[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2069]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED

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 SOLDIERS', SAILORS', AIRMEN'S, AND MARINES' BILL OF RIGHTS ACT OF 1999

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                        CLELAND AMENDMENT NO. 6

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. CLELAND submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to 
the bill (S. 4) to improve pay and retirement equity for members of the 
Armed Forces; and for other purposes; as follows:

       On page 33, line 16, strike ``for a period of more than 30 
     days'' and insert ``and a member of the Ready Reserve in any 
     pay status''.
       On page 34, beginning on line 10, strike ``on active duty'' 
     and insert ``: members on active duty; members of the Ready 
     Reserve''.
       On page 35, strike lines 3 through 6 and insert the 
     following:
       ``(c) Maximum Contribution.--(1) The amount contributed by 
     a member of the uniformed services for any pay period out of 
     basic pay may not exceed 5 percent of such member's basic pay 
     for such pay period.
       ``(2)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), the amount 
     contributed by a member of the Ready Reserve for any pay 
     period for any compensation received under section 206 of 
     title 37 may not exceed 5 percent of such member's 
     compensation for such pay period.
       ``(B) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
     subchapter, no contribution may be made under this paragraph 
     for a member of the Ready Reserve for any year to the extent 
     that such contribution, when added to prior contributions for 
     such member for such year under this subchapter, exceeds any 
     limitation under section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
     1986.
       On page 35, line 9, insert ``, or out of compensation under 
     section 206 of title 37,'' after ``out of basic pay''.
       On page 35, line 12, strike ``308a, 308f,'' and insert 
     ``308a through 308h,''.
       On page 36, in the matter following line 15, strike ``on 
     active duty'' and insert ``: members on active duty; members 
     of the Ready Reserve''.

 Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, when S. 4 is debated in the 
Senate, I intend to offer an amendment to expand the Thrift Savings 
Plan to allow the participation of members of the Ready Reserve. The 
1.5 million members of the Reserve Components make up half of our 
military forces. They are contributing to our military efforts at home 
and around the world every day of the year, side-by-side with their 
active duty counterparts. We are using our Reserve component personnel 
more often and for a broader range of missions and operations then ever 
before.
  Since the end of the Cold War, members of the Reserve Components have 
participated at record levels. In fact, over 17,000 Reservists and 
Guardsmen have answered the Nation's call to bring peace to Bosnia. 
Nearly 270,000 Reservists and Guardsmen were mobilized during 
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Numerous Guard and Reserve 
units from all corners of the United States responded immediately to 
requests for assistance in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, delivering over 
10 million pounds of humanitarian aid to devastated areas in Central 
America. Closer to home, Reserve and National Guard personnel answered 
the cries for help after devastating floods struck in North and South 
Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. They braved high winds and water to fill 
sandbags, provide security, and transport food, fresh water, medical 
supplies and disaster workers to the affected areas. And the Air Force 
Reserve's ``Hurricane Hunters'' are the only Department of Defense 
organization that routinely flies into tropical storms and hurricanes 
to collect data to improve forecast accuracy, which dramatically 
minimizes losses due to the destructive forces of these storms. These 
are but a few examples of what members of the Guard and Reserve do on a 
daily basis. What amazes me most is that many take part in these 
important military operations on a volunteer basis, and have to balance 
these demands with those of their full-time civilian careers and their 
families.
  In September 1997, Secretary of Defense Cohen wrote a memorandum 
acknowledging an increased reliance on the Reserve Components. He 
called upon the Services to remove all remaining barriers to achieving 
a ``seamless Total Force.'' He has also said that without Reservists, 
``we can't do it in Bosnia, we can't do it in the Gulf, we can't do it 
anywhere.'' The Reserve Components will, without a doubt, play an 
integral role in our national military strategy of the 21st century.
  Allowing members who serve in the Reserve Components to participate 
in the Thrift Savings Plan would carry on the spirit of Secretary 
Cohen's Total Force policy at virtually no additional cost. But, most 
importantly, doing so sends a message to our citizen soldiers, sailors, 
marines, and airmen that we recognize and appreciate their 
sacrifices.

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