I 

119TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 39 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund 

to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States 

merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval 

Transport Service) during World War II. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2025 

Mr. GREEN of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish the Merchant 

Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits 

to certain individuals who served in the United States 

merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service 

and the Naval Transport Service) during World War 

II. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Original Honoring Our 

5 WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2025’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED DURING 

2 WORLD WAR II IN THE UNITED STATES MER3 CHANT MARINE. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPENSATION FUND.— 

5 Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, 

6 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

7 ‘‘§ 533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund 

8 ‘‘(a) COMPENSATION FUND.—(1) There is in the gen9 eral fund of the Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Mer10 chant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund’ (in this sec11 tion referred to as the ‘compensation fund’). 

12 ‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for 

13 such purpose, amounts in the compensation fund shall be 

14 available to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to 

15 make payments to eligible individuals in accordance with 

16 this section. 

17 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—(1) An eligible indi18 vidual is an individual who— 

19 ‘‘(A) during the one-year period beginning on 

20 the date of the enactment of this section, submits to 

21 the Secretary an application containing such infor22 mation and assurances as the Secretary may require; 

23 ‘‘(B) has not received benefits under the Serv24 icemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 

25 78–346); and 

26 ‘‘(C) has engaged in qualified service. 


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1 ‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a person has en2 gaged in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, 

3 and December 31, 1946, the person— 

4 ‘‘(A) was a member of the United States mer5 chant marine (including the Army Transport Service 

6 and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crew7 member of a vessel that was— 

8 ‘‘(i) operated by the War Shipping Admin9 istration or the Office of Defense Transpor10 tation (or an agent of the Administration or Of11 fice); 

12 ‘‘(ii) operated in waters other than inland 

13 waters, the Great Lakes, and other lakes, bays, 

14 and harbors of the United States; 

15 ‘‘(iii) under contract or charter to, or prop16 erty of, the Government of the United States; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and 

19 ‘‘(B) while so serving, was licensed or otherwise 

20 documented for service as a crewmember of such a 

21 vessel by an officer or employee of the United States 

22 authorized to license or document the person for 

23 such service. 

24 ‘‘(3) In determining the information and assurances 

25 required in the application pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), 


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1 the Secretary shall accept a DD–214 form as proof of 

2 qualified service. 

3 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The Secretary shall 

4 make one payment out of the compensation fund in the 

5 amount of $25,000 to an eligible individual. The Secretary 

6 shall make such a payment to eligible individuals in the 

7 order in which the Secretary receives the applications of 

8 the eligible individuals. 

9 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2026 

11 $125,000,000 for the compensation fund. Such amount 

12 shall remain available until expended. 

13 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall include, in docu14 ments submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support 

15 of the President’s budget for each fiscal year, detailed in16 formation on the operation of the compensation fund, in17 cluding the number of applicants, the number of eligible 

18 individuals receiving benefits, the amounts paid out of the 

19 compensation fund, the administration of the compensa20 tion fund, and an estimate of the amounts necessary to 

21 fully fund the compensation fund for that fiscal year and 

22 each of the three subsequent fiscal years. 

23 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 

24 regulations to carry out this section.’’. 


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1 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

3 prescribe the regulations required under section 532(f) of 

4 title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 

5 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

6 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

7 after the item related to section 532 the following new 

8 item: 

‘‘533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund.’’. 

Æ 


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