H.R. 1679 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on Wednesday, April 22, under a motion to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. The bill was introduced by Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA) on March 24, 2009, and referred to the Committee on House Administration, which marked-up the bill on March 25, 2009, and reported it by voice vote.
H.R. 1679 would require the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House to make payments to House employees that are Armed Forces reserve members called in to active duty, to ensure that they do not lose any civilian income. The bill would provide payments equal to the difference between a reservist's active duty pay and their House income.
Under the legislation, a reservist would be eligible for lost pay compensation if they were called into active duty for more than 30 days and worked as an employee of the House for more than 90 days.
According to CBO analysis, the Department of Defense and the House of Representatives have stated that "very few" House employees are members of the armed forces reserves and called into active duty while employed in the House. Because the cost of reimbursement program authorized by the bill is directly related to the number of House employees called into active duty, CBO estimates that the any cost of implementing the bill would not be significant.
According to CBO, H.R. 1679 "would not significantly increase discretionary spending."
