[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1395]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



             SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AND AIRMEN'S BILL OF RIGHTS

 Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues 
on the Armed Services Committee in sponsoring the Soldiers, Sailors, 
and Airmen's Bill of Rights. This legislation addresses the critical 
need of improving retention in our military services. The President's 
Budget has too long ignored the challenges facing our military 
recruiters as they competed against the civilian sector for highly 
skilled personnel. For too long, we have spend tax dollars training 
recruits in critical skills such as aviation maintenance, nuclear 
engineering, and medicine only to have these skills transferred to 
civilian companies. We need to stop the hemorrhaging and address the 
problems that underlie this issue.
  First, we need to raise the pay of service personnel to keep salaries 
competitive with civilian equivalents. This bill raises base pay by 
4.8% in 2000, with additional pay raises tied to the Employment Cost 
Index. Second, we need to provide incentives for active duty personnel 
to keep longer service commitments. To do this, we need to repair the 
damage done in 1986 to the military retirement system. This bill re-
establishes the pre-1986 retirement system for military personnel who 
commit to serving their country for 15 years or more. Finally, we need 
to provide service members with the opportunity to save for their 
retirement. This bill would allow service members to contribute up to 
5% of their base pay, before taxes, into the Thrift Savings Plan. This 
is the same plan available to all government civilian employees and has 
already encouraged thousands of government employees to take an active 
step in their retirement planning. By extending this benefit to the 
military, we encourage them to think ahead and to save for their 
retirements.
  The quality of our uniformed service is second to none in the world. 
We owe it to the people standing on the front lines to ensure that 
their commitment to our country does not include a commitment to debt 
and poverty. This bill is an overdue first step in improving the 
quality of life for all of the men and women who serve in uniform. We 
owe it to them; we owe it to their families. I strongly encourage my 
colleagues to support its passage.

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