Basnight, Hackney salute Guard

House Speaker Joe Hackney and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight highlighted their support Tuesday for a program that strengthens the relationship between National Guard members and their employers.

The two legislative leaders signed a resolution applauding the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Program, which helps smooth the friction with employers created when their employees are deployed. The two leaders have firsthand experience, since two House members and a member of the legislature's fiscal staff are all reservists.

Karlynn O'Shaughnessy serves as an analyst in the fiscal research division, and she is a brigadier general in the Army Reserves. Rep. Grier Martin, a Raleigh Democrat, is a major in the Army reserves, and Rep. Ric Killian, a Charlotte Republican, is a lieutenant colonel. All three attended Tuesday's event.