```

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2045 Referred in House (RFH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2045

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 17, 2012

             Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require judges of the United 
  States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims to reside within fifty 
       miles of the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. REQUIREMENT THAT JUDGES ON UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS 
              FOR VETERANS CLAIMS RESIDE WITHIN FIFTY MILES OF DISTRICT 
              OF COLUMBIA.

    (a) Residency Requirement.--
            (1) In general.--Section 7255 of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 7255. Offices, duty stations, and residences
    ``(a) Principal Office.--The principal office of the Court of 
Appeals for Veterans Claims shall be in the Washington, D.C., 
metropolitan area, but the Court may sit at any place within the United 
States.
    ``(b) Official Duty Stations.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph 
(2), the official duty station of each judge while in active service 
shall be the principal office of the Court of Appeals for Veterans 
Claims.
    ``(2) The place where a recall-eligible retired judge maintains the 
actual abode in which such judge customarily lives shall be considered 
the recall-eligible retired judge's official duty station.
    ``(c) Residences.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), after 
appointment and while in active service, each judge of the Court of 
Appeals for Veterans Claims shall reside within 50 miles of the 
Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
    ``(2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to recall-eligible retired 
judges of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 72 of such title is amended by striking 
        the item relating to section 7255 and inserting the following 
        new item:

``7255. Offices, duty stations, and residences.''.
    (b) Removal.--Section 7253(f)(1) of such title is amended by 
striking ``or engaging in the practice of law'' and inserting 
``engaging in the practice of law, or violating section 7255(c) of this 
title''.
    (c) Effective Date.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (c) of section 7255 of such 
        title, as added by subsection (a), and the amendment made by 
        subsection (b) shall take effect on the date that is 180 days 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Applicability.--The amendment made by subsection (b) 
        shall apply with respect to judges confirmed on or after 
        January 1, 2012.

            Passed the Senate December 13, 2012.

            Attest:

                                                NANCY ERICKSON,

                                                             Secretary.
```