Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Rest and Recuperation Leave program for members of the Armed Forces serving in combat zones in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation costs necessary to return members of the Armed Forces granted such leave to their homes located throughout the United States.

        [Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 387 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 387

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Rest and
Recuperation Leave program for members of the Armed Forces serving in
combat zones in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation
Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation costs
necessary to return members of the Armed Forces granted such leave to
their homes located throughout the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 1, 2003

Mr. Moore (for himself, Mr. Moran of Kansas, Mr. Rangel, Mrs. Emerson,
Mr. Frost, Mr. Shays, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr.
Taylor of Mississippi, Mr. Baker, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Upton, Mr.
Alexander, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Cardoza, Mr.
Clay, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Emanuel, Mr. Ford, Mr. Green of
Texas, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Ms. Jackson-Lee of
Texas, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Lee, Mr. Lucas of
Kentucky, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Ms. McCarthy of Missouri, Ms.
McCollum, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Ose, Mr.
Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Peterson of Pennsylvania, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr.
Sandlin, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr.
Smith of Washington, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Turner of Texas, Mr. Udall
of New Mexico, and Mr. Wamp) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Rest and
Recuperation Leave program for members of the Armed Forces serving in
combat zones in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation
Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation costs
necessary to return members of the Armed Forces granted such leave to
their homes located throughout the United States.

Whereas members of the United States Armed Forces have been deployed in
Afghanistan since 2002, and currently over 130,000 United States troops
are deployed in Iraq with the likelihood of another 10,000-15,000 troops
being sent overseas in the next few months;
Whereas the current average length of stay for United States military personnel
in Iraq is 12 months and the total extended time away from home for
these troops is uncertain;
Whereas serving in wartime Iraq and lengthy absences from home can cause or
exacerbate many personal conflicts for military personnel deployed
there, as well as family and marital stresses;
Whereas the Rest and Recuperation Program was created to provide relief and
boost morale for military personnel serving on 12-month tours in Iraq
and neighboring countries, by reuniting, albeit briefly, wives and
husbands, parents and children, and friends and loved ones;
Whereas members of the Armed Forces presently granted leave under the program
are responsible for any travel to and from the approved port of
debarkation in the United States, which leaves many of the members
stranded or forced to foot the bill for connecting flights and
transportation to their homes; and
Whereas the expected cost to the United States for each member granted leave
under the program is approximately $1,300 per member: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that
the Rest and Recuperation Leave program for members of the Armed Forces
serving in combat zones in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom or
Operation Enduring Freedom should cover all travel and transportation
costs necessary to return members of the Armed Forces granted such
leave to their homes located throughout the United States.
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