PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2921 PRINTER'S NO. 3009
No. 483 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY REICHLEY, SEMMEL, LEH, MANN, BARRAR, BUNT, CURRY,
GEIST, GEORGE, KOTIK, LEDERER, MARSICO, MUSTIO, RAYMOND,
SCHRODER, S. H. SMITH, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI, SOLOBAY, REED,
CAUSER, MUNDY, LAUGHLIN, WHEATLEY, HENNESSEY, O'NEILL,
CAPPELLI, FEESE, BALDWIN, LEACH, E. Z. TAYLOR, McGEEHAN,
WILT, LESCOVITZ, COLEMAN, PAYNE, GOODMAN, SCAVELLO, FORCIER,
CLYMER, CRAHALLA, S. MILLER, DENLINGER, ADOLPH, FABRIZIO,
ROBERTS, PETRARCA, SURRA, GRUCELA, ARMSTRONG, WEBER,
YOUNGBLOOD, FREEMAN AND WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 18, 2003
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON RULES, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
AS AMENDED, NOVEMBER 24, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Congress to amend Title 10, United States Code, to <--
2 URGING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO SIGN H.R. 1588 <--
3 TO permit full concurrent receipt of military retired pay and
4 other veterans compensation, including dependents'
5 allowances.
6 WHEREAS, American servicemen and women have dedicated their
7 careers to protect the rights we all enjoy; and
8 WHEREAS, Career military personnel endured hardships,
9 privation, the threat of death, disability and long separations
10 from their families in service to our country; and
11 WHEREAS, Integral to the success of our military forces are
12 those soldiers and sailors who have made a career of defending
13 our great nation in peace and war from the Revolutionary War to
14 the present day; and
15 WHEREAS, There exists a gross inequity in the Federal
1 statutes that denies disabled career military personnel equal
2 rights to receive veterans disability compensation concurrent
3 with receipt of earned military retired pay; and
4 WHEREAS, Legislation has been introduced in the THE Congress <--
5 of the United States PASSED H.R. 1588 to remedy this inequity <--
6 applicable to career military personnel dating back to the 19th
7 century; and
8 WHEREAS, Veterans who are retired with a minimum of 20 years
9 are denied concurrent receipt of hard-earned military longevity
10 retirement pay and veterans awards for service-connected
11 disability; and
12 WHEREAS, Career military personnel earn retirement benefits
13 based on longevity of 20 years for honorable and faithful
14 service and rank at time of retirement; and
15 WHEREAS, Veterans disability compensation serves a different
16 purpose from longevity retirement pay and is intended to
17 compensate for pain, suffering, disfigurement, chemical
18 exposure, wound injuries and a loss of earning ability, with a
19 minimum requirement of 90 days of active duty; and
20 WHEREAS, The prevailing idea that military retirement pay is
21 free is false because there is a contribution to retirement pay,
22 calculated to reduce military base pay and retirement pay by
23 approximately 7% when pay and allowances are computed and
24 approved by the Congress; and
25 WHEREAS, Traditionally a career military person receives
26 lower pay and retirement than his or her civilian counterpart
27 and has invested a life of hardships and long hours without the
28 benefit of overtime pay and lack of freedom of expression
29 through unions; and
30 WHEREAS, Allowances to dependents of veterans with a 30%
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1 disability are increased with the amount of disability; and
2 WHEREAS, The Department of Defense deducts the entire amounts
3 of dependents' allowances, essentially leaving the disabled
4 military retiree with no dependent allowance, a discrimination
5 which extends to the families of military retirees; and
6 WHEREAS, It is unfair to require disabled military retirees
7 to fund their own veterans compensation by deductions on a
8 dollar-for-dollar basis in the Department of Defense; and
9 WHEREAS, No such deduction applies to similarly situated
10 Federal civil service or congressional retirement beneficiaries
11 who receive veterans compensation; and
12 WHEREAS, A statutory change is necessary to correct this
13 injustice and discrimination in order to ensure that America's
14 commitment to national and international goals is matched by a
15 similar commitment to those who sacrificed on behalf of those
16 goals; therefore be it
17 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
18 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress to amend Title <--
19 10, United States Code, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO <--
20 SIGN H.R. 1588 to permit full concurrent receipt of military
21 retired pay and other veterans compensation, including
22 dependents' allowances; and be it further
23 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
24 the President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, <--
25 the United States Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, the
26 Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of
27 Representatives, the chairs of the United States Senate and
28 House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committees and each
29 member of Congress from Pennsylvania. THE PRESIDENT OF THE <--
30 UNITED STATES AND THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE.
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