Duty Status Reform Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6976
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-01-09: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-09T20:36:51Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 6976: Duty Status Reform Act
Purpose
The legislation aims to simplify and consolidate the rules for ordering members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces (including the National Guard and Coast Guard Reserve) to perform various types of duty. It reorganizes existing laws to reduce overlapping authorities, align benefits across duty types (especially for contingency operations, which are military responses to crises like wars or emergencies), and ensure consistent treatment of active duty, full-time National Guard duty, and other reserve duties. The goal is to improve military readiness, fairness in benefits, and administrative efficiency while maintaining national security requirements.
Key Provisions
- Consolidation of Reserve Duty Authorities (Title 10, U.S. Code): Replaces Chapter 1209 with a new structure dividing reserve duty into subchapters on administration, authorities, and purposes. Introduces four categories of duty:
- Category I Active Duty: Involuntary orders for major operations, such as wars, national emergencies, or homeland defense (e.g., up to 24 months for Ready Reserve mobilization, with caps like 1,000,000 members).
- Category II Active Duty: Generally requires consent but allows involuntary orders for training, disciplinary proceedings, or missing status support.
- Category III Reserve Component Duty: Covers required training (e.g., 48 periods per year), muster (annual check-ins), and voluntary support activities; minimum 2 hours per period, no more than 2 per day.
- Category IV Remote Assignments: Voluntary, individually assigned work or online training related to readiness, without direct supervision; compensable upon completion.
- National Guard Duty (Title 32, U.S. Code): Reorganizes Chapter 5 similarly, with parallel categories for full-time National Guard duty (Category I and II) and reserve component duty (Category III and IV). Includes support for homeland defense (up to 180 days, extendable to 270) and youth programs.
- Definition Updates: Expands "contingency operation" to include orders under new sections (e.g., 12341 for reserves, 541 for Guard). Replaces terms like "inactive-duty training" with "reserve component duty" for clarity.
- Benefits Alignment (Sections 7-9): Ensures equivalent treatment for active duty and full-time National Guard duty in contingency operations across laws like Titles 5, 37, and 38 (e.g., pay, health care via TRICARE, survivor benefits, education assistance). Extends protections like family leave and loan deferrals.
- Survivor and Other Benefits (Section 8): Aligns death gratuities, insurance, and citizenship for next-of-kin to cover reserve component duty deaths. Includes early TRICARE access (up to 180 days before duty starts).
- Repeals and Conforming Amendments (Sections 10-13): Eliminates outdated chapters (e.g., Title 10 Chapter 13 on Insurrection Act integration) and updates references across Titles 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 20, 28, 29, 37, 38, 42, and 50. Applies to Space Force and treats "remote assignments" consistently.
- Transition and Effective Date (Sections 14-15): Benefits accrue based on pre- and post-enactment service. Takes effect 10 years after enactment, but can be accelerated with certifications from DoD, DHS, and VA, plus congressional approval.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Streamlined Mobilization: Reduces fragmented authorities (e.g., repeals sections like 12301-12304, 12406) into unified categories, eliminating consent requirements for high-priority needs while preserving limits (e.g., no duty in hostile areas for Category III).
- Terminology Shift: Replaces "inactive-duty training" (drill-like sessions) with "reserve component duty" to encompass broader non-full-time service, affecting eligibility for pay, retirement points, and protections.
- Benefits Parity: Treats full-time National Guard duty equivalently to active duty for contingency operations in areas like disability pay, unemployment, and small business loans; extends survivor benefits to reserve duty deaths.
- Insurrection Act Integration: Reorganizes militia call-up rules without expanding presidential powers, clarifying state consent limits.
- Space Force Inclusion: Applies reserve-like provisions to Space Force personnel in active/inactive status.
- Remote Work Expansion: Formalizes flexible, non-supervised assignments with limited compensation, excluding full Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) coverage.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: DoD and DHS gain administrative simplicity for mobilizing reserves (e.g., fewer overlapping rules could speed responses to emergencies), but require system updates for benefits processing. VA faces workload for aligned veteran claims. Potential cost savings from consolidation, offset by expanded benefits (e.g., early TRICARE access).
- Citizens: Reserve and Guard members/families benefit from clearer rules, better protections (e.g., job security, health coverage), and reduced uncertainty in duty types, potentially improving retention. Veterans may see smoother benefit transitions. Minimal direct impact on non-military citizens, though enhanced readiness could indirectly support disaster response.
- International Relations: No direct effects, but improved reserve mobilization could strengthen U.S. alliances through faster crisis support (e.g., cyber incidents or terrorism responses).
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Reserve Component Members: Active duty reservists (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force) and National Guard personnel; changes affect ~800,000 part-time service members and their families.
- Military Families and Veterans: Gain aligned benefits like survivor pay and education aid; impacts ~1.5 million Guard/reserve dependents.
- Federal Agencies: DoD (mobilization/oversight), DHS (Coast Guard), VA (benefits administration), and Treasury (pay/allowances).
- States and Local Governments: Governors retain consent for out-of-state Guard duty; affects state emergency responses.
- Congress: Enhanced reporting requirements (e.g., 24-hour notifications for cyber activations) increase oversight.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Clarifies UCMJ jurisdiction (e.g., applies to Category I/II but not remote assignments) and benefits eligibility, reducing disputes over "line of duty" determinations (e.g., for sexual assault victims). Ensures compliance with War Powers Resolution by maintaining mobilization caps and reporting.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Article I (militia regulation) by reorganizing Insurrection Act without altering core powers; preserves state governor roles in Guard activations, balancing federal-state authority.
- Political: Promotes equity for "weekend warriors" amid frequent deployments, potentially boosting recruitment/retention amid debates on military readiness. Could face scrutiny over costs (e.g., expanded benefits) or delays in 10-year implementation, with acceleration requiring bipartisan support. Neutral on partisanship, focusing on administrative reform.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-CA-31]
Cosponsors (41)
Rep. Bergman, Jack [R-MI-1], Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36], Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6], Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10], Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17], Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10], Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17], Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2], Rep. Van Epps, Matt [R-TN-7], Rep. McGuire, John J. [R-VA-5], Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11], Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1], Rep. Scott, Austin [R-GA-8], Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4], Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3], Rep. Rogers, Harold [R-KY-5], Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2], Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2], Rep. Vindman, Eugene Simon [D-VA-7], Rep. Owens, Burgess [R-UT-4], Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2], Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8], Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1], Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2], Rep. Goodlander, Maggie [D-NH-2], Rep. Evans, Gabe [R-CO-8], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5], Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13], Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2], Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17], Rep. Guest, Michael [R-MS-3], Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6], Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1], Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8], Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12], Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1], Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26], Rep. Rose, John W. [R-TN-6], Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18], Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-FL-21]
Recent Actions
- 2026-01-09: Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
- 2026-01-09: Referred to the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security.
- 2026-01-09: Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection.
- 2026-01-09: Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 2026-01-08: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Government Reform, Agriculture, Small Business, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, Homeland Security, and House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Bill Versions
- Duty Status Reform Act — issued 2026-01-08 — PDF (207 pages)