WASHINGTON, D.C - Congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-OH) has introduced a measure to compensate troops that have been affected by "stop-loss," the Pentagon's policy to forcibly prolong a soldier's service beyond their enlistment. H.R. 6205, the Stop Loss Compensation Act, will require the Pentagon to pay affected troops an additional $1500 for each month their service is extended.

"After honorably serving their country, too many of our brave service men and women are being told they cannot return home to their families when scheduled, instead being forced to serve additional tours of duty. This is unjust and it undermines the voluntary nature of the military," said Congresswoman Sutton. "While stop-loss may provide a temporary fix for maintaining troop levels, the lasting result of this policy will be to deter young men and women from joining the Armed Forces. Instead of forcing soldiers to serve, the army should work to increase recruitment by supporting policies such as the new GI Bill, which will improve educational benefits for service members, helping them transition back to civilian life and begin successful careers."

The Stop Loss Compensation Act applies to service members who are forced to remain in the military past their enlistment contracts. Congresswoman Sutton's legislation will also retroactively compensate any soldier who has been stop-lossed since October 2001, benefitting the nearly 60,000 men and women who have been affected since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, there is no mandatory monetary compensation for troops affected by stop-loss.

Last month, Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced a similar measure in the Senate.

"After months and years of risking their lives, our troops are too often being told they cannot return home to their families when they were scheduled," Senator Lautenberg said. "The military made a deal with our men and women in uniform--and if our troops are forced to serve and sacrifice longer than that commitment, that sacrifice should be rewarded."

The Stop Loss Compensation Act has been endorsed by Veterans for America, Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Bobby Muller, President of Veterans for America, said: "Of all the abuses borne by our service members since the beginning of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, excessive reliance on stop-loss is one of the most egregious. Involuntary service negates the promise of our all-volunteer military. By forcing tens of thousands of troops to stay in the military, we have broken the contract that our service members willingly entered into with their country. As Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said "we need to move away from [stop loss] as rapidly as we can."

Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said:"This bill provides just compensation to service members who are involuntarily extended beyond their end of service obligation. By appropriating special pay to service members held under stop loss from the Department of Defense's operation and maintenance budget, it will act as an effective incentive to enact stop loss only when it is absolutely necessary to the mission and fidelity of the unit."

Michael Cline, Executive Director of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States, said: "Since early 2003, over 600,000 Guard and reserve members have fulfilled the ideal of citizen-soldier, leaving their civilian jobs and educational pursuits to take up arms to defend the country they love. The unusual sacrifice they and their families make on a daily basis are what makes this country great. Several thousand of them have been involuntarily retained beyond their normal term of service to continue to serve their country. Although this is patriotic on their part, and maintains unit integrity, it also was more than for which they and the Defense Department contracted."