Your Voice on Capitol Hill

EANGUS Legislative Office

Welcome to the Legislative Action Center.  Please take a few moments to contact your D.C. delegation and support EANGUS legislative priorities in the 117th Congress.

EANGUS Legislative Priorities 

First Session, 117th Congress

as of 06-20-2021                                                                             

  • Reserve Component medical readiness & TRICARE expansion
    • Improve Reserve Component medical readiness & expand TRICARE coverage, which may include:
      • Funding TRS for federal employees earlier than FY2030
      • Expand TRICARE Prime enrollment to National Guard and Reserve members at no cost regardless of duty status to address medical readiness requirements
      • (NGAUS, AUSA, and the TMC share these priorities)
    • S.829 – TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act
    • H.R.1997 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the TRICARE program for certain members of the Retired Reserve of the reserve components.
    • S.625 TRICARE Select Restoration Act
    • H.R. 1695 TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act
    • H.R.1695 TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act
    • H.R.3512 – 117th Congress (2021-2022): To amend title 10, United States Code, to eliminate certain health care charges for members of the Selected Reserve eligible for TRICARE Reserve Select, and for other purposes. 
  •  
  • TRICARE coverage with early retirement
    • Align TRICARE coverage with early retirement (age 50-60) for those qualifying based on active duty performed after 29 January 2008 ** EANGUS White Paper covers this in more detail – this relates to EANGUS National Resolution 19-02 passed in Iowa – Senator Warren developing bill for 117th Congress to address this.  (TMC supports and has this as a priority also)
    • S.829 – TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act
    • H.R.1997 – TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Ac
    • H.R. 3512 To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve the TRICARE program for certain members of the Retired Reserve of the reserve components (Healthcare for Our Troops Act)
  • Tax incentives for employers to hire members of the Guard
    • Provide tax incentives for employers to hire members of the Guard/Reserve (Support tax credits to help offset employer costs associated with the absence of Guard/Reserve members completing military duty and to reinforce employer support. Support the RECRUIT Act of 2021 which will be introduced in the 117th Congress by Rep Ryan and Palazzo) ** EANGUS White Paper covers this in more detail – this relates to EANGUS National Resolution 19-04 passed in Iowa.  (NGAUS, AUSA, and the TMC share this priority)
    • H.R.1854 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow for a credit against tax for employers of reservists
    • S. 1178 – RECRUIT Act
    • H.R. 1018 Reservist Pay Equity Act of 2021
    • H.R.1431 – Hire A Hero Act of 2021
  • Equity of benefits for Guard/Reserve under Duty Status Reform
    • Ensure equity of benefits for Guard/Reserve under Duty Status Reform, including ensuring any plan to consolidate duty status authorities supports operational readiness and provides for full, fair and transparent accounting of Guard/Reserve call-ups and associated benefits.  (NGAUS and the TMC have this as a priority)
    • H.R.1832 – To direct the Secretary of Defense to pay a per diem to certain members of the National Guard who performed certain duty in the National Capital Region during the period beginning on January 26, 2021, and ending on March 15, 2021.
    • H.R. 4247- Providing Additional Benefits to National Guard Servicemembers Performing State Active Duty.
    • H.R.5095 – To amend title 10, United States Code, to improve how members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces performing active duty or full-time National Guard duty are counted towards authorized end strengths
    • H.R.5112 – Space National Guard Establishment Act
    • H.R.1938 – National Guard Housing Equity Act
  • Improved access to mental health care and treatment
      • Improve access to mental health care and treatment to address the high rate of suicides in the military, with specific funding to tailor programs for the National Guard and increase access to VA programs to include those members who have not deployed. (NGAUS and AUSA priority)
    • S.927 – A bill to improve the provision of health care and other benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances, and for other purposes
    • H.R.2127 – To improve the provision of health care and other benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances, and for other purposes.
    • S.952 – A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with exposure to toxins, and for other purposes.
    • H.R.2372 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a presumption of service connection for certain diseases associated with exposure to toxins, and for other purposes.
  • Equal Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay for NG/RC members
      • Provide equal Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay for NG/RC members, providing parity with Active-Duty members who must meet the same requirements. ** EANGUS White Paper covers this in more detail. (NGAUS, AUSA, and the TMC also support this as a priority)
    • Provide equal Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay for NG/RC members, providing parity with Active-Duty members who must meet the same requirements. ** EANGUS White Paper covers this in more detail. (NGAUS, AUSA, and the TMC also support this as a priority)
    • H.R.3626 – To amend title 37, United States Code, to require the Secretary concerned to pay a member in the reserve component of an Armed Force a special bonus or incentive pay in the same amount as a member in the regular component of that Armed Force.
    • H.R. 1859 – A bill to amend title 37, United States Code, to require the Secretary concerned to pay a member in the reserve component of an Armed Force a special bonus or incentive pay in the same amount as a member in the regular component of that Armed Force.
  • Increased annual Thrift Savings Plan contributions
      • Increased annual Thrift Savings Plan contributions raise the cap on annual Thrift Savings Plan contributions to allow members of the Guard/Reserve to max out both their private employer and military retirement plans (NGAUS and the TMC share this priority)
  • DD 214 for NG/RC upon separation and career milestones
      • Issue DD 214 for NG/RC upon separation and career milestones, to accurately document time served to ensure members will have access to benefits during and at the conclusion of their military career.
    • S. 1291 – The Record of Military Service for Members of the Armed Forces Act of 2021
    • No House companion bill yet.
  • Elimination of the Concurrent Receipt offset
      • Elimination of the Concurrent Receipt offset – H.R. 303 was introduced by Rep Bilirakis to allow the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. Under current law, only individuals with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more receive both without offset. The Major Richard Star Act was also re-introduced in the 117th Congress by Chairman Tester as an incremental step  – it specifically targets the elimination of offsets for servicemembers who are medically retired due to combat-related injuries before reaching 20 years of service.
    • H.R.1282 – Major Richard Star Act
    • S.344 – Major Richard Star Act
    • H.R.303 – Retired Pay Restoration Act
  • NG/Res Retiree Transition Assistance Program
      • Develop NG/Res Retiree Transition Assistance Program, to include:
        • A mandatory transition program to ensure NG members preparing for retirement understand the application process and their benefits
        • Development of a tracking system to capture duty performed that counts towards early retirement, or a Military Service Computation Date that will capture that time for computation of retirement/early retirement
  • Increased USERRA protections
    • Remove forced arbitration
  • Increase SCRA protection
    • Add title 32
    • Remove waiver in section 517
  • Programs to address unemployment or under-employment of Guard members
    • Initiate and fund programs to address unemployment or under-employment of Guard members, such as increased credentialing programs for certain MOS/AFSC and usage of the SkillBridge Program
    • H.R.2047 – To amend title 38, United States Code, to expand eligibility for Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to members of the National Guard who perform certain full-time duties.
    • H.R.1836 – Guard and Reserve GI Bill Parity Act of 2021
    • S. 1349 – Montgomery GI Bill Parity Act of 2021
    • H.R.1536 – Improving College Affordability for our Guard and Reserve Act

