Doug Bereuter: “Mr. Chairman, this Member rises to offer an amendment which he is jointly presenting with the distinguished gentleman…”

“Mr. Chairman, this Member rises to offer an amendment which he is jointly presenting with the distinguished gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin). The Bereuter-Langevin amendment makes a minor change in current law which can reap significant benefits by allowing National Guard units to use already appropriated funds to sponsor competitions and send members to those competitions. Currently only nonappropriated funds from post exchanges and other activities and from competition entry fees can be used to cover operating expenses for the events of all health, pay, and personal expenses for participating National Guard members. Indeed, the existing National Guard competition events program does provide National Guard members with an opportunity to hone their training-related skills such as running, swimming, and marksmanship in a competitive atmosphere. As the National Guard actively recruits new members, this can be another attractive feature in recruitment and retention programs for certain members of the National Guard. Through these competitions, National Guard members can qualify for higher level national and international competitions, including the Pan American games and the Olympics.”