Congressman Tim Ryan Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Active-Duty Opportunities to Reservists

Press Release

Washington, DC -- Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Congressman Chris Jacobs (R-NY) introduce the bipartisan Reservists Opportunity Act to give more flexibility to members of the National Guard and Reserves.

"When members of our National Guard and Reserve want to step up to serve full-time, the last thing that should stop them are technological barriers. This bill will ensure that these servicemembers can access the opportunities available for active-duty service from their personal devices. Not only does this make sense, it improves readiness and retention. I look forward to its swift consideration in the House," said Rep. Tim Ryan.

"Making the decision to serve our country, especially on active duty, is an honorable and selfless one, so when members of our Reserves and National Guard decide to volunteer for active-duty assignments, they should not be met with red-tape," said Rep. Chris Jacobs. "This legislation removes an unnecessary barrier and allows these members to easily find opportunities from their own computers. Streamlining this service and increasing access will improve our military readiness and retention of qualified service members."

The Reservists Opportunity Act introduced by Ryan and Jacobs would allow for National Guard and Reserve members to access the Army's Tour of Duty system, which serves as a military job board, from any device. Currently, this service is only accessible on devices connected to Department of Defense (DoD) networks limiting the ability for some members to easily find active-duty opportunities in a timely manner.

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