) A person who is a member or former member of a 
        reserve component under age 60 who, but for age, would be 
        entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title.
    ``(c) Dependents.--A dependent of a person described in subsection 
(b) shall be provided transportation under this section on the same 
basis as dependents of members and former members of the armed forces 
entitled to retired pay.
    ``(d) Limitation on Required Identification.--Neither the 
`Authentication of Reserve Status for Travel Eligibility' form (DD Form 
1853) nor any other form, other military identification and duty orders 
or other forms of identification required of active duty personnel, may 
be required to be presented by persons requesting space-available 
transportation within or outside the continental United States under 
this section.
    ``(e) Dependent Defined.--In this section, the term `dependent' has 
the meanings given that term in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), (D), and 
(I) of section 1074(2) of this title.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by striking the item relating to section 18505 and inserting 
the following:

``18505. Space-required travel: Reserves traveling to annual training 
                            duty or inactive-duty training OCONUS.
``18506. Space-available travel: Selected Reserve members and reserve 
                            retirees under age 60; dependents.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--The regulations required under section 18506 
of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (b), shall be 
prescribed not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 3. BILLETING SERVICES FOR RESERVE MEMBERS TRAVELING FOR INACTIVE 
              DUTY TRAINING.

    (a) In General.--(1) Chapter 1217 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by inserting after section 12603 the following new section:
``Sec. 12604. Billeting in Department of Defense facilities: Reserves 
              attending inactive-duty training
    ``(a) Authority for Billeting on Same Basis as Active Duty Members 
Traveling Under Orders.--The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe 
regulations authorizing a Reserve traveling to inactive-duty training 
at a location more than 50 miles from that Reserve's residence to be 
eligible for billeting in Department of Defense facilities on the same 
basis and to the same extent as a member of the armed forces on active 
duty who is traveling under orders away from the member's permanent 
duty station.
    ``(b) Proof of Reason for Travel.--The Secretary shall include in 
the regulations the means for confirming a Reserve's eligibility for 
billeting under subsection (a).''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 12603 the 
following new item:

``12604. Billeting in Department of Defense facilities: Reserves 
                            attending inactive-duty training.
    (b) Effective Date.--Section 12604 of title 10, United States Code, 
as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to periods of 
inactive-duty training beginning more than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. INCREASE IN MAXIMUM NUMBER OF RESERVE RETIREMENT POINTS THAT 
              MAY BE CREDITED IN ANY YEAR.

    Section 12733(3) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``but not more than'' and all that follows and inserting ``but 
not more than--
                    ``(A) 60 days in any one year of service before the 
                year of service that includes September 23, 1996;
                    ``(B) 75 days in the year of service that includes 
                September 23, 1996, and in any subsequent year of 
                service before the year of service that includes the 
                date of the enactment of the Reserve Components Equity 
                Act of 2000; and
                    ``(C) 90 days in the year of service that includes 
                the date of the enactment of the Reserve Components 
                Equity Act of 2000 and in any subsequent year of 
                service.''.

SEC. 5. AUTHORITY FOR PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES TO RESERVE COMPONENT 
              MEMBERS FOLLOWING RELEASE FROM ACTIVE DUTY.

    (a) Legal Services.--Section 1044(a) of title 10, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (5); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new 
        paragraph (4):
            ``(4) Members of reserve components of the armed forces not 
        covered by paragraph (1) or (2) following release from active 
        duty under a call or order to active duty for more than 30 days 
        issued under a mobilization authority (as determined by the 
        Secretary of Defense), but only during the period that begins 
        on the date of the release and is equal to twice the length of 
        the period served on active duty under such call or order to 
        active duty.''.
    (b) Dependents.--Paragraph (5) of such section, as redesignated by 
subsection (a)(1), is amended by striking ``and (3)'' and inserting 
``(3), and (4)''.
    (c) Implementing Regulations.--Regulations to implement the 
amendments made by this section shall be prescribed not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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