FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 23

95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1630L.01I

            Whereas, after the Vietnam War, the United States Congress created the stop loss program, which is the involuntary extension of a military member's active duty service under his or her enlistment contract in order to retain military personnel beyond their initial end-of-term service (ETS) date; and

            Whereas, this stop loss program has been used in the first Persian Gulf War, during military deployments in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the subsequent War on Terror; and

            Whereas, the use of stop loss service has been criticized by activists and some politicians as an abuse of the spirit of the law, on the basis that Congress has not formally declared war, such as in the case of the Iraq War; and

            Whereas, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, as one of his first acts, issued a memorandum compelling commanders to "minimize" the stop-lossing of soldiers; and

            Whereas, the United States Army currently allows enlisted soldiers facing stop loss to voluntarily separate by request, but only after the soldier has completed an involuntary deployment of twelve to fifteen months and ninety days of stabilization time; and

            Whereas, despite Secretary Gates' order, by April 2008 use of stop loss has increased by 43%. Soldiers affected by stop loss were then serving, on average, an extra 6.6 months, with sergeants through sergeants first class making up 45% of these soldiers; and

            Whereas, from 2002 through April 2008, 58,200 soldiers were affected by stop loss, or approximately 1% of active duty, Reserve, and National Guard troops:

            Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-fifth General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby strongly urge the United States Congress to enact legislation formally ending or strictly limiting the application of the Department of Defense Stop Loss Program which involuntarily extends the active duty service obligation of military personnel; and

            Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare properly inscribed copies of this resolution for Barack Obama, President of the United States; Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense; the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives; and each member of the Missouri Congressional delegation.

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