Lincoln Seeks to Expand Travel Reimbursement for National Guard and Reserve

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2008
Contact: Katie Laning (202)224-4843

Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) has introduced legislation that would authorize greater reimbursement of travel expenses for members of the National Guard and Reserve who travel for their training.

“Our citizen soldiers and airmen, many of whom live in rural areas, have been forced to shoulder much of the out-of-pocket expenses associated with their training,” Lincoln said.  “Easing their financial burden is an issue of basic fairness.  This legislation takes positive steps to ensure they are more fairly reimbursed when they leave their families for the training they need to protect us at home and serve overseas.”

Lincoln offered her proposal as an amendment to the 2009 National Defense Authorization Act, an annual bill which authorizes military spending.  Lincoln’s amendment mirrors stand-alone legislation she introduced earlier this year. 

Lincoln’s amendment would reimburse travel expenses at 48.5 cents per mile and lodging and meal expenses at the federal government employee per diem rate for National Guard and Reserve troops who travel more than 50 miles for Inactive Duty Training, commonly called drill. The proposal was drawn in part from the recommendations of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, which released its report in early 2008. 

Some members of the Arkansas National Guard must travel over 150 miles each way for training.  The travel distance can be a financial burden to many of Arkansas’s 10,526 soldiers and Airmen in the National Guard, especially the lower ranking members.

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