Sometimes a conversation at church can spark an idea for a law.  That happened in early May, when my longtime friend Leland Speed told me about the success of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, commonly known as JROTC, in the Jackson Public School system. 

As Leland explained, more than 90 percent of this year’s graduating seniors who participated in a JROTC program within the Jackson Public School system have been accepted into an institution of higher learning.  More than $7.5 million in scholarships have been awarded to these JROTC graduates.

JROTC’s Record of Positive Outcomes

I would come to find out that the success of the seven Jackson Public Schools with JROTC units is not an outlier.  According to a RAND Corporation study, participating in JROTC is likely to improve a student’s grade point average and test scores.  Cadets are more likely not to drop out of school but to graduate and go to college.  In the process, JROTC instills valuable leadership skills and community service, teaching high school students about personal responsibility and civic engagement. 

These findings match my own experience as an ROTC Cadet in college, and the record of success of many JROTC graduates.  In fact, two current members of the President’s cabinet, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, both participated in JROTC. 

But too often these programs are out of reach where they are most needed.  Hundreds of high schools across the country are on a waitlist to host a JROTC unit.

Beginning of ‘JROTC Act’

The more I learned about the success of JROTC programs, I better understood that more students would benefit from these programs in their schools.  Earlier this year, I introduced the “JROTC Opportunities for Transformational Change Act,” or “JROTC Act,” in the U.S. Senate.  The bill set out to authorize funding for 100 additional JROTC units and to make reforms that would help schools in rural and underserved areas participate. 

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I also offered my “JROTC Act” as an amendment to the annual defense authorization bill.  It was adopted into the full bill by the committee and soon passed by the entire Senate.  Last month, the “JROTC Act” was included in the defense bill’s final conference report passed by both the House and the Senate.  President Trump signed the bill into law this week. 

Senate Committee Grants Additional Funding

Every year, there are two pieces to the puzzle when it comes to defense spending.  An annual defense authorization bill approves funding levels for our military, and then the defense appropriations bill actually puts the money toward the priorities that the authorization bill has identified. 

I am pleased to report that the defense funding bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee supports my “JROTC Act” by increasing our investment in JROTC.  This bill should come to the Senate floor for a vote soon. 

Our state can support more JROTC units, and I hope this legislation enables that for the communities in Mississippi that could benefit the most from these programs.  Not every bill idea emerges from a conversation at church, but the “JROTC Act” is an encouraging example of how policy solutions can be driven by local success stories.