MOMs

(Mothers of Military Service) Leave Act

The issue: The Department of Defense established new policies for maternity leave as part of the Force
of the Future initiative in 2016, authorizing 12 weeks fully paid maternity leave after normal pregnancy
and childbirth. However this does not take the Total Force into consideration. Under the current law,
reserve component members in reserve training status are required to attend unit training assemblies
(weekend drill) in order to receive points towards creditable military service. If the female service
member does not perform duty within the allotted timeframe, the service member is in jeopardy of not
receiving credit for their military service and points towards retirement.

This amendment ensures female service members of the reserve component receive pay and points for
6 unit training assemblies towards retirement after normal pregnancy and childbirth. For a reserve
component member this equates to 12 pay periods of reserve drill pay. There are approximately
153,802 women in the National Guard and Reserves who are currently not entitled to be paid maternity
leave.

The provision does not apply to periods of annual training.

Cost: The provision will not incur any additional costs because the female service member would have
been compensated for the duty period had she not given birth.

Co-sponsors: Senators Rounds, Boozman, Murray, and Heinrich.

Support:
This measure is supported by the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), and Enlisted
Association of the National Guard of the United States (EANGUS), and ZERO TO THREE.

On behalf of the more than 45,000 members of the National Guard Association of the United States,
we strongly support Senator Udall and Senator Rounds amendment to the FY18 NDAA that would
ensure Guardsmen and Reservists are entitled to the same maternity leave as their active duty
counterparts. We urge the Senate to adopt this bipartisan amendment, which would guarantee paid
maternity leave for the more than 150,000 women currently serving in the National Guard and
Reserves. This is simply a question of fairness. B.G. (Retired) J. Roy Robinson, NGAUS President