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H.R. 4998: Safeguarding the Use of the National Guard Act

This bill, known as the Safeguarding the Use of the National Guard Act, aims to establish a system for congressional oversight regarding the domestic deployment and use of the reserve components of the Armed Forces, such as the National Guard.

Key Provisions

Reporting Requirement: Within 15 days after the President deploys or utilizes members of a reserve component in the United States, a report must be submitted to Congress. This report will include:

The legal basis and objectives for the deployment, along with any pertinent evidence.
A description of how the deployment affects the situation that prompted it, including details of interactions between military members and civilians if violence or threats of violence occurred.
Input from local and state law enforcement agencies on these interactions, including assessments of any violence or the appropriateness of the military's involvement.
An evaluation of the total costs incurred by the federal government for the deployment, covering both direct and indirect costs.
A certification that the deployment will not compromise the Armed Forces’ ability to respond to disasters under the Stafford Act.

Briefing Requirement: Additionally, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau must provide Congress with a briefing on whether the deployment helped reduce violence and if it met the President's stated objectives.
Exception for Disaster Response: The reporting requirement does not apply when members of the Armed Forces are deployed under a presidential declaration in response to natural disasters or weather-related emergency situations.

Purpose

The purpose of this legislation is to increase accountability and transparency regarding the use of military resources in domestic situations, ensuring that Congress is informed about the deployment of reserve components and the associated impacts. The oversight is intended to enable better assessments of the effectiveness of such deployments and their cost implications while safeguarding the military's readiness for emergencies.