[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2710-S2711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU:
  S. 445. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to revise the 
age and service requirements for eligibility to receive retired pay for 
non-regular service; to the Committee on Armed Services.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, many bills were introduced in the last 
Congress that would lower the age at

[[Page S2711]]

which Reservists can receive retirement benefits. Most of these bills 
were met with resistance from the Department of Defense, due to cost 
estimates over a 10-year period. It is my hope that his Bill, the 
Reserve Retirement and Retention Act of 2003, will serve as a 
compromise measure and deliver retirement benefits to Reservists and 
Guardsmen at an earlier age. This legislation would lower the 
retirement age of a Reservist by one year for every 2-year period that 
he or she serves past the requisite 20 years for retirement. For 
example, if a Reservist should serve for 22 years, he or she could 
receive retirement benefits at age 59. This legislation will serve as a 
critical tool in encouraging the most experienced Reservists and 
Guardsmen to stay past the 20-year mark. It is my hope that this 
measure will encourage our Reservists and Guardsmen to stay in their 
units longer, while making their retirement benefits more generous for 
them and their families.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of this bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 445

       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 ``Reservists Retirement and 
     Retention Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR RETIRED PAY FOR NON-REGULAR SERVICE.

       (a) Age and Service Requirements.--Subsection (a) of 
     section 12731 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to 
     read as follows:
       ``(a)(1) Except as provided in subsection (c), a person is 
     entitled, upon application, to retired pay computed under 
     section 12739 of this title, if the person--
       ``(A) satisfies one of the combinations of requirements for 
     minimum age and minimum number of years of service (computed 
     under section 12732 of this title) that are specified in the 
     table in paragraph (2);
       ``(B) performed the last six years of qualifying service 
     while a member of any category named in section 12732(a)(1) 
     of this title, but not while a member of a regular component, 
     the Fleet Reserve, or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, except 
     that in the case of a person who completed 20 years of 
     service computed under section 12732 of this title before 
     October 5, 1994, the number of years of qualifying service 
     under this subparagraph shall be eight; and
       ``(C) is not entitled, under any other provision of law, to 
     retired pay from an armed force or retainer pay as a member 
     of the Fleet Reserve or the Fleet Marine Corps Reserve.
       ``(2) The combinations of minimum age and minimum years of 
     service required of a person under subparagraph (A) of 
     paragraph (1) for entitlement to retired pay as provided in 
     such paragraph are as follows:

        ``Age, inThe minimum years of service required for that age is:
  55............................................................30 ....

  56............................................................28 ....

  57............................................................26 ....

  58............................................................24 ....

  59............................................................22 ....

  60.........................................................20.''.....

       (b) 20-Year Letter.--Subsection (d) of such section is 
     amended by striking ``the years of service required for 
     eligibility for retired pay under this chapter'' in the first 
     sentence and inserting ``20 years of service computed under 
     section 12732 of this title.''.
       (c) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made 
     by this subsection (a) shall take effect on the first day of 
     the first month beginning on or after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to retired 
     pay payable for that month and subsequent months.
                                 ______