What's In The Defense Bill For Military And Families?

President Barack Obama has threatened to veto the legislation as part of a larger budget debate on Capitol Hill, but if enacted, here are highlights of the legislation affecting members of the armed forces and their families: To offset the cost of the government matching payments into the Thrift Savings Plans, the regular military pension is being reduced for those enrolled in the new plan. Lawmakers were silent on the pay increase, leaving it to set itself at 2.3 percent through an automatic calculation based on a government cost index. Norb Ryan, president of the Military Officers Association of America, said "a 1.3 percent pay raise is below private-sector pay growth and continues a worrying trend of capping pay for a third consecutive year." In a response to attacks on defense personnel, including those at Little Rock, Arkansas; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Fort Hood, Texas, the legislation requires the defense secretary to implement a new policy by year's end on carrying personal firearms on base. The bill makes it clear that post commanders are empowered to let members of the armed forces carry government-issued or personal firearms on military installations, reserve centers or recruiting stations if it's determined that carrying such a firearm "is necessary as a personal or force-protection measure." Military service members will pay more for prescription drugs, increases that affect retirees the most because active-duty members will continue to get their drugs free at military treatment facilities. Some service members who retire have found that the drugs they had been prescribed in the Defense Department medical system are not on the Veterans Affairs Department's drug list. The legislation preserves the housing allowance for dual military couples and does not include a controversial provision that would have drastically cut the allowance for uniformed service members who are married to one another and limit it for those who choose to share housing with other members.