PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 2921, 3009 PRINTER'S NO. 3023
No. 483 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY REICHLEY, SEMMEL, LEH, MANN, BARRAR, BUNT, CURRY,
GEIST, GEORGE, KOTIK, LEDERER, MARSICO, MUSTIO, RAYMOND,
SCHRODER, S. H. SMITH, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI, SOLOBAY, REED,
CAUSER, MUNDY, LAUGHLIN, WHEATLEY, HENNESSEY, O'NEILL,
CAPPELLI, FEESE, BALDWIN, LEACH, E. Z. TAYLOR, McGEEHAN,
WILT, LESCOVITZ, COLEMAN, PAYNE, GOODMAN, SCAVELLO, FORCIER,
CLYMER, CRAHALLA, S. MILLER, DENLINGER, ADOLPH, FABRIZIO,
ROBERTS, PETRARCA, SURRA, GRUCELA, ARMSTRONG, WEBER,
YOUNGBLOOD, FREEMAN AND WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 18, 2003
AS AMENDED, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, NOVEMBER 25, 2003
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging COMMENDING the President of the United States to sign FOR <--
2 SIGNING H.R. 1588 to permit full concurrent receipt of
3 military retired pay and other veterans compensation,
4 including dependents' allowances.
5 WHEREAS, American servicemen and women have dedicated their
6 careers to protect the rights we all enjoy; and
7 WHEREAS, Career military personnel endured hardships,
8 privation, the threat of death, disability and long separations
9 from their families in service to our country; and
10 WHEREAS, Integral to the success of our military forces are
11 those soldiers and sailors who have made a career of defending
12 our great nation in peace and war from the Revolutionary War to
13 the present day; and
14 WHEREAS, There exists a gross inequity A GROSS INEQUITY <--
15 EXISTED in the Federal statutes that denies DENIED disabled <--
1 career military personnel equal rights to receive veterans
2 disability compensation concurrent with receipt of earned
3 military retired pay; and
4 WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States passed AND THE <--
5 PRESIDENT SIGNED H.R. 1588 to remedy this inequity applicable to
6 career military personnel dating back to the 19th century; and
7 WHEREAS, Veterans who are retired with a minimum of 20 years
8 are WERE denied concurrent receipt of hard-earned military <--
9 longevity retirement pay and veterans awards for service-
10 connected disability; and
11 WHEREAS, Career military personnel earn retirement benefits
12 based on longevity of 20 years for honorable and faithful
13 service and rank at time of retirement; and
14 WHEREAS, Veterans disability compensation serves a different
15 purpose from longevity retirement pay and is intended to
16 compensate for pain, suffering, disfigurement, chemical
17 exposure, wound injuries and a loss of earning ability, with a
18 minimum requirement of 90 days of active duty; and
19 WHEREAS, The prevailing idea that military retirement pay is
20 free is false because there is a contribution to retirement pay,
21 calculated to reduce military base pay and retirement pay by
22 approximately 7% when pay and allowances are computed and
23 approved by the Congress; and
24 WHEREAS, Traditionally a career military person receives
25 lower pay and retirement than his or her civilian counterpart
26 and has invested a life of hardships and long hours without the
27 benefit of overtime pay and lack of freedom of expression
28 through unions; and
29 WHEREAS, Allowances to dependents of veterans with a 30%
30 disability are increased with the amount of disability; and
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1 WHEREAS, The Department of Defense deducts the entire amounts
2 of dependents' allowances, essentially leaving the disabled
3 military retiree with no dependent allowance, a discrimination
4 which extends to the families of military retirees; and
5 WHEREAS, It is WAS unfair to require disabled military <--
6 retirees to fund their own veterans compensation by deductions
7 on a dollar-for-dollar basis in the Department of Defense; and
8 WHEREAS, No such deduction applies to similarly situated
9 Federal civil service or congressional retirement beneficiaries
10 who receive veterans compensation; and
11 WHEREAS, A statutory change is necessary to correct THIS <--
12 STATUTORY CHANGE CORRECTS this injustice and discrimination in <--
13 order to ensure that America's commitment to national and
14 international goals is matched by a similar commitment to those
15 who sacrificed on behalf of those goals; therefore be it
16 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
17 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge COMMEND the President of the <--
18 United States to sign FOR SIGNING H.R. 1588 to permit full <--
19 concurrent receipt of military retired pay and other veterans
20 compensation, including dependents' allowances; and be it
21 further
22 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
23 the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense.
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