Today, Representatives Kaialiʻi Kahele (HI-02) and Trent Kelly (MS-01) announced the introduction of H.R.5095, the ʻ1095 Rule’ Amendment Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen the National Guard and Reserve by increasing the maximum number of days reservists can serve on active duty.
The National Guard serves our country and communities in times of crisis including in domestic and overseas combat missions, as well as man-made and natural disasters. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more troops have been activated for duty than at any time since World War II. The ‘1095 Rule’ Amendment Act increases access to highly skilled service members with subject matter expertise to meet the current demand for critical deployment.
“I want to thank Congressman Kelly who is cosponsoring this important bill that will strengthen our National Guard. The ‘1095 Rule’ Amendment Act ensures our National Guard has the right people ready for the mission at hand,” said Congressman Kahele. “An increase to the current cap provides more flexibility to employ reserve component members into critical active duty positions to maintain mission readiness. It also encourages the use of volunteers during peacetime operations, and times of emergency. The Department of Defense and the National Guard Association of the United States support this proposal.”
“The National Guard and Reserve is made up of seasoned professionals who have demonstrated expert capabilities on multiple fronts. In times of war and peace, these men and women play a critical role defending our great Nation, both domestically and internationally,” said Congressman Trent Kelly. “The 1095 Rule Amendment will further strengthen our national defense capabilities by allowing reserve component service members to continue to perform next to their active service counterparts without affecting the end strength. This change ensures that we will continue to place our most talented service members in challenging roles in defense of our Country.”
In 2004, Congress increased the maximum number of days reserve component members performing active duty or full-time National Guard duty could serve from 180 days to no more than 1,095 days out of any period of 1,460 days before counting against active duty end strengths. The ‘1095 Rule’ Amendment Act would once again increase that cap from 1,095 days out of 1,460 days to 1,825 days out of 2,190 days.