US Federal House Bill HB2200

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/18/25
• Refer: 3/18/25

Caption

To amend title 14, United States Code, to require the retention of certain enlisted members of the Coast Guard who have completed 18 or more, but less than 20, years of service, and for other purposes.

Summary

HB2200 would amend title 14 of the U.S. Code to protect certain enlisted Coast Guard members who are close to retirement from involuntary separation. For Regular Coast Guard members, if an enlisted member is selected for involuntary separation or denied reenlistment and is within two years of qualifying for retirement, the bill requires the member to be retained on active duty until retirement eligibility is reached, unless another law requires earlier retirement or discharge. For enlisted Coast Guard Reserve members in an active status, the bill creates a similar protection for those with at least 18 but less than 20 years of service. Such members could not be discharged, denied reenlistment, or transferred out of active status without their consent before they reach 20 years of service, subject to specified time limits tied to whether they had 18–19 years or 19–20 years of service at the time of separation. The bill also makes a clerical amendment to the chapter analysis for title 14 to add the new section.

Impact

The bill would add a new retention requirement in Coast Guard personnel law, limiting the ability of the service to involuntarily separate certain enlisted members nearing retirement eligibility. It would affect both Regular Coast Guard enlisted personnel and certain Reserve enlisted members in active status, and would create a statutory right to remain on duty long enough to qualify for retirement benefits in defined circumstances. The measure would amend chapter 25 of title 14, United States Code, and would likely affect Coast Guard personnel management, separation decisions, reenlistment practices, and retirement timing for eligible members.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee debate, votes, or recorded opposition, so there is no documented partisan or procedural sentiment beyond the bill’s introduction and referral. The bill’s purpose suggests a generally supportive posture toward protecting long-serving Coast Guard members from losing retirement eligibility due to involuntary separation. Because it was referred to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation and no further action is shown, the public record here does not indicate whether the proposal was controversial or broadly supported.

Contention

The main policy issue is whether the Coast Guard should be required to keep certain enlisted members on duty until they reach retirement eligibility, even when the service would otherwise separate them or decline reenlistment. Potential points of contention include the effect on personnel flexibility, force management, and readiness versus the fairness of preventing members from losing retirement benefits after nearly completing a career. The bill also distinguishes between Regular and Reserve members and sets different retention endpoints based on whether the member has 18–19 years or 19–20 years of service, which could raise implementation questions.