For further information, please contact the EANGUS legislative director Kevin Hollinger at (202) 670-1826 or email at kevin@eangus.org

2021 Legislative Workshop Wrap-up:

EANGUS conducted our Annual Legislative Workshop virtually on Saturday, 27 February 2021.  The Workshop was attended by approximately 80 members and included several special guest speakers and panel discussions, as well as a presentation of our annual Legislative Awards.  We received a lot of positive feedback from those in attendance and want to make the information presented available to the rest of our members. If you were unable to attend, please review the information below which includes links to the EANGUS YouTube Channel where a video recording of each session can be found.  Also included below are the EANGUS Legislative Priorities for the 117th Congress, copies of the three EANGUS White Papers presented this year, slides from the presentations, and a link to the EANGUS Legislative Workshop E-Booklet which has all the information presented to our attendees.

Additionally, during the months of March – April 2021, we ask that State Associations participate in our “Muster for Change” event.  This is your opportunity to schedule and conduct virtual meetings with your Senators, Representatives, or their staff, to discuss the three EANGUS White Papers, other emerging issues, and any State issues you may have.  After reviewing the information below, if you have any questions regarding the White Papers or our Legislative Priorities, please contact the EANGUS Legislative Director Kevin Hollinger at kevin@eangus.org.   We also ask that you send him an email message after your congressional meetings to let him know how it went and whether your elected representatives had any questions or need follow-up on our issues.


Legislative Workshop Videos
Workshop Videos

White Papers
Early TRICARE
Hazardous Duty Pay
Employer Tax Incentives

Legislative Priorities
EANGUS 2021 Legislative Priorities

Presentations
Resolutions Process
Resolutions Report
Legislative Process
NGB-LL

Legislative Workshop Booklet

To the Legislative Workshop Attendees:

We appreciate the feedback that we received during the post-workshop “Social Hour” as well as your responses to our online Survey.  We looked at all those comments during our internal after-action review and are looking forward to incorporating some of those suggestions into our plans for the 2022 Legislative Workshop and any other future virtual events.  We agree that providing a virtual attendance option in addition to face-to-face attendance would allow for additional participation and engagement opportunities.  We also want to provide additional information for first-time Legislative Workshop attendees and others to ensure you know how to navigate Capitol Hill and make appointments with your Congressional representatives, and that you have a good understanding of the White Papers we distribute each year.  We will also work to include more opportunities for engagement with the speakers, some time to discuss State Legislative efforts, and scheduled breaks!

For those that attended the Legislative Workshop, your special copy of “Congress at Your Fingertips” (valued at $15) will be mailed the week of 15 March.

Thank you again for your participation and support!

 

 

 

 

Kevin C. Hollinger
Director of Legislation                                                                   

                                                                                                  Kevin Hollinger                                                 

                                                       

Kevin Hollinger focuses on legislation that advocates for national security and readiness of the Enlisted National Guard.  Mr. Hollinger served for over 22 years in the Army and National Guard and completed multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Kevin has specialized in RC legislation for over 8 years.  He completed his Juris Doctorate from The John Marshal Law School and is Currently an LLM student.  Mr. Hollinger can be reached at Kevin@eangus.org or 202-670-1826

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