Durbin Amendment Allowing Reservists Who Are Federal Employees to Recieve Full Salary Passes Senate
DURBIN AMENDMENT ALLOWING RESERVISTS WHO ARE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO RECEIVE FULL SALARY PASSES SENATE
Amendment Requires Federal Government to Make Up Difference in Civilian, Military Pay for Those Called Up to Active Duty
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
[WASHINGTON, DC] - An amendment offered today by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and George Allen (R-VA) to ensure that federal employees in the National Guard and Reserves are paid the equivalent of their full civilian salary while they have been called to active military duty was approved by the Senate by voice vote. The amendment was offered to the fiscal year 2005 Supplemental Appropriations bill, which is being debated in the Senate this week.
A motion to table the Durbin amendment, which would have killed the measure, failed 39-61. Sixteen Republicans joined the Senate Democrats to support the bipartisan amendment.
More than 120,000 federal employees currently serve as members of the Guard and Reserve; about 17,000 have been mobilized to active duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and other locations. While these soldiers receive pay for the time they are on active duty, the salary gap between military service and civilian employment can be considerable.
"Many in Congress, myself included, have praised private corporations, state and local governments for agreeing to make up the difference between their employees' military pay and what they would have earned at home so that Guard and Reserve families won't have to suffer additional hardships," said Durbin. "The time has come for the federal government to step up and do the same."
A number of employers throughout the country have acted to close the pay gap for men and women serving in the Reserves and Guard. In Illinois, Boeing Aerospace, State Farm Insurance, Sears, Roebuck & Company, the State of Illinois, the City of Chicago, and many other Illinois companies, city governments and county governments have established financial compensation plans for their employees called to serve.
Today's vote marks the third occasion that the Senate has voted for this Durbin amendment to provide federal employees deployed overseas with the equivalent of their full civilian salary over the duration of their deployment. In October 2003, the Durbin amendment passed 96-3 during the Senate debate on the fiscal year 2004 Supplemental Appropriations bill. The measure passed by voice vote last June as an amendment to the defense authorization bill. On both previous occasions, the Durbin amendment was stripped out of the legislation in a conference committee between the Senate and the House of Representatives.
"Today the Senate went on record once again in support of this bipartisan measure," said Durbin. "Unfortunately, I have watched on two occasions as this important amendment went into a conference committee and disappeared. The same Congress that is praising businesses for supporting our service men and women is secretly killing this provision when it comes time for the federal government to provide this financial support as well. That is wrong."
"Let's offer these men and women in uniform not only our thanks and our praise but the financial support they need to keep their families together and give our soldiers peace of mind," said Durbin.
The Durbin amendment received the endorsement of the Reserve Officers Association, the National Guard Association of the United States and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States.
http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=236342&&