Bacon, Raskin and Dexter Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Pension Payments for NOAA Corps, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

"NOAA Corps officers and USPHS Commissioned Corps officers have made immeasurable sacrifices for the health and safety of our people over decades of public service," said Rep. Raskin. "Our bipartisan legislation will mean these patriots will get the pensions they earned so they don't go hungry or struggle to pay their rent or mortgage during a government shutdown."

"The Commissioned Officers Association is pleased to endorse this important legislation, which would provide a stable and reliable financial foundation for retirement pay for members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps," said CAPT. Jacqueline Rychnovsky, USN (Ret.), Executive Director of the Commissioned Officers Association of the United States Public Health Service. "Transitioning from annual discretionary appropriations to the Department of Defense Military Retirement Fund - which currently supports retirement pay for the other six uniformed services - would help ensure that USPHS and NOAA Corps retirees are never again at risk of missing a paycheck during a government shutdown."

"All who serve our nation in uniform have earned their benefits, to include consistent and reliable retirement payments," said Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly, USAF (Ret.), President and CEO of the Military Officers Association of America. "MOAA strongly supports this legislation, which takes an important step toward ensuring parity across all uniformed services by aligning retirement funding for the USPHS and NOAA commissioned officer retirees with the existing Military Retirement Fund."

Established upon the outbreak of World War I, NOAA Corps Officers command ships and aircraft and support emergency response efforts, including hurricane response and oil spill mitigation. They lead a fleet of vessels and aircraft used for everything from deep ocean research to flying into hurricanes, and they can be brought into the armed services whenever the President requires their expertise.

The U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps was established in 1889 to root out smallpox and yellow fever and is now the largest public health program in the world. Driven by a passion for public service, the Commissioned Corps officers respond to public health crises and national emergencies such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and terrorist attacks, both at home and overseas.

The Pensions for Retired Uniformed Servicemembers Act is endorsed by the Military Officers Association of America and the Commissioned Officers Association.