S. 4
Military Personnel Improvements

April 9, 1999

Dear Allan:

Thank you for contacting me about your interest in legislation that would improve pay and other benefits for military personnel. I wanted to update you on Senate action on this issue.

As you may know, the Clinton Administration's Fiscal Year (FY) 2000 budget proposed a pay raise of 4.4 percent for military personnel. We can do better to help close the military to civilian pay gap, which is over 13 percent. That is why I cosponsored S. 4, the Soldiers', Sailors', Airmens' and Marine's Bill of Rights Act. This legislation would give our military a pay raise of 4.8 percent beginning January 1, 2000, and set annual pay raises at .05 percent above the Employment Cost Index. In addition, this bill would provide a special subsistence allowance of $180 for those members of the military whose pay is so low they qualify for food stamps, and institute much-needed reforms in the military retirement system.

S. 4 recently was approved by the Senate with a strong bipartisan vote of 91-8, and is now pending in the House of Representatives. During the Senate debate on this bill, several very beneficial amendments were approved. Some of these improvements would permit members of the Ready Reserve to contribute to a Thrift Savings Plan; provide for the availability of Montgomery GI Bill benefits for preparatory courses for college and graduate school admission exams; allow members of the Guard and Reserve the ability to accelerate payments of educational assistance in the same manner allowed to active duty personnel and to allow the transfer of educational assistance to family members; require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a demonstration project to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with medicare reimbursement for healthcare services provided to certain medicare-eligible veterans; improve TRICARE medical coverage program. In addition, the REDUX retirement system would be changed if S. 4 became law. Members would have the option of remaining on the REDUX plan and accept a one-time bonus of $30,000 or may elect to revert to the orginal 50% retirement plan.

We still have a lot of work to do, but S. 4 is an important step in the right direction toward improving the quality of life for the men and women who serve our country in the military forces. I look forward to working with my colleagues to see this legislation enacted into law. Attention finally is being given to improving the readiness of our nation's military. We can best start this effort by improving our investment in the men and women who are dedicating their lives to defend our country.

Again, thank you for contacting me. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.