Combat Pay Protection Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9465 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9465

 To amend chapter 19 of title 37, United States Code, to provide for a
one-time corrective increase and annual adjustments of certain special
   and incentive pays for members of the Armed Forces, and for other
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2026

 Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Vindman, Mr. Mills, and Mr.
   Davis of North Carolina) introduced the following bill; which was
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To amend chapter 19 of title 37, United States Code, to provide for a
one-time corrective increase and annual adjustments of certain special
   and incentive pays for members of the Armed Forces, 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 ``Combat Pay Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. ONE-TIME CORRECTIVE INCREASE AND ANNUAL ADJUSTMENTS FOR CERTAIN
              SPECIAL AND INCENTIVE PAYS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED
              FORCES; CLARIFICATION OF SPECIAL AND INCENTIVE PAY
              AUTHORITIES FOR MEMBERS OF RESERVE COMPONENTS.

    (a) Adjustments.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 19 of title 37, United States
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new
        section:
``Sec. 1017. Adjustments to amounts of special and incentive pays
    ``(a) Initial Increase.--Effective on January 1 of the first year
that begins after the date of the enactment of the Combat Pay
Protection Act, the Secretary of Defense shall increase the amount of
each covered special and incentive pay (rounded to the nearest dollar)
for members of the Armed Forces by the greater of--
            ``(1) the percentage by which the CPI for the base quarter
        of the preceding year exceeds the CPI for the base quarter
        preceding the last statutory or administrative increase date
        for such covered special and incentive pay; and
            ``(2) the percentage by which the average rate of basic pay
        for members of the Armed Forces under section 203(a) of this
        title in effect on such January 1 exceeds the average rate of
        basic pay for members of the Armed Forces under such section
        203(a) that was in effect on the last statutory or
        administrative increase date for such covered special and
        incentive pay.
    ``(b) Recurring Increase.--Effective on January 1 of the second
year that begins after the date of the enactment of the Combat Pay
Protection Act, and each January 1 thereafter, the Secretary of Defense
shall increase the amount of each covered special and incentive pay
(rounded to the nearest dollar) for members of the Armed Forces by the
greater of--
            ``(1) the percentage by which the CPI for the base quarter
        of the preceding year exceeds the CPI for the base quarter of
        the year before the preceding year; and
            ``(2) the percentage by which the rate of basic pay for
        members of the Armed Forces under section 203(a) of this title
        is increased on such January 1 from the rate of basic pay for
        such members in effect the preceding year.
    ``(c) Relationship to Limits of Amounts in Law.--The Secretary
shall increase the amount of each covered special and incentive pay in
accordance with subsection (a) or (b) notwithstanding any limitation on
the maximum amount of such pay specified in any other provision of law.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `base quarter' for any year is the three-
        month period ending on September 30 of such year.
            ``(2) The term `covered special and incentive pay' means--
                    ``(A) a bonus, incentive, or special pay payable
                under chapter 5 of this title; and
                    ``(B) the allowance payable under section 427 of
                this title.
            ``(3) The term `CPI' means the Consumer Price Index for All
        Urban Consumers published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of
        the Department of Labor.
            ``(4) The term `last statutory or administrative increase
        date' means the date of the most recent adjustment to an amount
        of pay that--
                    ``(A) reflects a revision based on objective
                economic indicators or an increase to basic pay for
                members of the Armed Forces; or
                    ``(B) was made by Act of Congress.''.
            (2) Publication of one-time adjustments.--Not later than
        December 31 of the year of the enactment of this Act, the
        Secretary of Defense shall publish in the Federal Register a
        table that identifies--
                    (A) each covered special and incentive pay (as
                defined in section 1017 of title 37, United States
                Code, as added by subsection (a) of this section);
                    (B) the last statutory or administration increase
                date (as defined in such section 1017) of each such
                pay;
                    (C) the amount of increase of such pay after the
                application of subsection (a) of such section 1017; and
                    (D) the total amount of such pay after the
                application of such subsection (a).
    (b) Clarification of Special and Incentive Pay Authorities for
Members of Reserve Components.--Section 357 of title 37, United States
Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``special or incentive pay'' and inserting
        ``bonus, incentive, or special pay''; and
            (2) by striking ``if the Secretary concerned'' and all that
        follows and inserting a period.
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