SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENACT THE MAJOR RICHARD STAR ACT

S2754

2026 -- S 2754
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N
URGING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENACT THE MAJOR RICHARD
STAR ACT

Introduced By:
Senators Ciccone, Felag, Tikoian, and Gallo

Date Introduced:
February 27, 2026

Referred To:
Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs
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WHEREAS, Major Richard Star was an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who, after
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exposure to burn pits during his service, received a diagnosis of lung cancer; and
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WHEREAS, Due to his diagnosis, Major Richard Star was forced to retire before
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completing twenty (20) years of service and was therefore unable to collect his retirement and
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disability benefits; and
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WHEREAS, For every dollar of disability pay they receive, veterans with less than
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twenty (20) years of service and a disability rating of less than fifty percent (50%) will have their
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retirement pay reduced by a "dollar for dollar" offset; and
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WHEREAS, An estimated fifty thousand (50,000) retired service members are ineligible
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for concurrent benefits under the current rules; and
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WHEREAS, According to the Congressional Budget Office, in 2022, the average offset
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was approximately one thousand, nine hundred dollars ($1,900) a month; and
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WHEREAS, The Major Richard Star Act would remove these restrictions and ensure that
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all service members who have medically retired can receive full access to retirement pay and
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Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits; and
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WHEREAS, After dying from his battle with lung cancer in 2021, Major Richard Star's
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widow claimed that his greatest goal was to get legislation passed providing for the removal of
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these restrictions; and
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WHEREAS, The United States owes these benefits to its veterans regardless of the cost

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associated with their allocation; now, therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island urges the Congress of the
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United States to enact the Major Richard Star Act, (H.R. 2102 and S. 1032), to allow all
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medically retired service members to receive full access to their much-deserved retirement pay
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and benefits; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is directed to transmit duly
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certified copies of this resolution to the members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation.
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