Legislative Update 3/29/2007

Naval Reserve Association Legislative Update/Talking Points: March 29, 2007
C-40 Program Reserve Retirement Legislation
1. C-40 Navy Reserve Program. This program needs your immediate assistance. Please contact your Congressional delegation and have them support this program in the Appropriations and Authorization Process for this year.
a.
This C-40 program was submitted by SECNAV for funding in the Supplemental FY-08, but was removed
b.
This program was submitted as number 8 on the CNO unfunded list for FY & number 1 on CNRF unfunded list
c.
Our NR transport community is critical to the successful prosecution of OIF/OEF & overall Navy deployments
d.
The C-9s squadrons need these aircraft to complete critical & timely tasking; we need these aircraft for these squadrons – now, this year.
2. Reserve Retirement upgrades. Two bills in Congress need your immediate support: House bill HR 1428 and Senate Bill S 648. These are companion bills for reducing reserve retirement. We have been actively involved in bringing this legislation into Congress again this year. The support for the issue is growing in Congress. Our alliances (TMC and NMVA) fully support this issue.
a. Senator Chambliss introduced S 648, National Guard and Reserve Modernization Act, and Congressman Latham introduced HR 1428.
b.
These bills would reduce retirement by 3 months for every 90 days of continuous Active Duty recall. Retirement age could not go lower than age 50. Health Care would not be available until age 60.
c.
The key to passage is: having co-sponsors in the House, since the Senate has supported this measure in the past. We need as many co-sponsors as possible! There are other reserve retirement bills being introduced.
d.
The only way to get this done is; for you to contact your Congressional delegation and seek their support!
􀂾 >>>Contact your Congressional delegation at<<<: www.house.gov www.senate.gov
Notes:
Navy Marine Corps Council Briefing Day, Tuesday, 15 May 2007 for the SECNAV Navy Marine Corps Council Briefing Day at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. Tentative schedule is as follows: business attire, or uniform of the day. Make plans to attend if you are in town. Send money and inquires to NRA Office; Attn Ike Puzon
800
Continental Breakfast
830 Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
915 Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
1000 Commandant of the Marine Corps
1045 Chief of Naval Operations; followed by Group Photos w/ SECNAV
1200 Lunch w/SECNAV & SECNAV Remarks
NRA meetings; We have met with the House Guard and Reserve Caucus members & Senate Reserve Caucus members to discuss the top three priorities of each Reserve Components. Over the last 30 days, NRA met with OSD/RA, CNRF, several key Congressional offices to discuss our NRA legislative agenda. We have several more Congressional offices to visit. Testimonies for the DoD Health Care Task Force and several Congressional hearings have been submitted; please see this testimony on our new web page.
Commission on the Guard and Reserve; Second Report to Congress has been released. You will also see that we – the NRA – led a delegation to submit testimony and issues to the Commission on these issues. As you may recall, we were instrumental in establishing this commission. View the recommendations and findings at: www.cngr.gov. Chairman Panaro recently spoke at the Senate Reserve Caucus and stated several times that the Operational Reserve forces is unsustainable! Please give your inputs to the Commission at www.cnrg.gov. The Commission is concerned that the Operational Reserve force policy is breaking the Reserve Components.
Feel free to forward this. For those of you who receive this and you are not already a member, please consider joining the Naval Reserve Association. Check us out at: www.navy-reserve.org or call on our toll free number 866-672-4968.