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Introduced December 11, 2025 by Gary C. Peters · Last progress December 11, 2025
The bill speeds and clarifies short-term state use of AGR National Guard personnel for disasters and protects the federal budget, but shifts costs, liability, and limits on duration to States and individuals, risking gaps in longer or fiscally strained responses.
State and local communities: Governors can order Active Guard Reserve (AGR) National Guard personnel for up to 14 days for disaster response, enabling faster, locally familiar response capacity during short, acute incidents.
State governments and taxpayers: The law allows States to pay for AGR Guard response from state or other non‑Federal funds and requires reimbursing the military department for fully burdened manpower costs, protecting the federal defense budget and clarifying who bears the expense.
State governments and military administrators: The bill requires DoD to issue implementing regulations within 180 days, speeding operationalization of the authority and improving fiscal transparency (e.g., ability to credit receipts and clear reimbursement rules).
State governments and taxpayers: States must pay the full, fully burdened manpower costs for AGR use, increasing state fiscal burdens that could divert funds from other services or lead to higher state taxes.
State and local governments and communities facing prolonged incidents: Limiting AGR duty to 14 days (with only narrow extensions) could constrain sustained disaster support, forcing states to secure costly alternatives for longer or more complex incidents.
State and local governments and affected populations: If a State is more than 90 days delinquent on reimbursements, Guard support is barred until arrears are covered, which could delay response for fiscally strained states during emergencies.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Gives governors, with Defense Secretary consent, authority to order AGR National Guard members for reimbursable state disaster response duty limited to 14 days/year with Secretary-authorized extensions.
Authorizes a State chief executive, with the Secretary of Defense’s consent, to order National Guard members on Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) duty to perform reimbursable state disaster response duty. Duty is capped at 14 days per member per calendar year with Secretary-approved extensions, costs are charged to the State at the fully burdened manpower rate, members remain under state control for liability purposes, and the Secretary of Defense must issue implementing regulations within 180 days.