S. 1543 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1543 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 24, 2013Mr. Heller introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations A BILL To appropriate such funds as may be necessary to ensure that members of the Armed Forces, including reserve components thereof, and supporting civilian and contractor personnel continue to receive pay and allowances for active service performed when a funding gap caused by the failure to enact interim or full-year appropriations for the Armed Forces occurs, which results in the furlough of non-emergency personnel and the curtailment of Government activities and services. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act. 2. Emergency appropriation of funds to provide pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces and supporting civilian and contractor personnel during funding gap impacting the Department of Defense or Department of Homeland Security (a) Appropriation of funds for military pay and allowances During a funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, the Secretary of the Treasury shall make available to the Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard), out of any amounts in the general fund of the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such amounts as the Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard) determines to be necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances (without interruption) to the following: (1) Members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including reserve components thereof, who perform active service during the funding gap. (2) At the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, such civilian personnel of the Department of Defense who are providing support to the members of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (1) as the Secretary considers appropriate. (3) At the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, such personnel of contractors of the Department of Defense who are providing direct support to the members of the Armed Forces described in paragraph (1) as the Secretary considers appropriate. (b) Funding gap defined In this section, the term funding gap means any period of time after the beginning of a fiscal year for which interim or full-year appropriations for the personnel accounts of the Armed Forces for that fiscal year have not been enacted.