To amend title 14, United States Code, to require the retention of certain enlisted members of the Coast Guard who have completed 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates a Coast Guard enlisted retention protection for members close to retirement. A Regular Coast Guard enlisted member selected for involuntary separation, or denied reenlistment when the enlistment term expires, must be retained on active duty if the member is within two years of qualifying for retirement under title 14 section 2306. Coast Guard Reserve enlisted members in active status with at least 18 but less than 20 years of service generally may not be discharged, denied reenlistment, or transferred from active status without consent before reaching 20 years, subject to time caps: for members with 18 but less than 19 years, until 20 years of service or three years after the planned discharge or transfer date; for members with 19 but less than 20 years, until 20 years of service or two years after that date. The reserve protection excludes separations for physical disability or for cause.
Who Benefits and How
Regular Coast Guard enlisted members near retirement benefit because involuntary separation or denied reenlistment cannot cut off retirement qualification within the final two years. Coast Guard Reserve enlisted members in active status benefit from consent protection when they have at least 18 but less than 20 years of creditable service. Coast Guard families benefit if members close to 20 years can preserve retirement eligibility and associated financial planning. Military legal assistance offices benefit from a clear statutory rule for contested near-retirement separations.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Coast Guard personnel command must retain covered members and adjust separation, reenlistment, and transfer decisions. Unit commanders may carry members longer than planned when retirement sanctuary applies. Coast Guard workforce planners must manage billets, promotion flow, and reserve active-status rosters around the retention mandate. Federal taxpayers bear pay, benefit, and retirement costs for members retained until retirement qualification.
Key Provisions
- Creates a title 14 section 2517 retention rule for enlisted Coast Guard members near 20 years of service.
- Requires retention of covered Regular Coast Guard members until retirement qualification.
- Protects covered Coast Guard Reserve members with 18 to 20 years of service from nonconsensual discharge, denied reenlistment, or active-status transfer.
- Provides three-year and two-year outer limits for reserve members depending on whether they have under 19 or at least 19 years of service.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Coast Guard to retain certain enlisted regular and reserve members with 18 or more but less than 20 years of service long enough to qualify for retirement, unless they consent to separation or are sooner retired or discharged under another law.
Key Policy Areas
Coast Guard, Military Personnel, Retirement
Primary Purpose
Requires the Coast Guard to retain certain enlisted regular and reserve members with 18 or more but less than 20 years of service long enough to qualify for retirement, unless they consent to separation or are sooner retired or discharged under another law.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Regular Coast Guard enlisted members
- Coast Guard Reserve enlisted members
- Coast Guard families
- Military legal assistance offices
Identified Costs
- Coast Guard personnel command
- Unit commanders
- Coast Guard workforce planners
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMrs. Kiggans of Virginia (for herself and Ms. Tokuda) introduced …
Referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Coast Guard Reserve enlisted members, Coast Guard families, Regular Coast Guard enlisted members
Positive-direction: Coast Guard Reserve enlisted members, Coast Guard families, Regular Coast Guard enlisted members
Negative-direction: Unit commanders
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology