Press Release of Senator Sessions
Sessions Unveils HEROES Act
To Enhance Military Death Benefits
HUNTSVILLE, AL — U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) announced today that he will introduce legislation when Congress reconvenes later this month that would greatly expand death benefits for America’s military personnel and their families.
Sessions, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has been working on the issue for two years, unveiled details of his Honoring Every Requirement Of Exemplary Service (HEROES) Act of 2005 during a luncheon speech to the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce.
"We must be generous when a soldier gives his or her life in our nation’s defense,” Sessions said. “We can and should do much more for these heroes. This bill will fix a number of serious inadequacies in our compensation policies, and I will insist that we act on it soon."
Sessions also said he was pleased to have U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), a fellow member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, as chief co-sponsor of the bill.
Sessions, who has been working with the Department of Defense on the proposal, said his bill would increase the Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance maximum benefit to $400,000 from $250,000. Under the proposal, the military would cover the cost of the first $150,000 of insurance for service members once they enter a combat zone. A second provision would require the service member to discuss opting out with a spouse or other beneficiary as is done with the Survivor Benefit Program.
The legislation also would raise the death gratuity to $100,000 from $12,420 for military personnel killed in combat. The death gratuity would be retroactive to cover those killed while deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The legislation would index the death gratuity to the rate of annual pay raises and index the life insurance benefit to the annual pay raise. The Defense Department estimated the cost of the legislation at about $460 million the first year, though that figure would be expected to drop in future years by more than half once retroactive benefits are paid.
Sessions, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, last year got a provision included in the Fiscal Year 2005 defense authorization bill directing the Defense Department to study the death benefits issue and offer a plan for enhanced benefits in President Bush’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2006. Bush will submit his budget to Congress in early February.
Sessions said he wanted to expedite passage of an enhanced death benefits package and would introduce his bill on January 24, the day Congress reconvenes.
"We should end this inequity and act quickly," Sessions added.
