Senate Resolution 105

PAG LIN

  1  1                SENATE RESOLUTION NO. ___
  1  2 BY  WARNSTADT, KREIMAN, BOLKCOM, BEALL, SENG, DEARDEN,
  1  3  DVORSKY, CONNOLLY, KIBBIE, RAGAN, COURTNEY, DOTZLER,
  1  4   FRAISE, GRONSTAL, STEWART, HORN, QUIRMBACH, HATCH,
  1  5                McCOY, HOLVECK, and BLACK
  1  6 A Resolution encouraging Congress to pass legislation
  1  7    allowing National Guard and Reserve members
  1  8    eligibility for TRICARE on a permanent basis.
  1  9    WHEREAS, members of the National Guard and Reserve
  1 10 have been called upon more routinely over the past two
  1 11 years to perform combat and combat support missions
  1 12 throughout the world; and
  1 13    WHEREAS, historically, members of the National
  1 14 Guard and Reserve and their families have been
  1 15 eligible for health care coverage only upon
  1 16 activation, but lost that coverage upon deactivation;
  1 17 and
  1 18    WHEREAS, based on a report of the United States
  1 19 General Accounting Office, more than 20 percent of
  1 20 National Guard and Reserve members have not had health
  1 21 care coverage and 40 percent of members ages 19 to 35
  1 22 have not had coverage; and
  1 23    WHEREAS, lack of health care coverage adversely
  1 24 impacts the medical and combat readiness of National
  1 25 Guard and Reserve members, thereby lengthening the
  1 26 mobilization process; and
  1 27    WHEREAS, Congress recently passed the federal
  1 28 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense
  1 29 and for the Reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan of
  1 30 2004 providing, in part, for the enrollment of
  2  1 National Guard and Reserve members in the military
  2  2 health care program known as TRICARE; and
  2  3    WHEREAS, even though the Act finally provides
  2  4 health care coverage to National Guard and Reserve
  2  5 members on a cost=share basis, whether or not they are
  2  6 on active duty, the Act is only effective until
  2  7 September 30, 2004; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  8    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the United
  2  9 States Congress is encouraged to pass legislation to
  2 10 allow members of the National Guard and Reserve to be
  2 11 eligible for participation in TRICARE beyond September
  2 12 30, 2004, on a permanent basis; and
  2 13    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That it is the intent of
  2 14 the Senate that a copy of this Resolution be
  2 15 distributed to members of the Iowa congressional
  2 16 delegation.
  2 17 LSB 5096XS 80
  2 18 pf/sh/8