Washington, D.C. - Tonight the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1815, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006. Larsen was pleased that, among other improved benefits for our servicemen and women, the bill also included praise for Washington state. Larsen included the language that praises the state for its ahead-of-the-curve efforts to improve our National Guard and Reserves demobilization process and transition back home.

“Right now we are leaning on our National Guard and Reserves more than ever,” Larsen said. “Washington state is leading the effort to ensure that when our Reserves and National Guard return from active duty, they have the resources they need to fully transition back home.”

The language in the bill that Larsen included reads:

“The committee recognizes that to effectively provide for the needs of national guard and reserve personnel and their families following demobilization requires the cooperative efforts of both state and federal agencies. One such cooperative effort results from a memorandum of understanding between the State of Washington, the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs, the U.S. Department of Labor and the state veterans' service providers.

“As a result, there will be a systematic, comprehensive transition service provided when service members return from active duty. All national guard units will be required to conduct a family activity day within three to six months following return from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom or Noble Eagle. The family activity day will bring together the experts from the various federal and state agencies with service members and their families to provide information in such areas as family support, education and assistance, veterans benefits and entitlements, employment assistance, and medical support, including mental health services.

“The memorandum of understanding will also create long-term community support services, including an Adopt an Armory program, a family support network, employee and training services and data sharing agreements. The State of Washington is looking at ways to expand this program to all reserve component personnel in the state. The committee commends this cooperative effort and urges the Secretary of Defense, heads of other federal agencies and other states to consider a similar approach to improve and expand post mobilization services for our nation's citizen soldiers and their families.”

Larsen also worked with members across the aisle on an amendment that was included in the overall bill that will help National Guardsmen and Reservists continue their employment when they return home to their defense industry jobs as civilians.

Currently, the Department of Defense (DOD) cannot take into account the employment of our Guardsmen and Reservists when awarding defense contracts.  If companies who employ Guardsmen and Reservists lose contracts while their employees are overseas serving, those men and women would return home to learn that while they were serving, the Department of Defense had given away their jobs. The amendment that Larsen supported requires DOD to use the employment of these men and women as an evaluation factor in the awarding of defense contracts. 

“Today our Guard and Reserve are protecting our security abroad,” Larsen said.  “It is Congress’s responsibility to help protect their job security when they come home.”

Among other issues of importance, the committee authorized a 3.1% across-the-board pay raise for U.S. military. Overall, the bill authorizes $441.6 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. In addition, the bill authorizes $49.1 billion for ongoing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the global war on terrorism. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 1815 next week.

“The men and women in our military stand on the front lines of our national security,” Larsen said. “As a member of the House Armed Service Committee, I am working to support them and provide them with the necessary resources to defend this nation.”

Improved Pay, Benefits and Strength For Military
“This year’s defense bill includes a 3.1 percent across-the-board pay raise and better benefits for our troops, sending them a strong signal of support for their service.”
· This increases the amounts paid for active duty enlistments, reserve enlistments and active duty re-enlistments.
· The bill also makes the reserve rates for basic allowance for housing equal to active duty rates when mobilized for over 30 days.
· In addition, the bill increases the maximum amount of hardship pay from $300 to $750 per month.
· The bill recommends increasing the strength by 10,000 in the Army and 1,000 in the Marine Corps and gives the authority for more growth.

Improved Recruitment and Retention Initiatives
“This bill will help us recruit and retain more men and women for our all-volunteer military that is currently under tremendous strain,” Larsen said.
· The bill includes an increase for the maximum amounts that can be paid for active duty enlistments from $20,000 to $30,000 and reserve enlistments from $10,000 to $15,000 and active duty re-enlistments from $60,000 to $90,000.
· It establishes a pilot program to test a new $1,000 bonus for service members who encourage new recruits to enlist.

Improved Benefits for Veterans and Retirees
“We made a commitment to the women and men who served this nation in our military that we would take care of them in their time of need,” Larsen reminded. “I am working with my colleagues to right Congress’s wrongs against our veterans.”
· The bill allows veterans with a disability rating below 100%, but still determined to be “unemployable” due to their disability, to begin receiving full “concurrent receipt” in 2009, five years earlier than currently scheduled to receive benefits.

U.S. Air Force Tankers
“Our Air Force needs more tankers, and Boeing should build them,” Larsen urged. “The House bill moves us another step closer to that.”
· A provision in the bill would ban the Pentagon from purchasing goods and services from foreign companies that are receiving government subsidies. This section of the bill, while not naming Airbus, would keep Airbus’s parent company, EADS North America, from competing for the U.S. Air Force tanker contract.

The Senate has not yet acted on its own bill. Once it does, a conference committee will form to negotiate the differences in the bill. Larsen serves on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee.