A bill funding the Coast Guard and much of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became law April 30, ending the longest partial shutdown in U.S. government history and providing some financial certainty for Coast Guard members and their families until the close of the fiscal year.

While these members were paid throughout the 76-day funding lapse, they often entered pay periods not knowing whether their next check would be issued. The service’s top officer told CBS News just before the funding deal that existing funds would not cover May 15 checks. Other military members and families faced similar questions last year in the early days of the full federal shutdown.

While MOAA and other advocacy groups have made clear the preferred solution to these fiscal-cliff crises is a timely budget, history suggests otherwise: We’re approaching the 30-year anniversary of the FY 1997 budget … the last one Congress passed on time.

That’s why MOAA supports the Shutdown Fairness Act, making it a key part of our spring advocacy campaign. The bill would ensure all servicemembers continue to receive timely pay throughout a lapse in federal funding.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Protect Servicemember Pay]

Why It Matters

Those in uniform aren’t furloughed when the money dries up – they continue to report to work, and while they would receive back pay for any missed checks, their bills don’t stop just because all or part of the government shuts down. Financial challenges mount and may be made worse by shutdown-related service actions, such as PCS reimbursement delays or last-minute scheduling changes.

At minimum, these financial burdens distract currently serving members from their mission. But the long-term repercussions go far beyond a few paychecks – those in uniform who face regular pay uncertainty may be less likely to remain in service or to recommend the all-volunteer force to others.

Even with guaranteed pay, those in uniform will continue to face hardships connected to funding lapses. The DHS shutdown offered plenty of examples: Coast Guard members dealt with power and water outages, both at duty stations and in some housing facilities.

A Better Bill

MOAA urges lawmakers to add the NOAA Commissioned Corps as a protected group in the Shutdown Fairness Act – these servicemembers have flown into hurricanes and performed other vital missions during past funding lapses without knowing whether they’d receive their next paycheck on time. NOAA Corps retirees also face uncertainty during shutdowns, as their retirement pay does not come from the Military Retirement Fund and is thus not protected from a funding lapse.

MOAA also looks forward to working with lawmakers to protect U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps members and retirees under these circumstances. Retirees face the same concern as NOAA officer retirees, while those in uniform are paid by the department controlling their billet, meaning a partial funding lapse could delay some checks but not others.

Ask your legislators to move this bipartisan bill forward – not in a few months, when the threat of another shutdown looms large and compresses the legislative calendar, but TODAY, when we can show servicemembers and their families that their sacrifices should stand above budget brinkmanship.