Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. KAPTUR, 
Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. HOLT, Mr. GEORGE MIL-
LER of California, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mr. MASSA, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. FRANK of 
Massachusetts, Mr. HARE, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 
RUSH, Mr. ROSS, Mr. COHEN, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, 
Mr. ISSA, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Mrs. BONO
MACK, Ms. KILPATRICK
of Michigan, Ms. 
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. JONES, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. LORETTA 
SANCHEZ of California, Mr. BARROW, Mr. REYES, Mr. LARSEN of Wash-
ington, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Mr. KEN-
NEDY, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MARCHANT, Ms. ROYBAL- 
ALLARD, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. 
HIMES, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. DREIER, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. 
SHULER, Mr. COSTELLO, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. MORAN 
of Virginia, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. TERRY, Mr. PETERSON, 
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. KAGEN, Ms. GINNY 
BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. ROTHMAN 
of New Jersey, Mr. ARCURI, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. KIND, Ms. DEGETTE, 
Mr. HALL of New York, Mr. DENT, Mr. WELCH, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. MUR-
PHY of Connecticut, Mr. NYE, Mr. ROONEY, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. FARR, 
Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. PASTOR of Ari-
zona, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. ADLER of New Jersey, Mr. DELAHUNT, 
and Ms. SPEIER 
MAY 7, 2009 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 6, 2009] 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary 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. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
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 ‘‘Belated Thank You to 
the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED DURING 
WORLD WAR II IN THE UNITED STATES MER-
CHANT MARINE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPENSATION FUND.—Sub-
chapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘§ 533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund 
‘‘(a) COMPENSATION FUND.—(1) There is in the gen-
eral fund of the Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Mer-
chant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund’ (in this section 
referred to as the ‘compensation fund’). 
‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for 
such purpose, amounts in the compensation fund shall be 
available to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to 
make payments to eligible individuals in accordance with 
this section. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—(1) An eligible indi-
vidual is an individual who— 
‘‘(A) during the one-year period beginning on 
the date of the enactment of the Belated Thank You 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
to the Merchant Mariners of World War II Act of 
2009, submits to the Secretary an application con-
taining such information and assurances as the Sec-
retary may require; 
‘‘(B) has not received benefits under the Service-
men’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 78– 
346); and 
‘‘(C) has engaged in qualified service. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a person has en-
gaged in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, and 
December 31, 1946, the person— 
‘‘(A) was a member of the United States mer-
chant marine (including the Army Transport Service 
and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crew-
member of a vessel that was— 
‘‘(i) operated by the War Shipping Admin-
istration or the Office of Defense Transportation 
(or an agent of the Administration or Office); 
‘‘(ii) operated in waters other than inland 
waters, the Great Lakes, and other lakes, bays, 
and harbors of the United States; 
‘‘(iii) under contract or charter to, or prop-
erty of, the Government of the United States; 
and 
‘‘(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
‘‘(B) while so serving, was licensed or otherwise 
documented for service as a crewmember of such a 
vessel by an officer or employee of the United States 
authorized to license or document the person for such 
service. 
‘‘(c) AMOUNT
OF PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
make a monthly payment out of the compensation fund in 
the amount of $1,000 to an eligible individual. The Sec-
retary shall make such payments to eligible individuals in 
the order in which the Secretary receives the applications 
of the eligible individuals. 
‘‘(d) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—(1) 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the compensa-
tion fund amounts as follows: 
‘‘(A) For fiscal year 2010, $120,000,000. 
‘‘(B) For fiscal year 2011, $108,000,000. 
‘‘(C) For fiscal year 2012, $97,000,000. 
‘‘(D) For fiscal year 2013, $85,000,000. 
‘‘(E) For fiscal year 2014, $75,000,000. 
‘‘(2) Funds appropriated to carry out this section shall 
remain available until expended. 
‘‘(e) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall include, in docu-
ments submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support 
of the President’s budget for each fiscal year, detailed infor-
mation on the operation of the compensation fund, includ-
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
ing the number of applicants, the number of eligible indi-
viduals receiving benefits, the amounts paid out of the com-
pensation fund, the administration of the compensation 
fund, and an estimate of the amounts necessary to fully 
fund the compensation fund for that fiscal year and each 
of the three subsequent fiscal years. 
‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe reg-
ulations to carry out this section.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall pre-
scribe the regulations required under section 532(f) of title 
38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at 
the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after 
the item related to section 532 the following new item: 
‘‘533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund.’’. 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6213
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6213
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 45 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 23 
[Report No. 111–98] 
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. 
MAY 7, 2009 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Nov 24 2008 
23:10 May 07, 2009
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6651
Sfmt 6651
E:\BILLS\H23.RH
H23
hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS