[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 174 (Friday, December 14, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13294-S13295]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RESERVISTS PAY SECURITY ACT OF 2001

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I take great pride in supporting Senator 
Durbin in introducing the Reservists Pay Security Act of 2001. This 
legislation will ensure that the Federal employees who are in the 
military reserves and are called up for active duty in service to their 
country will get the same pay as they do in their civilian jobs.
  According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the federal 
government is by far the largest employer of our nation's military 
reservists. These reservists stand ready to serve our country with 
honor, during times of peace as well as war. They are the finest 
examples of dedication and service our nation has to offer.
  When federal employees who also serve as reservists are called to 
duty, they respond with pride, often facing significant pay cuts as 
they lose their normal civilian salaries. But the federal government 
does not supplement the lost pay of our reservists. This is a travesty.
  Our Nation has always placed a high value on the spirit of public 
service. That's why so many private employers, both large and small, 
are making significant changes to provide more generous military leave 
policies, even in the midst of a recession. If Safeway, IBM, Intel and 
Verizon can provide for their employees during times like these, then 
our federal government must care for its own as well.
  Family members of federally-employed reservists are already starting 
to feel the pinch of service. Amy Bennett, of Centreville, MD, can't 
afford the payments that she and her husband, a lieutenant in the Army 
Reserve, must pay for their home. Their family income will drop by 
$50,000 per year. To respond to this, she was at first going to sell 
her car. Now, with an 8-month-old son to care for, she must move in 
with her parents until her husband returns. She'll keep the car, but 
even worse, she may be forced to sell their home.
  Janice Riley, of St. Mary's County, will work two jobs now that her 
husband, Sgt. Rob Riley, has been sent to Texas for training. Until he 
returns, he is forced to ask his mother to help Janice out with the 
bills. Lynn Brinker, of Columbia, MD, expects her family to lose about 
$30,000 this year because her husband, Mark, was sent to Texas to join 
the rest of his 443rd Military Police Battalion. As a result, her 
neighbors are buying her meals, her babysitter and hairdresser are 
working for free, and she has taken a line of credit against her house 
because no one can take over the home improvement business Mark began 
10 years ago.
  Fifty-five thousand of our Nation's reservists have been activated 
since the attacks of September 11th. This includes about 3,000 Maryland 
area reservists, most of them federal employees. Their families sit and 
wait at home, with no guarantee when their loved ones will return, and 
little means to pay for their college funds, mortgages, car loans, and 
holiday gifts.
  This is simply wrong. I fail to see why these dedicated Americans 
should be forced to leave their families financially vulnerable at a 
time when they have so many other things to worry about.

[[Page S13295]]

  This legislation is the same as the measure my colleague, Robert 
Wexler of Florida, introduced in the House of Representatives this 
spring. But this is not the first time I've fought for the rights of 
our nation's reservists, or our nation's federal employees. In 1991, 
when so many of our brave reservists answered the call to fight for our 
country in the Persian Gulf, I sponsored similar legislation. During 
the Gulf War, Senator Durbin, the other sponsor of this bill, who was 
then serving in House, introduced the exact same legislation.
  Before and since then, I have been a part of many other efforts to 
make sure that those who work on behalf our country, both here and 
abroad, are not penalized simply for their service to our country. This 
legislation will help relieve the financial hardship being felt by so 
many of our dedicated citizens. It will allow those who stand ready to 
serve our country not to have to worry about how the bills at home will 
be paid while they fight to protect the way of life so many Americans 
enjoy.
  We all hope that federally-employed military reservists achieve 
success in their military duty, and return safely to comfort at home. 
But our efforts abroad should not compromise the living standards of 
them or their families, and our efforts to relieve their plight cannot 
wait.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in standing up for our 
active duty citizens, the federal employees who serve our nation in 
peace and, as reservists, in war, by supporting this very important 
legislation.

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