To provide an automatic pay increase to any member of the Armed Forces who is deployed away from the member's permanent station or, in the case of a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, the member's home of record, once the deployment period exceeds 180 days of continuous duty.

February 26, 2004

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. FROST, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. STARK, Mr. WALSH, and Ms. WOOLSEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

To provide an automatic pay increase to any member of the Armed Forces who is deployed away from the member's permanent station or, in the case of a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, the member's home of record, once the deployment period exceeds 180 days of continuous duty.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Extended Deployment Pay Increase Act of 2004'.

SEC. 2. PAY INCREASE FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES SERVING DEPLOYMENTS IN EXCESS OF 180 DAYS.

(a) Extended Deployment Pay Increase- A member of the Armed Forces who completes a period of 180 days of continuous duty on deployment away from the permanent station of the member or, in the case of a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces, the home of record of the member, is entitled to an increase in the rate of basic pay in the amount of $1000 for each month thereafter during which the member continues such deployment. Once a member has satisfied the continuous duty requirement with respect to a deployment, the member is not required to resatisfy the continuous duty requirement for the same deployment despite any break thereafter in the continuity of the deployment due to authorized leave or other absence.

(b) Retroactive Application- Duty performed in connection with a deployment underway as of the date of the enactment of this Act, but commenced before such date, shall be counted toward the 180-day period specified in subsection (a). In the case of a member who completed the required period of continuous duty before the date of the enactment of this Act, the entitlement to the increase in basic pay shall take effect on the first day of the first month beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act.

END