MOSCOW. Sept 18 (Interfax-AVN) - The defence committee of the State Duma lower house of parliament upheld on Tuesday the government's package of bills intended for improving the social status of servicemen, retired servicemen and their family members.
Deputy chairman of the committee Vladimir Volkov told Interfax-Military News Agency that the government proposed amendments to several legislative acts related to the federal law "Concerning the Status of Servicemen".
An amendment to the law "Concerning Basics of State Service in the Russian Federation" says that the term of professional military service is included in the person's track record, and one day of military service equals one day of state service. The same is true for active-duty servicemen, but one day of their service equals two days of state service.
An amendment to the law "Concerning Education" says that Russian citizens with secondary military or higher military professional education, who were in professional military service and retired due top old age or reduction after at least 15 years of service have the right to get a second higher education free of charge. At present it can only be done for money.
An amendment to the law "Concerning State Pensions in the Russian Federation" says that spouses of citizens in professional military service are subject to a different system of track record calculation. All the period of their living together before 1992 is included in the track record no matter where the military unit was stationed. As to the period after 1992 the rule is valid only for the units where the soldier's spouse had no place to work and was officially considered jobless.