United States HR 4536: Fit for Duty Act

Bill Text

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119TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 4536
To recognize and reward exceptional physical fitness among members of
the Armed Forces serving on active duty and to promote physical readi-
ness and overall health in the Armed Forces.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 17, 2025
Mr. TIMMONS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned
A BILL
To recognize and reward exceptional physical fitness among
members of the Armed Forces serving on active duty
and to promote physical readiness and overall health
in the Armed Forces.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fit for Duty Act’’. 4
SEC. 2. MILITARY FITNESS BONUS PAY. 5
(a) FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.— 6
(1) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 7
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(A) Physical fitness is a critical component 1
of military readiness, ensuring that members of 2
the Armed Forces can meet the physical de-3
mands of their duties in both training and com-4
bat environments. 5
(B) According to the Department of De-6
fense, musculoskeletal injuries related to poor 7
physical fitness are among the leading causes of 8
non-deployability and medical discharge in the 9
Armed Forces, costing the military billions in 10
healthcare expenses annually. 11
(C) A 2022 Department of Defense report 12
found that approximately 77 percent of young 13
Americans are ineligible for military service, 14
with obesity being one of the primary disquali-15
fying factors. 16
(D) Data from the Army Public Health 17
Center indicates that excess body fat and poor 18
cardiovascular fitness are linked to lower per-19
formance in physically demanding tasks, in-20
creased risk of injury, and higher attrition rates 21
in basic training and beyond. 22
(E) According to the Centers for Disease 23
Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obe-24
sity among active-duty members of the Armed 25
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Forces increased from 10.4 percent in 2012 to 1
17.4 percent in 2022, negatively affecting over-2
all force readiness and deployability. 3
(F) The United States Armed Forces lose 4
an estimated $1,500,000,000 annually due to 5
obesity-related health issues, including lost 6
workdays, medical costs, and early separations 7
from service. 8
(G) The implementation of incentive-based 9
fitness programs have been shown to enhance 10
motivation and readiness and reduce long-term 11
healthcare expenditures within military popu-12
lations. 13
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 14
Congress that fostering a culture of physical excel-15
lence among members of the Armed Forces 16
strengthens individual and unit readiness and rein-17
forces the ability of the United States to project 18
power and defend freedom across the globe as the 19
premier military force in the world. 20
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF BONUS.—Subchapter II of 21
chapter 5 of title 37, United States Code, is amended by 22
adding at the end the following new section: 23
‘‘§ 358. Military fitness bonus pay 24
‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY OF BONUS.— 25
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary concerned 1
shall pay a fitness bonus to each member of the 2
Armed Forces who— 3
‘‘(A) is entitled to basic pay under section 4
204 of this title; and 5
‘‘(B) achieves a score of 90 percent or 6
higher on a physical fitness test, as determined 7
by the Secretary concerned. 8
‘‘(2) RECURRING AVAILABILITY.—A bonus 9
under this section shall be available for each physical 10
fitness test the Secretary concerned requires a mem-11
ber of the Armed Forces to complete. 12
‘‘(b) AMOUNT OF BONUS.—The amount of a bonus 13
paid under this section shall be— 14
‘‘(1) $1,000 with respect to a member of the 15
Armed Forces who achieves a perfect score on a 16
physical fitness test; and 17
‘‘(2) $500 with respect to a member of the 18
Armed Forces who— 19
‘‘(A) does not achieve a perfect score on a 20
physical fitness test; and 21
‘‘(B) achieves a score of 90 percent or 22
higher on such physical fitness test. 23
‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than December 31 24
of each year, each Secretary concerned shall submit to the 25
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