Rubio and Buchanan's Rachael Booth Act Signed into Law

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representative Vern Buchanan’s (R-FL) Rachael Booth Act has officially been signed into law by President Joe Biden (D). The law aims to “fix a gap in current law that prevents some individuals who suffer domestic abuse at the hands of a service member from receiving much-needed financial assistance.”

The bill was a part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2024 fiscal year (FY24).

Upon the news of its passing, Sen. Rubio thanked Rep. Buchanan for his efforts on the legislation.

“The Rachael Booth Act is now law! First introduced in 2021, this law will fix a gap in current law to help individuals who were domestically abused by service members. Thank you Rep. Vern Buchanan for working with me on this,” said Sen. Rubio.

When the NDAA initially made its way through both chambers of Congress, Rubio stated that the bill was a “common sense solution” to a problem enabled by a loophole.

“The Rachael Booth Act is a bipartisan, common sense solution to an urgent problem. This law will fix the error that prevented victims whose cases are handled by civilian courts from being eligible for transitional compensation. I am proud to have named this law after a courageous Floridian who shed light on the current system,” said the Florida senator.

Upon the bill’s introduction in July, Rep. Buchanan mentioned that he was pleased to see the Rachael Booth Act included in the FY24 NDAA.

“Just as our men and women in the Armed Forces sacrifice for their country, so too do military spouses. In times of crisis, it’s critical that they are able to access these benefits in a timely and efficient manner,” Buchanan said. “I’m pleased to see our legislation included in this year’s NDAA to help domestic abuse victims like Rachael get back on their feet as soon as possible.”

Rachael Booth is a constituent of Rep. Buchanan in Lithia, Florida, according to Rep. Buchanan’s press release. After her abusive husband was found guilty of domestic abuse in a civilian court but then was discharged from the Armed Forces on an unrelated offense, Booth was unable to receive the financial assistance – Transitional Compensation (CP) – she should’ve been eligible for.

Buchanan and Rubio’s legislation would allow military dependents who have suffered domestic abuse to receive TC regardless of the reasoning for the service member’s discharge.

Both the House and Senate versions of the bill had bipartisan support.