[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E556-E557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NATIONAL GUARD FEDERAL 
                      EMPLOYEE LEAVE FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 19, 2021

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the District of 
Columbia National Guard Federal Employee Leave Fairness Act, which 
would correct a legislative drafting error and clarify that members of 
the D.C. National Guard (DCNG) who are federal civilian employees are 
entitled to leave without loss in

[[Page E557]]

pay or time from their civilian employment when they are mobilized by 
the DCNG.
  In 1899, Congress codified in the D.C. Code the original authority 
for entitlement to leave when federal civilian employees were mobilized 
by the DCNG. In 1968, that authority was moved into 5 U.S.C. 6323. In 
that same year, Congress authorized two additional leave entitlements 
in 5 U.S.C. 6323 as well as established an offset provision in 5 U.S.C. 
5519 referencing those two additional leave entitlements. However, 
because the U.S. Code had not yet been updated to include the earlier 
DCNG authority, the Code contained a duplicate subsection, one 
referring to DCNG mobilizations and one to a more general leave 
entitlement for the National Guard and Reserves. My bill would restore 
Congress' original intent regarding DCNG mobilizations by correcting 
this legislative drafting error and clarifying that the pay and 
benefits of DCNG members who are federal civilian employees are not 
subject to the offset in 5 U.S.C. 5519.
  The only change required to fix this leislative drafting error is to 
remove the erroneous reference to DCNG mobilizations in 5 U.S.C. 5519. 
This change would positively impact the hundreds of dedicated federal 
civilian employees who are also members of the DCNG, providing them the 
full pay and benefits they deserve.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

                          ____________________