Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1542 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1542

To amend title 14, United States Code, to make appropriations for Coast 
    Guard pay in the event an appropriations Act expires before the 
     enactment of a new appropriations Act, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 24, 2025

  Ms. Scholten (for herself and Mr. Barrett) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 14, United States Code, to make appropriations for Coast 
    Guard pay in the event an appropriations Act expires before the 
     enactment of a new appropriations Act, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Pay Our Coast Guard Parity Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Coast Guard is a military service and a branch of 
        the Armed Forces of the United States at all times regardless 
        of whether it operates as a service in the Department of 
        Homeland Security or as a service in the Navy.
            (2) Notwithstanding respective appropriations and except as 
        otherwise provided in law, members of the Coast Guard should 
        receive treatment equitable to that of other members of the 
        Armed Forces with regard to pay and benefits.

SEC. 3. COAST GUARD PAY; CONTINUATION.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 27 of title 14, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 2780. Pay; continuation during lapse in appropriations
    ``(a) In General.--In the case of any period in which there is a 
Coast Guard-specific funding lapse, there are appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary--
            ``(1) to provide pay and allowances to military members of 
        the Coast Guard, including the reserve component thereof, who 
        perform active service or in-active-duty training during such 
        period;
            ``(2) to provide pay and benefits to qualified civilian 
        employees of the Coast Guard;
            ``(3) to provide pay and benefits to qualified contract 
        employees of the Coast Guard; and
            ``(4) to provide for--
                    ``(A) the payment of a death gratuity under 
                sections 1475 through 1477 and 1489 of title 10, with 
                respect to members of the Coast Guard;
                    ``(B) the payment or reimbursement of authorized 
                funeral travel and travel related to the dignified 
                transfer of remains and unit memorial services under 
                section 481f of title 37, with respect to members of 
                the Coast Guard; and
                    ``(C) the temporary continuation of a basic 
                allowance of housing for dependents of members of the 
                Coast Guard dying on active duty, as authorized by 
                section 403(l) of title 37.
    ``(b) Coast Guard-Specific Funding Lapse.--For purposes of this 
section, a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse occurs in any case in 
which--
            ``(1) a general appropriation bill providing appropriations 
        for the Coast Guard for a fiscal year is not enacted before the 
        beginning of such fiscal year (and no joint resolution making 
        continuing appropriations for the Coast Guard is in effect); 
        and
            ``(2) a general appropriation bill providing appropriations 
        for the Department of Defense for such fiscal year is enacted 
        before the beginning of such fiscal year (or a joint resolution 
        making continuing appropriations for the Department of Defense 
        is in effect.
    ``(c) Termination.--Appropriations and funds made available and 
authority granted for any fiscal year for any purpose under subsection 
(a) shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs:
            ``(1) The enactment into law of an appropriation (including 
        a continuing appropriation) for such purpose.
            ``(2) The enactment into law of the applicable regular or 
        continuing appropriations resolution or other Act without any 
        appropriation for such purpose.
            ``(3) The termination of availability of appropriations for 
        the Department of Defense.
            ``(4) The date that is 2 weeks after the beginning of the 
        Coast Guard-specific funding lapse.
    ``(d) Rate for Operations; Applicability to Appropriations Acts.--
Appropriations made pursuant to this section shall be at a rate for 
operations and to the extent and manner that would be provided by the 
pertinent appropriations Act.
    ``(e) Charge to Future Appropriations.--Expenditures made pursuant 
to this section shall be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, 
or authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable 
appropriation, fund, or authorization is enacted into law.
    ``(f) Apportionment.--Appropriations and funds made available by or 
authority granted under this section may be used without regard to the 
time limitations for submission and approval of apportionments set 
forth in section 1513 of title 31, but nothing in this section may be 
construed to waive any other provision of law governing the 
apportionment of funds.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Qualified civilian employee.--The term `qualified 
        civilian employee' means a civilian employee of the Coast Guard 
        whom the Commandant determines is--
                    ``(A) providing support to members of the Coast 
                Guard or another Armed Force; or
                    ``(B) performing work as an excepted employee or an 
                employee performing emergency work, as such terms are 
                defined by the Office of Personnel Management.
            ``(2) Qualified contract employee of the coast guard.--The 
        term `qualified contract employee of the Coast Guard' means an 
        individual performing work under a contract whom the Commandant 
        determines is--
                    ``(A) providing support to military members or 
                qualified civilian employees of the Coast Guard or 
                another Armed Force; or
                    ``(B) required to perform work during a lapse in 
                appropriations.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 27 of title 14, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``2780. Pay; continuation during lapse in appropriations.''.
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