I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7238 
To establish the Commission on Equity and Reconciliation in the Uniformed 
Services. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2026 
Mr. TAKANO (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PETERS, Mr. POCAN, Ms. SIMON, 
Mr. GOTTHEIMER, Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas, Mr. MCGARVEY, Mr. GARCIA 
of California, Ms. RANDALL, Mr. LIEU, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. DOGGETT, 
Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Mr. DAVIS 
of Illinois, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. 
CASE, Ms. TITUS, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Ms. MCBRIDE, Ms. 
BONAMICI, and Ms. BALINT) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish the Commission on Equity and Reconciliation 
in the Uniformed Services. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission on Equity 
and Reconciliation in the Uniformed Services Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND DUTIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Com-
mission on Equity and Reconciliation in the Uniformed 
Services (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) DUTIES.—The Commission shall perform the fol-
lowing duties: 
(1) Identify and compile a corpus of docu-
mentation on the policing of sexual orientation and 
gender identity in the uniformed services, from the 
beginning of World War II and onward. Such docu-
mentation shall include the following: 
(A) Facts related to the history of policies 
regarding LGBTQ+ sexual orientation and 
gender identity in the uniformed services. 
(B) The effects of such policies on eligi-
bility for, and access to, benefits under laws ad-
ministered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
on servicemembers who were discharged due to 
sexual orientation or gender identity. 
(2) Hold public hearings in such cities of the 
United States as it finds appropriate, and do com-
munity outreach and other public relations efforts in 
order to advertise such hearings and the opportunity 
to give testimony. 
(3) Gather testimonies, written and oral, from 
LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans about their 
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experiences, both anonymously and with names 
given. 
(4) Examine the impacts that discriminatory 
policy and corresponding actions taken by the uni-
formed services had on the physical and mental 
wellbeing of servicemembers. 
(5) Examine lasting impacts (including psycho-
logical, financial, and professional) that policies of 
the uniformed services have had on veterans and 
servicemembers who were discharged due to their 
sexual orientation and/or gender identity. 
(6) Examine how discriminatory practices con-
tributed to suicidality and homelessness among 
LGBTQ+ veterans. 
(7) Examine the disparate impact that policies 
targeting sexual and gender minorities has had on 
minority groups in the uniformed services, especially 
racial minorities and women. 
(8) Examine the impacts that policing of sexual 
and gender minorities has had on individuals who do 
not identify as LGBTQ+ but were nevertheless tar-
geted due to perceived sexual orientation or gender 
identity. 
(9) Examine the impacts that discriminatory 
policies related to sexual orientation and gender 
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identity 
have 
had 
on 
the 
dependents 
of 
servicemembers and veterans. 
(10) Examine the immediate and long-term im-
pacts that the denial, on the bases of policies and di-
rectives of the Department of Defense and of the 
Department of Veteran Affairs, of medically nec-
essary health care, including denial of treatments for 
gender dysphoria, has had on servicemembers and 
veterans. 
(11) Examine and quantify the impacts that 
discriminatory policies and directives of the Depart-
ment of Defense related to sexual orientation and 
gender identity have on force readiness, including 
the cost of retraining and replacing individuals sepa-
rated from the Armed Forces for reasons related to 
their real or perceived sexual orientation and/or gen-
der identity. 
(12) Collect information on the effects of 
changes to individuals’ demographic data (including 
gender markers)— 
(A) in databases and systems of the De-
partment of Defense and the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (including the Defense Enroll-
ment Eligibility Reporting System); 
(B) without the consent of the individuals. 
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