Tester bill to protect the jobs of National Guardsmen and Reservists becomes law

(BUTTE, Mont.) – Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement after his bipartisan bill to protect the jobs of National Guardsmen and Reservists who are called to military service while working for the Transportation Security Administration became law. Tester introduced his bill with the support of the VFW and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States:

“We owe it to all Montanans who answer the call of duty to guarantee that their jobs will be there when they return, regardless of where they work. This law ensures that Montana Guardsmen and Reservists won’t have to worry about their jobs and can focus on their service to their nation. It’s the right thing to do, and I was proud to push it forward.”

In the aftermath of 9/11, Congress exempted the newly formed TSA from a federal law that protects the jobs of National Guardsmen and Reservists who are deployed overseas in an effort to give the agency the flexibility it needed to quickly ramp up its workforce. With the exemption no longer needed, Tester’s bill gives TSA employees who serve as Guardsmen and Reservists the same protections as other workers.

Tester, a member of the Senate National Guard Caucus, also recently sponsored a bill to restore leave lost by National Guard members and Reservists when the Defense Department changed its leave policy. The bill ensures that any changes to troop leave do not affect those already deployed overseas.