The superintendent is authorized and empowered to prescribe policies providing for increases in the salaries of members of the highway patrol. Each year, prior to January first, the superintendent shall submit a salary schedule report to the governor, speaker of the house of representatives, and the president pro tem of the senate. The salary schedule report prepared by the superintendent shall include, in addition to other matters deemed pertinent to the superintendent, a comparison of the salaries of police officers of the three largest police departments in the state. The governor may make additional recommendations to the report and forward them to the speaker of the house of representatives and the president pro tem of the senate. The speaker of the house of representatives and the president pro tem of the senate may assign the salary schedule report to the appropriate standing committees to review the salary comparisons to ensure that parity in the salary of members of the highway patrol and officers of the three largest police departments is maintained. The superintendent of the highway patrol shall testify before the appropriate committee on the salary schedule report if called upon by such committee. The “service” of a member of the patrol, who has served in the Armed Forces of the United States and who has subsequently been reinstated as a member of the patrol within ninety days after receiving a discharge other than dishonorable from the Armed Forces of the United States, shall be considered service with the patrol as a member of the patrol rendered since last becoming a member prior to entrance into the Armed Forces of the United States; except that no member shall be entitled to any credit, privilege or benefit provided by this chapter if such member voluntarily extends or participates in an extension of the period of service, whether by reenlistment, waiver of discharge, acceptance of commission or any other action, with the Armed Forces beyond the period of service for which such member was originally commissioned, enlisted, inducted or called.