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tension of enlistments referred to in subsection (a) of such 
section entered into on or after October 1, 2005. 
SEC. 628. AVAILABILITY OF CRITICAL-SKILLS ACCESSION 
BONUS FOR PERSONS ENROLLED IN SENIOR 
RESERVE OFFICERS’ TRAINING CORPS WHO 
ARE OBTAINING NURSING DEGREES. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE BONUS.—Section 324 
of title 37, United States Code, as amended by section 
614(f) of this Act, is further amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 
subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(f) NURSE CANDIDATES IN SENIOR RESERVE OFFI-
CERS’ TRAINING CORPS.—(1) A person enrolled in the 
Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program of the 
Army for advanced training under chapter 103 of title 10, 
including a person receiving financial assistance under 
section 2107 of such title, may receive an accession bonus 
under this section if the person— 
‘‘(A) has completed the second year of an ac-
credited baccalaureate degree program in nursing; 
and
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‘‘(B) executes an agreement under this section 
to serve on active duty as a commissioned officer in 
the Army Nurse Corps. 
‘‘(2) Notwithstanding subsection (c), the amount of 
the accession bonus paid to a person described in para-
graph (1) may not exceed $5,000.’’. 
(b) 
RETROACTIVE
APPLICATION
TO
EXISTING 
AGREEMENTS.—Subsection (f) of section 324 of title 37, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall 
apply with respect to agreements referred to in paragraph 
(1)(B) of such subsection executed on or after October 5, 
2004. 
Subtitle C—Travel and 
Transportation Allowances 
SEC. 641. AUTHORIZED ABSENCES OF MEMBERS FOR 
WHICH LODGING EXPENSES AT TEMPORARY 
DUTY LOCATION MAY BE PAID. 
(a) ABSENCES COVERED BY ALLOWANCE.—Section 
404b of title 37, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘while the 
member is in an authorized leave status’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘during an authorized absence of the member 
from the temporary duty location’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)—
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(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘taking 
the authorized leave’’ and inserting ‘‘the au-
thorized absence’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘imme-
diately after completing the authorized leave’’ 
and inserting ‘‘before the end of the authorized 
absence’’; 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘while the 
member was in an authorized leave status’’ and in-
serting ‘‘during the authorized absence of the mem-
ber’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZED ABSENCE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘authorized absence’, with respect to a mem-
ber, means that the member is in an authorized leave sta-
tus or that the absence of the member is otherwise author-
ized by the commander of the member.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of such 
section is amended to read as follows:
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‘‘§ 404b. Travel and transportation allowances: pay-
ment of lodging expenses at temporary 
duty location during authorized absence 
of member’’. 
(2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 7 of such title is amend-
ed by striking the item relating to section 404b and 
inserting the following new item: 
‘‘404b. Travel and transportation allowances: payment of lodging expenses at 
temporary duty location during authorized absence of mem-
ber.’’. 
SEC. 642. EXTENDED PERIOD FOR SELECTION OF HOME 
FOR TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION ALLOW-
ANCES 
FOR 
DEPENDENTS 
OF 
DECEASED 
MEMBER. 
(a) DEATH OF MEMBER ENTITLED TO BASIC PAY.— 
Subsection (f) section 406 of title 37, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after ‘‘(f)’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the mem-
ber’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) The Secretary concerned shall give the depend-
ents of a member described in paragraph (1) a period of 
not less than three years, beginning on the date of the 
death of the member, during which to select a home for
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the purposes of the travel and transportation allowances 
authorized by this section.’’. 
(b) CERTAIN OTHER DECEASED MEMBERS.—Sub-
section (g)(3) of such section is amended in the first sen-
tence— 
(1) by striking ‘‘he exercises it’’ and inserting 
‘‘the member exercises the right or entitlement’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘his baggage and household ef-
fects’’ and inserting ‘‘the baggage and household ef-
fects of the deceased member’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘his surviving dependents or, if’’ 
and inserting ‘‘the surviving dependents at any time 
before the end of the three-year period beginning on 
the date on which the member accrued that right or 
benefit. If’’. 
SEC. 643. TRANSPORTATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS INCI-
DENT TO REPATRIATION OF MEMBERS HELD 
CAPTIVE. 
(a) ALLOWANCES AUTHORIZED.—Chapter 7 of title 
37, United States Code, is amended by inserting after sec-
tion 411i the following new section:
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‘‘§ 411j. Travel and transportation allowances: trans-
portation of family members incident to 
repatriation of members held captive 
‘‘(a) ALLOWANCES AUTHORIZED.—(1) The Secretary 
concerned may provide the travel and transportation al-
lowances described in subsection (c) to not more than 
three family members of a member of the uniformed serv-
ices who— 
‘‘(A) is serving on active duty; 
‘‘(B) was officially carried or determined to be 
absent in a missing status (as defined in section 551 
of this title); and 
‘‘(C) is repatriated to a site in or outside the 
United States. 
‘‘(2) In circumstances determined to be appropriate 
by the Secretary concerned, the Secretary may waive the 
limitation on the number of family members of a member 
provided travel and transportation allowances under this 
section. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PERSONS.—(1) In this section, the 
term ‘family member’ has the meaning given that term 
in section 411h(b) of this title. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary concerned may also provide the 
travel and transportation allowances to an attendant who 
accompanies a family member if the Secretary determines 
that—