H.R. 9465: Combat Pay Protection Act (119th Congress) Bill Summary

This bill would change how certain extra pay programs for service members are updated.

What it would do

It would require the Department of Defense to raise certain special and incentive pay amounts for members of the Armed Forces on a regular schedule. The bill covers things like:

special pay,
incentive pay,
bonuses paid under military pay law, and
one allowance under section 427 of title 37.

The first increase would happen on January 1 of the first year after the bill becomes law. After that, the amounts would be increased every January 1.

How the increases would be calculated

For each covered pay type, the Secretary of Defense would have to raise the amount by whichever is larger:

the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U), or
the increase in basic military pay.

In simple terms, the bill ties these extra pay amounts to inflation or to military basic pay growth, whichever is higher.

Effect on current limits

The bill says these increases would apply even if another law sets a maximum amount for a particular special or incentive pay. That means the normal caps in other statutes would not block the required upward adjustment.

One-time publication requirement

By December 31 of the year the bill is enacted, the Department of Defense would have to publish a table in the Federal Register listing:

each covered pay type,
the date of the last increase,
the amount of the one-time increase, and
the new total amount after that increase.

Reserve component clarification

The bill would also make a wording change to clarify the authority for special and incentive pay for members of reserve components. It updates the language in section 357 of title 37 so the law refers more broadly to “bonus, incentive, or special pay” instead of just “special or incentive pay,” and removes some extra wording tied to how that authority is applied.

Practical effect

Overall, the bill would likely increase compensation for some service members who receive special pay, incentive pay, or related allowances, and would make those amounts automatically keep pace with inflation or military pay increases over time.