Congressman Ryan, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support Members of National Guard and Reserve

Press Release

Today, Representatives Ryan (D-OH-13), Trent Kelly (R-MS-01), Andy Kim (D-NJ-03), Dan Kildee (D-MI-05), Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06), and Kaiali'i Kahele (D-HI-02) introduced the Savings for Servicemembers Act, bipartisan legislation that reduces the burden of cost for America's servicemembers by allowing Guard and Reserve members to be reimbursed for attending drill if they travel 50 miles or further.

"Our National Guard and Reserve members make countless sacrifices, often at their own expense, to support our nation's defense. Providing some relief to cover the cost of travel for duty is the least we can do to support our brave men and women in uniform and ensure their families are taken care of," said Congressman Ryan.

"Our National Guard and Reservists sacrifice a lot to serve our country, one of those major sacrifices is personal cost to get to and from training; they shouldn't have to carry that burden, we can do better by them. This bill does that, and I'm proud to be part of this bipartisan effort to bring some cost savings to our brave Guard and Reserve servicemembers," said Congressman Andy Kim.

"The men and women of the National Guard and Reserve represent the best of this country. Guard members and Reservists already make many sacrifices, and we should not be asking them to bear the cost of their travel for duty. I'm proud to work with Democrats and Republicans to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will help support our service members in uniform," said Congressman Dan Kildee.

"If you serve our country, the federal government should have your back. That means making it more affordable for our Guard and Reserve members to attend the training they need to help keep our nation safe. I'm proud to join this bipartisan effort to help make progress for our service members and their families," said Congressman Derek Kilmer.

When called for duty, many servicemembers must travel extensively from their homes to attend training. Some of the services do not provide reimbursement for travel, while those that do maintain limitations. Some of the services provide no reimbursement benefits at all.

Guard and Reserve servicemembers can currently claim their mileage and travel costs if they traveled over 100 miles for unit training. Claiming these expenses can save hundreds for servicemembers, but the current law is insufficient. Under the Savings for Servicemembers Act, servicemembers could claim their travel expenses when traveling over 50 miles to Guard and Reserve training.

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