On the recordMarch 10, 2011
today I am pleased to introduce the Space Available Equity Act. Members and retirees of the National Guard and Reserve, their families, and surviving military spouses make great sacrifices for our nation. However, too often these individuals do not receive the benefits they have earned for their service. In Alaska, the National Guard conducts more search and rescue missions in the most challenging terrain than any other state. They save lives every day in their state role and frequently deploy just like their active duty counter-parts. The demands on our reserve component have been higher than ever before. Yet members of the reserve components and 'gray area' retirees, National Guardsman or Reservist eligible for retirement but under the age of 60, have limited travel privileges on Department of Defense aircraft under current regulation. Their space-available travel benefits are restricted to the continental United States and are not extended to their dependents, unlike active duty members and retirees. Surviving spouses of a military member eligible for retired pay retain no space-available travel privileges at all after the death of their spouse, despite having made a lifetime commitment to the military or in many cases, lost their loved one in war.
