[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 82 (Thursday, May 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008

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                               speech of

                          HON. BRUCE L. BRALEY

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1585) to 
     authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2008 for military 
     activities of the Department of Defense, to prescribe 
     military personnel strengths for fiscal year 2008, and for 
     other purposes:

  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my 
amendment to H.R. 1585, the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense 
Authorization Act. My amendment represents a crucial first step in 
enhancing and expanding critical family support and mental health 
services for our National Guard and Reserve troops and their families.
  I commend Chairman Skelton and the Armed Services Committee for their 
work on this bill. I'm glad the committee has recognized the great 
contributions of our National Guard and Reserve soldiers, and has 
recognized that readjusting to civilian life can be especially 
challenging for members of the reserve component. I believe that the 
establishment of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program in the bill is 
a good first step in enhancing family support services for these 
soldiers, but I believe that more needs to be done for the families of 
National Guard and Reserve troops, who have too often and for too long 
been forgotten and left behind.
  Members of the National Guard and Reserve are serving our country 
more than ever in the world's most dangerous places, including Iraq and 
Afghanistan, and many of them are facing multiple and extended 
deployments, causing considerable hardships for them and for their 
families. To cite just one example, in January 2007, members of the 
Iowa National Guard's 1-133rd Infantry Battalion learned that their 
tour of duty in Iraq would be extended from April of this year until 
August.
  My amendment, which requires the Secretary of Defense to conduct a 
study into establishing a pilot program for family-to-family support 
for members of the National Guard and Reserve, and conduct a study on 
improving support services for the children of members of the National 
Guard and Reserve who are undergoing deployment, will help ensure that 
our reserve component troops and their families receive all of the 
family support and mental health services they need as they continue to 
serve our country.
  My amendment is consistent with the goals of the Armed Services 
Committee to enhance support services for our National Guard and 
Reserve troops and their families, and I urge my colleagues to support 
it.

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