Recently introduced legislation would increase the number of paid military leave days for federal employees who serve in the National Guard or military reserve forces.
The Supporting Federal Employees in the National Guard & Reserves Act (H.R. 9910) would increase the leave allotted for federal employees to use for active duty, full-time training, and inactive duty training to 36 days per fiscal year. This is the minimum number of days that members of the National Guard and reserve forces are called to serve, including weekends.
The legislation is sponsored by Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA). It has one co-sponsor at the time of this writing, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA).
Under current law, federal employees in the National Guard or reserve forces get 15 days of paid leave per fiscal year, separate from sick leave and vacation, to use for military training and service, so the amount of leave days proposed by the legislation is a 140% increase, more than double the current amount. A federal employee can currently carry over a maximum of 15 days of military leave into the next fiscal year.
The existing military leave allocation is primarily based on a Monday through Friday work schedule and discounts many federal employees who work weekends, such as federal firefighters, correctional officers, and law enforcement officers.
According to Spanberger, because these federal employees have to use their vacation, sick, or unpaid leave if they go over the 15 days, this creates an undue financial strain because of their military service, something that will happen in a given year since members of the National Guard or military reserves must attend training “about one weekend a month plus two weeks a year for ‘annual training’,” according to military.com.
“I’ve heard firsthand of the extra burden shouldered by federal employees who often contribute their personal PTO and sick leave to fulfill their duties. Congress must work to provide every American who answers the call with stability and peace of mind, and our bipartisan legislation is a small way to deliver for our neighbors who show us what it truly means to serve,” she said in a statement.
Members of the National Guard or military reserves get paid when they attend annual training. It is known as “drill pay” and varies depending on a number of factors.
Related Legislation to Increase Military Leave
The Supporting Federal Employees in the National Guard & Reserves Act is similar to other legislation introduced earlier this year.
The Supporting Employees in the Guard and Reserve Act was introduced in both the House and Senate and would increase paid military leave days for federal employees serving in the military reserves or National Guard from 15 to 20 days, with additional days rolling over to the following year.
The Reserve and National Guard Military Leave Enhancement Act also was introduced in the House on March 7, 2024. It would double the number of annual military leave days from 15 to 30.
