I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4130 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense 

to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets 

for the purpose of facilitating the travel of members of the Armed 

Forces who are deployed away from their permanent duty station and 

are granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave and 

certain other forms of leave and the travel of family members to be 

reunited with such a member, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 2, 2004 

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. MURTHA, 

Mr. HUNTER, and Mr. SKELTON) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the 

Secretary of Defense to accept the donation of frequent 

traveler miles, credits, and tickets for the purpose of 

facilitating the travel of members of the Armed Forces 

who are deployed away from their permanent duty station and are granted, during such deployment, rest and 

recuperative leave and certain other forms of leave and 

the travel of family members to be reunited with such 

a member, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

•HR 4130 IH 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Operation Hero Miles 

3 Act of 2004’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE OF FREQUENT TRAVELER MILES, 

5 CREDITS, AND TICKETS TO FACILITATE THE 

6 AIR OR SURFACE TRAVEL OF CERTAIN MEM7 BERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR 

8 FAMILIES. 

9 Section 2608 of title 10, United States Code, is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subsections (g) through (k) 

12 as subsections (h) through (l), respectively; and 

13 (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol14 lowing new subsection: 

15 ‘‘(g) OPERATION HERO MILES.—(1) The Secretary 

16 of Defense may use the authority of subsection (a) to ac17 cept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and 

18 tickets for air or surface transportation issued by any air 

19 carrier or surface carrier that serves the public and that 

20 consents to such donation, and under such terms and con21 ditions as the air or surface carrier may specify. The Sec22 retary shall designate a single office in the Department 

23 of Defense to carry out this subsection, including the es24 tablishment of such rules and procedures as may be nec25 essary to facilitate the acceptance of such frequent trav26 eler miles, credits, and tickets. 
3 

•HR 4130 IH 

1 ‘‘(2) Frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets ac2 cepted under this subsection shall be used only in accord3 ance with the rules established by the air carrier or surface 

4 carrier that is source of the miles, credits, or tickets and 

5 shall be used only for the purpose of— 

6 ‘‘(A) facilitating the travel of a member of the 

7 armed forces who— 

8 ‘‘(i) is deployed on active duty away from 

9 the permanent duty station of the member; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) is granted, during such deployment, 

11 rest and recuperative leave, emergency leave, 

12 convalescent leave, or another form of leave au13 thorized for the member; or 

14 ‘‘(B) facilitating the travel of family members 

15 of the member to be reunited with the member. 

16 ‘‘(3) The Secretary of Defense may enter into an 

17 agreement with a nonprofit organization to use the serv18 ices of the organization— 

19 ‘‘(A) to promote the donation of frequent trav20 eler miles, credits, and tickets under paragraph (1), 

21 except that amounts appropriated to the Depart22 ment of Defense may not be expended for this pur23 pose; and 
4 

•HR 4130 IH 

1 ‘‘(B) to assist in administering the collection, 

2 distribution, and use of donated frequent traveler 

3 miles, credits, and tickets. 

4 ‘‘(4) Members of the armed forces and family mem5 bers who receive air or surface transportation using fre6 quent traveler miles, credits, or tickets donated under this 

7 subsection are deemed to recognize no income from such 

8 use. Donors of frequent traveler miles, credits, or tickets 

9 under this subsection are deemed to obtain no tax benefit 

10 from such donation. 

11 ‘‘(5) In this subsection, the term ‘family member’ has 

12 the meaning given that term in section 411h(b)(1) of title 

13 37.’’. 

14 SEC. 3. REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL COSTS INCURRED 

15 BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES UNDER 

16 DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REST AND RECU17 PERATION LEAVE PROGRAM. 

18 The Secretary of Defense shall reimburse each mem19 ber of the Armed Forces who participated in the Depart20 ment of Defense Rest and Recuperation Leave program 

21 during the period beginning on September 15, 2003, and 

22 ending on December 18, 2003, for travel expenses in23 curred by the member, or by family members on behalf 

24 of the member, to travel to or from a designated embar-
5 

•HR 4130 IH 

1 kation point for the program before the program was ex2 panded to include a domestic travel component. 

Æ