Military Officer - August 2006 - (Page 27)

washingtonscene The Senate passed the FY 2007 Defense Authorization Bill, including amendments to cap pharmacy copayments, pay “unemployables,” and improve benefits. L E G I S L AT I V E N E W S T H AT A F F E C T S Y O U Defense Bill Moves I n 2005, the Senate didn’t ﬁnish action on the Defense Authorization Bill until November. Senators lopped ﬁve months off that timetable this year, passing the bill unanimously June 22. The Senate spent most of a week debating a few high-visibility amendments, such as whether the U.S. should have a timetable to get out of Iraq. Many other groups’ amendments were adopted with little debate or visibility. Here are some highlights of the amendments adopted by the Senate: ■ concurrent receipt. Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) amendment would implement full concurrent receipt for “unemployable” disabled retirees, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2005. ■ TRICARE Pharmacy copayments. Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s (D-N.J.) amendment would bar any increase in TRICARE retail pharmacy copayments for FY 2007. ■ Guard/Reserve retirement age. Sen. Saxby Chambliss’ (R-Ga.) amendment would reduce the normal age-60 requirement by three months for each 90 days mobilized since Sept. 11, 2001. ■ Guard/Reserve GI bill. Sen. Blanche Lincoln’s (D-Ark.) amendment would allow Guard and Reserve members to use their mobilization GI Bill beneﬁts for up to 10 years after leaving Selected Reserve status. ■ abusive lending practices. Sen. James Talent’s (R-Mo.) amendment would signiﬁcantly tighten laws governing so-called “payday lenders,” who entice servicemem- bers into loan schemes involving 300-percent to 400-percent interest rates. ■ Social Security number on ID cards. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s (R-Texas) amendment would require a Pentagon report on the feasibility of removing Social Security numbers from military ID cards. ■ Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP). Sen. Mike DeWine’s (R-Ohio) amendment would expand eligibility of certain survivors (whose sponsors died in active service after Oct. 1, 2001) to transfer SBP eligibility to their children. ■ Guard/Reserve transition assistance. How You Can Help: Know the Issues ■ Legislators will be campaigning with home office hours and town meetings to talk to constituents the entire month of August. Visit MOAA’s Web site at www.moaa.org/legislat ive for issue-specific fact sheets and legislators’ office locations. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) amendment would assist Guard and Reserve members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan in successfully transitioning to civilian employment, with particular emphasis on those who suffered traumatic injuries. Because the House passed its version of the defense bill in May, the two chambers’ leaders now can start negotiating to resolve their differences to come up with a ﬁnal compromise defense authorization act. An early start on negotiations doesn’t necessarily mean House and Senate leaders can reach a deal before the Oct. 1 start of the new ﬁscal year. In four of the past six years, the defense bill didn’t get ﬁnished until December. In the other two years, it was Nov. 24 and Oct. 28. Chances are we won’t have ﬁnal decisions on the issues for months. But the earlier start this election year means that, just maybe, there’s a shot at more timely action. AUGUST 2006 Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) MILITARY OFFICER 27 http://www.moaa.org/legislative http://www.moaa.org/legislative

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - August 2006

Military Officer - August 2006 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapter Activities Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Changing of the Guard Four-Star Rating Long Term Care Kryptogram Pages of History Information Exchange MOAA Scholarship Donors Member Books Advertising Index MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps MOAA Member Services Encore

Military Officer - August 2006

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