Us Congress 2023-2024 Regular Session

Us Congress House Bill HB39 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	I
2	2	118THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION H. R. 39
5	5	To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans
6	6	Affairs to establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund
7	7	to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States
8	8	merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval
9	9	Transport Service) during World War II.
10	10	IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
11	11	JANUARY9, 2023
12	12	Mr. G
13	13	REENof Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
14	14	Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
15	15	A BILL
16	16	To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
17	17	retary of Veterans Affairs to establish the Merchant
18	18	Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits
19	19	to certain individuals who served in the United States
20	20	merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service
21	21	and the Naval Transport Service) during World War
22	22	II.
23	23	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
24	24	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
25	25	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
26	26	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Honoring Our WWII 4
27	27	Merchant Mariners Act of 2023’’. 5
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30	30	•HR 39 IH
31	31	SEC. 2. PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED DURING 1
32	32	WORLD WAR II IN THE UNITED STATES MER-2
33	33	CHANT MARINE. 3
34	34	(a) E
35	35	STABLISHMENT OF COMPENSATION FUND.— 4
36	36	Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, 5
37	37	is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 6
38	38	‘‘§ 533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund 7
39	39	‘‘(a) C
40	40	OMPENSATIONFUND.—(1) There is in the gen-8
41	41	eral fund of the Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Mer-9
42	42	chant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund’ (in this sec-10
43	43	tion referred to as the ‘compensation fund’). 11
44	44	‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for 12
45	45	such purpose, amounts in the compensation fund shall be 13
46	46	available to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to 14
47	47	make payments to eligible individuals in accordance with 15
48	48	this section. 16
49	49	‘‘(b) E
50	50	LIGIBLEINDIVIDUALS.—(1) An eligible indi-17
51	51	vidual is an individual who— 18
52	52	‘‘(A) during the one-year period beginning on 19
53	53	the date of the enactment of this section, submits to 20
54	54	the Secretary an application containing such infor-21
55	55	mation and assurances as the Secretary may require; 22
56	56	‘‘(B) has not received benefits under the Serv-23
57	57	icemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 24
58	58	78–346); and 25
59	59	‘‘(C) has engaged in qualified service. 26
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62	62	•HR 39 IH
63	63	‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a person has en-1
64	64	gaged in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, 2
65	65	and December 31, 1946, the person— 3
66	66	‘‘(A) was a member of the United States mer-4
67	67	chant marine (including the Army Transport Service 5
68	68	and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crew-6
69	69	member of a vessel that was— 7
70	70	‘‘(i) operated by the War Shipping Admin-8
71	71	istration or the Office of Defense Transpor-9
72	72	tation (or an agent of the Administration or Of-10
73	73	fice); 11
74	74	‘‘(ii) operated in waters other than inland 12
75	75	waters, the Great Lakes, and other lakes, bays, 13
76	76	and harbors of the United States; 14
77	77	‘‘(iii) under contract or charter to, or prop-15
78	78	erty of, the Government of the United States; 16
79	79	and 17
80	80	‘‘(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and 18
81	81	‘‘(B) while so serving, was licensed or otherwise 19
82	82	documented for service as a crewmember of such a 20
83	83	vessel by an officer or employee of the United States 21
84	84	authorized to license or document the person for 22
85	85	such service. 23
86	86	‘‘(3) In determining the information and assurances 24
87	87	required in the application pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), 25
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90	90	•HR 39 IH
91	91	the Secretary shall accept a DD–214 form as proof of 1
92	92	qualified service. 2
93	93	‘‘(c) A
94	94	MOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The Secretary shall 3
95	95	make one payment out of the compensation fund in the 4
96	96	amount of $25,000 to an eligible individual. The Secretary 5
97	97	shall make such a payment to eligible individuals in the 6
98	98	order in which the Secretary receives the applications of 7
99	99	the eligible individuals. 8
100	100	‘‘(d) A
101	101	UTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 9
102	102	is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2024 10
103	103	$125,000,000 for the compensation fund. Such amount 11
104	104	shall remain available until expended. 12
105	105	‘‘(e) R
106	106	EPORTS.—The Secretary shall include, in docu-13
107	107	ments submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support 14
108	108	of the President’s budget for each fiscal year, detailed in-15
109	109	formation on the operation of the compensation fund, in-16
110	110	cluding the number of applicants, the number of eligible 17
111	111	individuals receiving benefits, the amounts paid out of the 18
112	112	compensation fund, the administration of the compensa-19
113	113	tion fund, and an estimate of the amounts necessary to 20
114	114	fully fund the compensation fund for that fiscal year and 21
115	115	each of the three subsequent fiscal years. 22
116	116	‘‘(f) R
117	117	EGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 23
118	118	regulations to carry out this section.’’. 24
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121	121	•HR 39 IH
122	122	(b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 1
123	123	the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 2
124	124	prescribe the regulations required under section 532(f) of 3
125	125	title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 4
126	126	(c) C
127	127	LERICALAMENDMENT.—The table of sections 5
128	128	at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 6
129	129	after the item related to section 532 the following new 7
130	130	item: 8
131	131	‘‘533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund.’’.
132	132	Æ
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