[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E1869-E1870] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] INTRODUCTION OF THE HOMELAND DEFENSE OPERATIONS PAY EQUITY ACT ______ HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO of guam in the house of representatives Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, today I introduced a bill, the Homeland Defense Operations Pay Equity Act, which aims to address an oversight in statute that does treat members of the National Guard or Reserves, who are also federal civil servants, with pay parity during periods of activation in support of domestic operations. The Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-8) established Section 5538 of Title 5. The intent of this provision was to ensure that any member of the National Guard or Reserves who was called to active duty and who works as a federal civil servant does not incur a significant loss of income as a result of their activation to active duty service under Title 10. This was in direct response to the major activations for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Numbers of Guardsmen and Reservists who work for the federal government were suffering significant losses of income as a result of the activations to support Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. To address this disparity, Congress passed Section 5538 to ensure that the federal government, under specific regulations, pays the difference between their active duty pay and their federal salary. However, Section 5538 does not cover a Coast Guard Reservist or National Guardsmen who was called to service in support of homeland defense operations under Title 32 or Title 14. Since 9/11, our National Guardsmen and Reservists have answered the call to duty on numbers of domestic operations including Operation Noble Eagle, security at our airports, Hurricane Katrina operations, Operation Jump Start on the southwest border and most recently for BP oil spill clean-up. We should encourage, not penalize, our federal civil servants who perform domestic operations in the National Guard or Reserves. The Homeland Defense Operations Pay Equity Act would correct this oversight and ensure that Reservists and Guardsmen do not incur a significant loss of income in their service to our country. I urge that this bill be passed, so that our dedicated Guardsmen, Reservists, and their families, do not face financial hardship while answering the call to service. [[Page E1870]] ____________________