[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 44 Introduced in House (IH)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 44
To provide that certain service of members of the United States
merchant marine during World War II constituted active military service
for purposes of any law administered by the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 5, 1993
Mr. Fields of Texas (for himself, Mr. Evans, Mr. Studds, Ms. Kaptur,
Mr. Porter, Mr. Smith of Oregon, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Andrews of New
Jersey, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Barton of Texas, Mr. Bateman, Mr. Boehlert,
Mr. Bonior, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Browder, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Callahan, Mr.
Clement, Mr. Coleman, Mr. Cox, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Dellums, Mr. de
Lugo, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Espy, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Fawell,
Mr. Fazio, Mr. Fish, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Frost, Mr.
Gallegly, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Gillmor, Mr. Goss, Mr. Herger,
Mr. Hochbrueckner, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Hutto, Mr. Hyde, Mr.
Inhofe, Mr. Jefferson, Mrs. Johnson of Connecticut, Mr. Kolbe, Mr.
Kopetski, Mr. LaFalce, Mr. Lancaster, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Livingston,
Mrs. Lowey of New York, Mr. Machtley, Mr. Manton, Mrs. Meyers of
Kansas, Mrs. Mink, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Neal of Massachusetts,
Ms. Norton, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Owens, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Payne
of New Jersey, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Price of North Carolina,
Mr. Quillen, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Ravenel, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Saxton, Mr.
Schiff, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Shays, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr.
Spence, Mr. Stark, Mr. Stearns, Mr. Swift, Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Taylor of
Mississippi, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Towns, Mr. Traficant, Mrs. Unsoeld,
Mr. Vento, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Young of Alaska, and Mr. Zeliff)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs
June 2, 1993
Additional sponsors: Mr. Andrews of Texas, Mr. Bacchus of Florida, Mrs.
Bentley, Mr. Borski, Mr. Buyer, Mr. DeFazio, Mr. Dixon, Mr. Emerson,
Mr. Gejdenson, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Hall of
Texas, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. King, Mr. Laughlin,
Mr. McHugh, Mr. Matsui, Mrs. Meek, Mr. Moorhead, Mrs. Morella, Mr.
Peterson of Florida, Mr. Pickett, Mr. Reed, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Scott,
Mr. Skaggs, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Taylor of North Carolina, Mr. Torres, Mrs.
Vucanovich, Mr. Wise, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Young of Florida, Mr. Baker of
Louisiana, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Bryant, Mr. Cramer, Ms. Dunn,
Mr. Filner, Ms. Furse, Mr. Gephardt, Mr. Pete Geren of Texas, Mr.
Gingrich, Mr. Kildee, Mr. Kreidler, Mr. Lewis of Florida, Mrs. Maloney,
Mr. McDade, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Neal of North Carolina, Mr. Olver, Mr.
Pastor, Mr. Weldon, Mr. Williams, Mr. Wolf, Mr. Barrett of Nebraska,
Mr. Chapman, Mr. Coppersmith, Ms. Danner, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr.
Fingerhut, Mr. Gallo, Mr. Glickman, Mr. Holden, Mr. Johnston of
Florida, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Lazio, Mr. Levin, Mr. McCloskey, Mr. McCrery,
Mr. McDermott, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Molinari, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Ramstad, Mr.
Stupak, Mr. Volkmer, and Mr. Zimmer
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide that certain service of members of the United States
merchant marine during World War II constituted active military service
for purposes of any law administered by the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of
1993''.
SEC. 2. SERVICE DEEMED TO BE ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICE.
(a) In General.--For purposes of section 401(a)(1)(A) of the GI
Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (38 U.S.C. 106 note), the Secretary of
Defense is deemed to have determined that qualified service of a person
constituted active military service.
(b) Determination of Discharge Status.--
(1) The Secretary of Defense shall issue an honorable
discharge under section 401(a)(1)(B) of the GI Bill Improvement
Act of 1977 to each person whose qualified service warrants an
honorable discharge.
(2) Such discharge shall be issued before the end of the
one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this
Act.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF RETROACTIVE BENEFITS.
Benefits shall not be paid to any person as a result of the
enactment of this Act for any period before the date of the enactment
of this Act.
SEC. 4. PROCESSING FEES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Department in which the Coast
Guard is operating shall establish, assess, and collect a fee for
processing applications for benefits based on qualified service.
(b) Application.--A fee established under this section shall apply
to any application that is received after the date of the enactment of
this Act by the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is
operating, for a benefit (including for an increase in a benefit) based
on qualified service.
(c) Amount.--The amount of a fee established under this section
shall be $30.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act--
(1) the term ``qualified service'' means service of a
person as a member of the United States merchant marine during
the period beginning December 7, 1941, and ending December 31,
1946, while such person was--
(i) licensed or otherwise documented by an officer
or employee of the United States authorized by law to
do so; and
(ii) a crewmember of any vessel which at the time
of such service was--
(I) documented in the United States,
(II) operated under the flag of the United
States in waters other than inland waters of
the United States,
(III) under contract or charter to, or
property of, the Government of the United
States, and
(IV) serving the Armed Forces;
(2) the term ``United States merchant marine'' includes the
United States Army Transport Service.
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