Personnel Committee Goals

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TMC Personnel Committee Goals
119th Congress

The Personnel Committee is pleased to present our goals for the 119th Congress to ensure both authorization and appropriations in support of the Uniformed Services. 

This Committee works to ensure that military compensation and benefits are aligned to the levels needed to recruit and retain personnel end strength to meet National Security strategies. Compensation must be equitably applied to the eight Uniformed Services, reflect the unique demands of service, and allow service members and their families to maintain their readiness. 

Top Legislative and Policy Priorities
  • Eliminate BAH from the SNAP calculations to support food security.
  • Ensure Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves are conducted efficiently, transparently, and with minimal disruption to military families by advocating for improved oversight, accountability, and fair compensation for servicemembers. 
  • DoD must increase public-private partnerships to support child care access.
  • Protect the Commissary benefit, maintain savings, as part of the overall pay and compensation package. Safeguard MWR dollars that are critical to quality of life programs.
  • Fully fund and continue implementation of the changes to the military justice system, including the maintenance of the Offices of Special Trial Counsel.

Compensation
  • Advocate in support of annual pay raises that are tied to the Employment Cost Index (ECI) as prescribed by law.
  • Increase Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rate to 100% level of rental housing and utilities. 
  • Eliminate BAH from the SNAP calculations to support food security.
  • Advocate for full “5% plus 1%” TSP government match originally recommended by the MCRMC in their retirement recommendation, and extension of the government match for the entire length of the service member’s career.
  • Support changing the calculation of a uniformed service member retiree’s defined benefit retirement entitlement such that any qualifying inactive duty performed for “points only” when converted to active-duty days at retirement shall be calculated with a 2.5% multiplier.
  • Support dislocation allowance for separating and retiring service members, especially those being separated for the convenience of the government.
  • ​Ensure continuation of pay Coast Guard, USPHS, and NOAA to align with the other uniformed services to ensure no disruption in pay for servicemembers, retirees, and survivors during a government shutdown.

Quality Housing & Relocation Support
  • Increase oversight of privatized and government owned family housing and unaccompanied housing to ensure quality housing is provided, health and safety hazards are properly addressed, abated and prevented, and utility rates are equitable.
  • To ensure the health and safety of service members, civilians, and families, support the modernization of government facilities, housing, and barracks to have the necessary HVAC systems to detect moisture, prevent mold, and other toxic substances.
  • Increase oversight of PCS process, including legal protections and logistical support as well as financial impact on uniformed service members and families - such as delayed or insufficient reimbursements related to travel or PCS, mandatory use of the Government Travel Credit Card and advanced allowances meant to reduce financial hardship.

Education
  • Expand Tuition Assistance (TA) to support all service members regardless of component and keep the TA program in place and fully funded at 100% for all participating service members, while ensuring the funds are being utilized at high quality institutions.
  • Ensure adequate and timely funding of Impact Aid through both the Department of Education and DoD for schools with children of uniformed service members. Oppose any proposal that would divert funds from the Impact Aid program.
  • Improve meaningful education opportunities for military spouses such as expanding access and opportunities available through MyCAA while protecting uniformed spouses from predatory institutions.
  • Support adequate and consistent special education programs, services, and funding for EFMP and special needs families.
  • Protect GI Bill and DoD educational programs from cuts and misuse.

Family Readiness & Support Structure
  • Advocate for uniformed spouse career opportunities that are accessible, effective, and transferable. Ensure that legislative and executive actions support positive advancement in unemployment and underemployment rates among uniformed spouses.
  • Improve access to and availability of safe, high quality, affordable childcare through expanded funding, staffing, and renovations/construction of child development centers.
  • Advocate for continued access to non-medical counseling and relationship support through Military Family Life Counselors and Military OneSource. 
  • Reinstate the reporting requirement to Congress on the Military Family Readiness Council’s recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and follow-on actions.

Financial Protections & Benefits
  • Eliminate discrimination against uniformed service members in employment environments by ensuring enforcement of the USERRA. 
  • Maintain integrity of financial protections in place while ensuring service members and their families have access to quality credit and financial resources.
  • Ensure all uniformed service members receive free credit monitoring.
  • Provide enhanced protection against debt collector harassment to members of the uniformed services.
  • Increase Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) max coverage to $500,000.

Wounded Warriors
  • Extend BAH and housing eligibility up to one year for medically retired, severely wounded and their families.
  • Urge the Department of Defense to expand the Operation Warfighter internship program to include placing wounded, ill and injured service members with nonprofit organizations and civilian industry.

Defense Resale
  • Preserve the Commissary benefit as part of the overall pay and compensation package, including high quality products, maintained savings, access, and customer satisfaction.
  • Maintain appropriations for Military Resale programs, with proper support and vectoring of MWR dividends to ensure access to quality of life and support programs.
  • Ensure any modernization efforts of the Commissary and Exchange systems in no way degrades the earned benefit or reduces overall patron savings.

Sexual Harassment & Assault Prevention
  • Fully fund and continue implementation of the changes to the military justice system, including the maintenance of the Offices of Special Trial Counsel.
  • Urge vigorous congressional oversight of the Defense Advisory Board on Investigation, Prosecution and Defense of Sexual Assault in the Armed Forces (DAC-IPAD) and the Defense Advisory Committee on the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct as well as the Military Justice Review Panel.
  • Establish accountability measures for administrative and UCMJ actions resulting from sexual harassment and assault investigations. Establish a 90-day time standard for sexual harassment and assault investigations to ensure timely resolution of allegations, appropriate number of assigned investigators to meet the time standard. These actions will help facilitate culture change across the uniformed services.