The American Logistics Association (ALA) represents over 400 of America’s leading manufacturers, over 100 brokers and distributors and more than 1,600 individual members, who are actively engaged in providing goods and services to the military resale and MWR activities. More importantly, ALA is an advocate for an enhanced Quality of Life for our nation’s military service members and their families. ALA’s activities in Washington impact reservists and guardsmen.

Decisions made on Capitol Hill directly affect you and your family when mobilization occurs and when you are in the States.

One important concern to reservists, according to patron surveys, is commissary shopping. This privilege is ranked as the number one non-pay compensation benefit. Studies indicate that a family of four can save approximately $2,400 per year by shopping at the commissary.

Mobilized reservists do not usually have the same earning power as they enjoy as civilians. Military families utilize every opportunity to save money and make ends meet. The commissary benefit helps meet that criteria as well as provide a sense of military community for authorized patrons.

A few weeks ago, the U. S. House of Representatives passed their version of the FY 04 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill introduced by the House (H.R. 1588) contains several key provisions that will protect and strengthen the benefits provided by commissaries, exchanges and MWR activities to service members and their families. Expanded shopping privileges for reservists and guardsmen are one of the key provisions in the bill.

This fall your U. S. senators and representatives will decide if unlimited commissary shopping privileges will be extended to the Reserves and National Guard. Also, other key measures that will have the greatest impact on our nation’s military are included in the House bill. Considering the sacrifice reservists and their families make upon mobilization, approval of unlimited shopping benefits and other important provisions seems like a “no brainer.” However, that’s not the case.

At this time, the U. S. Senate version (S. 1050) of the FY 04 Authorization Act does not contain the same provisions passed by the U. S. House of Representatives. Since the House and Senate must concur on the language in the legislation, the bill will go to a conference committee for final resolution. Unless you speak out very soon in favor of the U. S. House of Representative’s version of this legislation, it is likely that the Senate and House will fail to agree on the language, and the opportunity to strengthen the benefits provided to our nation’s Armed Forces, their families and retired personnel will be lost.

ALA is actively calling on Members of Congress to urge support of expanded shopping privileges for the Reserves and National Guard. We reinforce the point that the commissary delivers significant value to the military community that far exceeds the cost to operate the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA). Congress has provided funding for military commissaries at a level of approximately one billion dollars for each of the past five years. In return, DeCA has delivered savings to military patrons of more than two billion dollars per year. For every dollar of appropriation granted by Congress, the military patron receives two dollars in value.

Establishing a personal relationship with your senator is the most effective way that you can increase your influence over the policy and legislative decisions that affect you and your family. Write or e-mail senators from your state and request their support for the Commissary and Exchange language and other key provisions in H.R. 1588.