A bipartisan group of House members and a Democratic senator announced plans yesterday to push for legislation that would ease shortfalls in salary when government and private-sector employees are called to active duty in the National Guard and the Reserves.
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) introduced a bill in the House and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said she is preparing a Senate version. Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) joined Lantos and Landrieu at a news conference to support their efforts to ease financial hardships facing Guard and Reserve families.
 
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"A soldier shouldn't take a pay cut to serve his country," Graves said.
The federal government is the largest employer of Guard and Reserve members and should take the lead and make up the difference between civil service and military pay for employees who are mobilized, Lantos said. Landrieu called on the federal government to become a "model, patriotic employer."
About 65,000 reservists are employed by federal agencies, and an additional 48,000 federal technicians are required to be members of the Guard as a condition of employment.
Lantos and Landrieu said, overall, about 40 percent of Guard and Reserve members called to active duty suffer a loss of income because their military pay is less than they would have earned in their civilian jobs. The salary loss makes it difficult for families to cover such expenses as mortgages, car repairs and college tuitions, they said.
Lantos and other members of Congress have previously pushed bills that would require federal agencies to offer a pay differential, but Republican leaders have bottled up the legislation, apparently because of concerns about cost. The Pentagon also has opposed pay-gap legislation behind the scenes, contending it could cause morale problems if troops of the same rank are paid differently.
Asked about the Lantos bill yesterday, a Pentagon spokesman said the department hasn't had a chance to review it.
"However, providing differential pay to members has potentially unwanted effects on the total force," he said. "The department believes that we should be compensating all members -- active, Guard and Reserve -- based on performing their military duties under the existing military compensation system."
Lantos dismissed the Pentagon's argument, noting that it applauds businesses that supplement military salaries even as it opposes the idea of differential pay.
He said congressional budget analysts will be asked to work up a cost estimate for this year's bill, which is more expansive than previous versions. He and Landrieu said the cost would be relatively small compared to the billions of dollars that Congress approves each year to support the Defense Department and to provide tax credits for businesses.
Lantos noted that allowing the pay gap to continue, at a time when increasing numbers of Guard and Reserve troops are away from home for a year or longer, will make it more difficult for the military to recruit and retain personnel.
In a show of support for the legislation, a half-dozen reservists -- including a Marine Corps brigadier general and an Air Force captain -- and representatives of the Reserve Officers Association and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard attended the news conference.
The Lantos bill would provide several ways to financially assist Guard and Reserve families who have trouble making ends meet.
Because the government is the largest employer, the bill would require federal agencies to make up any difference in pay when civil service employees are called to active duty.
To build on the voluntary salary assistance provided by about 500 companies, the Lantos bill would create a business tax credit equal to half the amount the private-sector employer pays to the reservist, up to $30,000 per employee.
Because small businesses are disproportionately affected when employees are called up, the bill would provide a tax credit of $12,000 for costs associated with hiring or training a temporary replacement worker. The legislation also would provide a tax credit to self-employed reservists for half of their salary, up to $60,000.
Retirements
Johnny M. Davis, deputy chief of the Air Force environmental restoration program, will retire March 3 after 40 years of government service.
Joyce McGehee, human resources specialist with the Office of Personnel Management, will retire March 1 after 31 years of government service.
E-mail: barrs@washpost.com
