Senator Nelson Rises in Support of DOD Authorization Act

Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the Department of Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2004. I particularly thank Chairman WARNER and ranking member Senator Levin for the extraordinary job they do each and every day to ensure our national security priorities are adequately addressed. I also thank them both for continuing to work in a bipartisan way to ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the country.

As the new ranking member for the Personnel Subcommittee, I have enjoyed working with the subcommittee chairman, Senator Chambliss. I hope the President will take note of the complimentary remarks I am going to make about the chairman. I congratulate him for the outstanding leadership of this subcommittee. Together we have kept our focus on doing what we can to improve the quality of life of our service members, Active and Reserve, their families, our retirees, and civilian employees. I particularly appreciate his personal attention and cooperation with me.

I am particularly pleased about several provisions in the subcommittee mark that reflect our appreciation for the sacrifices of our service members and our desire to see they are adequately compensated when placed in harm's way. These include a minimum pay raise of 3.7 percent especially for the junior service members who have received less under the administration's proposal; a change in the high PERSTEMPO allowance that will actually put money in the pockets of our service members who deploy frequently; increases in imminent danger pay, family separation allowances and, as Senator Collins mentioned, the death gratuity; and authorization for full replacement coverage for lost or damaged household goods.

Our mark also includes provisions that address concerns and needs of our Reserve and National Guard service members who are serving so successfully. These include extending survivor benefit plan annuities to surviving spouses of reservists who died from an injury or illness incurred in the line of duty during inactive duty training; a requirement for specially trained beneficiary counseling and assistance coordinators to help our National Guard and Reserve members and their families navigate the complex TRICARE health system; medical and dental screening and care for Reserve component members as soon as they are alerted for deployment; and a requirement for the Secretary of Defense to report on the mobilization of the reserves that will give us the data we need to make needed changes in the force mix and use of our Guard and Reserve personnel.

I am also pleased the committee responded to legislation I introduced to provide a special pay incentive for Reservists, National Guard, and Active Duty service members who deploy for long durations. This incentive will help alleviate some of the hardships suffered by military families when their loved ones are called up for lengthy or numerous deployments. With the Armed Forces depending on military reserves for such a large percentage of troops, more and more sailors, soldiers, air personnel, and marines are facing long call-ups that keep them away from their regular employment. These call-ups produce a severe financial hardship for the troops as their normal employment lives and income are disrupted, often for months, and in some cases for up to 2 years.

Finally, I fully endorse the supplemental impact aid contained in our mark. We simply have to ensure the schools that educate our sons and daughters of military personnel have adequate funding to provide for a quality education. Our service members will leave, and we will be unable to recruit if we don't provide this for their families.

I greatly appreciate the bipartisan manner in which the chairman, Senator Chambliss, has chaired the Personnel Subcommittee, and I believe we have worked as a team and with a common goal of improving the lives of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, DOD civilians, retirees, and the families of all these groups. I thank him for his excellent leadership, and also thank his staff, Dick Walsh and Mrs. Lewis, and Mr. Gary Leeling from the Democratic staff.

I again thank Chairman WARNER and Senator Levin for their leadership.

I yield the floor.