Members of the National Guard and Reserves could soon be eligible for preferential hiring credits for federal civilian jobs, a status that up to now has mostly been enjoyed only by active duty personnel.
A bipartisan trio of Senators introduced the Military Reserve Jobs Act earlier this month. The bill is designed to give qualified reserve component members preference in hiring for civil servant jobs, even if they've never been deployed.
"Members of our Reserve Components serve honorably, whether or not they are called for deployment," Sen. Joe Donnelly said. "Yet currently, some members of the Reserve Components cannot qualify to access preference points when applying for federal employment."
Currently, Guard and Reserve members do not qualify for veterans preference for civil service jobs if they have only served in a training capacity and have not been deployed. According to the National Guard Bureau, about 44 percent of the Army National Guard and 70 percent of the Air National Guard do not qualify for veterans' preference.