Question of the Month
July
2004
What
have states done to help the families of National Guard members and
reservists called to active duty?
Members of the
National Guard and reservists have increasingly been called to active
duty in light of the war on terrorism and deployments to the Middle
East. The call to active duty creates a number of difficulties for
military members and their families, including financial hardships.
Many military families are finding it difficult to pay for even some
of the most basic needs, including mortgages, rents and utilities.
Illinois Lt.
Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been joined by several of his counterparts
from across the nation, is at the forefront of an effort to urge
states to adopt relief funds for those families finding themselves in
need of financial support as a result of a member being put on active
duty. In 2003, Illinois was the first state to adopt such a program.
Its Family Relief Fund provides grants to the families of National
Guard members and reservists who have been placed on active duty since
Sept. 11, 2001. The grants, partially funded through a voluntary
checkoff on the state’s income tax form, can be used for living
expenses such as food, housing, utilities and medical services. Since
August 2003, more than $1.3 million has been granted to 2,500 Illinois
families.
Measures creating similar funds have
been passed in three other states — Maine, South Carolina and
Wyoming — and considered in at least 10 others. This year in the
Midwest, bills to create military family relief funds were introduced
in Iowa and Minnesota; relief legislation is still
pending in Michigan.
In addition to the relief fund
approach, policymakers have looked at other ways to assist active duty
troops and their families. Some of these efforts include tax credits,
education tuition assistance, and various consumer protections to ease
financial hardship. In Ohio, the House has passed a measure that
provides a number of services and benefits to those called to active
duty military service. These include imposing a cap on the interest
rates charged on financing by retailers, allowing those called to
active duty to opt out of cell phone contracts without penalty,
requiring institutions of higher education to grant leaves of absence
to students called to active duty, and prohibiting utilities from
cutting the service of an active duty member.
More information on state legislative
action regarding this issue is available at www.operationhomefront.org.
For
more information on this or any other public policy issue, please call
630-925-1922 or complete the online
form for research services.
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