NATIONAL GUARD ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES LEGISLATIVE ALERT

22 July 2005

The Issue: TRICARE Amendment

One Step Forward - Victory on the Senate Floor

On Thursday, July 21st, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY) offered an amendment to provide full access to TRICARE coverage for every member of the National Guard. Other Senators speaking on behalf of the amendment were Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator George Allen (R-VA), and Senator John Thune (R-SD). Also sharing his support for the amendment was Senator John Warner (R-VA), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), ranking minority member.

The amendment was accepted by unanimous consent, and will now be part of the Senate defense authorization bill.

Thank you for all your help in securing this victory.

The Next Step

We need your help during the defense authorization conference. After the August recess, the Senate and House Armed Services Committee members will meet to iron out differences between both chambers’ bills. During conference, this TRICARE amendment will be debated and discussed. Although we will have very strong support from the Senate in those conference negotiations, we still need to continue to tell our story to those House members appointed to the conference.

The House conferees will be appointed during the August recess. We will send a legislative alert listing those House members. In the meantime, we are counting on you to share your support for TRICARE coverage with your elected representatives while they are home during the August recess.