Guard Equal Benefits for Federal Missions Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8281 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8281 To ensure National Guard members performing full-time National Guard duty in support of Federal law enforcement operations receive benefits equivalent to those provided for service during a national emergency. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 14, 2026 Mr. Van Epps introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To ensure National Guard members performing full-time National Guard duty in support of Federal law enforcement operations receive benefits equivalent to those provided for service during a national emergency. 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 ``Guard Equal Benefits for Federal Missions Act''. SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN TITLE 32 SERVICE AS NATIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICE. (a) In General.--Chapter 5 of title 32, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: ``Sec. 511. Treatment of certain full-time National Guard duty for benefit eligibility ``(a) In General.--For purposes of any provision of law that provides benefits based on service in response to a national emergency, full-time National Guard duty performed under section 502(f) shall be treated as service in response to a national emergency if such duty-- ``(1) is authorized by the President or the Secretary of Defense; and ``(2) is performed in direct support of Federal law enfo