TESTER, BAUCUS, CHAMPION BILL TO RESTORE LEAVE FOR MONTANA TROOPS

Senator’s Bill to support Montana Troops, Families Clears the U.S. Senate

(Washington, D.C.) – Montana’s U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester announced their bill to restore leave for members of the Montana Guard who served in Iraq is now set to become law.

“This is a win for Montanans and fulfills a promise to our troops. Our troops and their families not only deserve this special leave, but they’ve earned it by serving multiple deployments,” said Baucus.

“We made a promise to our service members that we would honor the sacrifices they make for Montana and this nation,” Tester said.  “Thanks to this bill, dozens of Guardsmen and Reservists are now one step closer to regaining their promised leave so they can spend time with their families.”

The Department of Defense previously awarded special leave to members of the Guard and Reserve who deployed twice within a five year window. The Pentagon changed the policy on October 1, 2011, after Montana Guard unit, C Co 1/189th Aviation, had already deployed to Iraq. The bill (S. 2121) Baucus and Tester fought for restores their leave by allowing the Montana Guard unit and other Guard units to be grandfathered into previous policy if they had already deployed at the time of the policy change. The bill has already passed in the House and will now head to the President to be signed into law.