Chuck Grassley: “this is the language, this is the amendment that is going to bring war bonus parity between our seafarers--and added war…”

“this is the language, this is the amendment that is going to bring war bonus parity between our seafarers--and added war bonus pay in some instances, 100 percent increases in pay--and regular military. Seafarers ought to get additional pay, because their life is endangered, but it must be equalized with that our full-time military personnel, who get a lot less for war bonuses for the endangerment that comes from being in a war zone situation. We do this by giving the Secretary of Transportation, in cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, the right and power to establish a wage scale for hazardous duty applicable to an individual who is employed on a vessel that is used by the United States for a war, armed conflict, national emergency, or maritime mobilization need, including training purposes for testing for readiness and suitability for mission performance. And the content of the wage scale, then, as established, shall be commensurate with incentive pay for hazardous duty provided to members of the uniformed service under sections 301, title 37 U.S. Code.”