jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-04-16 00:00:00

Hubbard Act - Amends federal employment, armed forces, military pay, and veterans' benefits law to authorize the provision of the following benefits to a member of the Armed Forces who is discharged at the member's request pursuant to a Department of Defense (DOD) policy permitting the early discharge of a member who is the only surviving child in a family in which the father or mother, or one or more siblings, served in the Armed Forces and, incident to such service, was killed, died as a result of wounds, accident, or disease, is in a captured or missing in action status, or is permanently disabled: (1) continued payment, through the original agreed-upon service period, of any bonus, incentive, or similar benefit to which the member was entitled during service; (2) separation pay, even though the member has completed less than six years of active service before discharge; (3) transitional health care, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for 180 days after discharge; (4) transitional commissary and exchange benefits, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for two years after discharge; (5) veterans' housing loan, employment and training, and basic educational assistance; (6) federal unemployment compensation; and (7) veteran's preference for federal employment purposes. Makes this Act effective with respect to any such discharge granted after September 11, 2001.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-04-16 00:00:00

Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase, as of December 1, 2008, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-04-22 00:00:00

Caleb Martin-Travis Dodson Wounded Warrior Retention Act - Authorizes a member of the Armed Forces who would normally be retired, placed on the temporary disability retired list, or separated as the result of a combat-related disability to elect to instead be retained on active service in an active status, as long as the member: (1) remains medically able to perform noncombat-related military occupational specialties or duties; and (2) is not disqualified from performing such specialties or duties because of performance, mandatory retirement for age, or other reasons. Subjects members placed in such status to periodic physical examinations, as provided to members placed on the temporary disability retired list. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to permit, on a case-by-case basis, the reenlistment or appointment in such status of a member who, during the period beginning on September 1, 2001, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act, was retired or separated as the result of a combat-related disability. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on the number and types of noncombat-related military occupational specialties in the Armed Forces and Department of Defense (DOD) civilian employee positions that would be available for such members.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-04-23 00:00:00

Troops to Nurse Teachers Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense to carry out programs under which commissioned officers of the nurse corps: (1) serve as full-time faculty of accredited schools of nursing in exchange for additional service or in exchange for scholarships provided by the school to those accepting commissions in the nurse corps; (2) receive scholarships leading to a graduate degree in nursing in exchange for service as nursing school faculty and to undertake activities to encourage nurses to serve in the Armed Forces nurse corps; (3) receive nursing faculty career placement and continuing education assistance if they are retirement-eligible and have graduate degrees qualifying them as nurse instructors; or (4) receive, while serving after retirement as faculty at a nursing school, retired pay without reduction and a pay differential to ensure that compensation for faculty member service will not be less than the basic pay received before retirement.Requires: (1) any program established under this Act to last at least two years; and (2) the Secretary to assess each program to determine if it should be continued.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-01 00:00:00

Establishes in the Treasury the National Military Family Relief Fund to make grants to Armed Forces members who are serving, or have served, in Iraq or Afghanistan to assist the families of such members. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow every individual taxpayer to designate $1 or more of any overpayment to be paid to the Fund; and (2) in addition to any payment of income tax liability, make a contribution of an additional amount which shall be paid over to the Fund.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-01 00:00:00

Enhancement of Recruitment, Retention, and Readjustment Through Education Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan on the coordination of current Department of Defense (DOD) educational assistance programs and the development of additional programs to enable members of the Armed Forces (members) to attain a bachelor's degree while pursuing a military career. Increases rates of educational assistance: (1) under the Montgomery GI Bill; (2) for members of the Selected Reserve; and (3) for Selected Reserve members with extended (more than 12 years) service who provide support for contingency operations and other operations. Provides an annual stipend for individuals receiving basic educational assistance and pursuing a program of education at an approved institution of higher education. Allows a member who has completed six years of service (current law allows only members who have completed six years of service and have a military skill designated as critical) to transfer to one or more dependents any unused portion of the member's educational assistance entitlement. Provides similar authority for members of the Selected Reserve. Authorizes a member on active duty and entitled to basic educational assistance to use all or a portion thereof to repay any outstanding federal student loan. Makes eligible for educational assistance an individual who, after September 30, 2009, receives a commission upon graduation of a service academy or completion of Senior Reserve Officers' Training, and completes at least five years of continuous active duty. Makes eligible for enrollment under the Montgomery GI Bill certain retired personnel originally enrolled in the veterans' educational assistance program. Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a supplemental educational grant program under which a participating institution of higher education provides certain veterans with the non-federal share of a percentage of such veteran's unmet educational financial need.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-01 00:00:00

Returning Soldiers' Bill of Rights Act - Entitles to basic educational assistance under the Montgomery GI Bill a member of the Armed Forces or reserves who, on or after September 11, 2001, serves at least six months of active duty in support of a contingency operation and, after completion of such duty, is discharged or released under honorable conditions or for a service-connected disability, preexisting medical condition, hardship, or certain physical or mental conditions. Entitles such individuals to 36 months of educational assistance. Allows such assistance to be used for: (1) pursuit of a program of education while on active duty; (2) programs of education pursued on a less-than-half-time basis; (3) apprenticeship or other on-job training; (4) correspondence courses; (5) flight training; (6) tutorial assistance; and (7) licensure or certification tests. Makes individuals entitled to such assistance eligible for supplemental educational assistance for additional service. Allows individuals entitled to such assistance to: (1) transfer such entitlement to a spouse, one or more children, or a combination thereof; or (2) apply such assistance to the repayment of federal student loans. Requires (with exceptions) the use of such assistance within twenty years after the individual's last discharge or release from active duty. Requires individuals eligible under both the above program and the regular Montgomery GI Bill educational assistance program to elect one program for participation. Repeals the home loan guaranty fees charged to veterans. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide to each individual entitled to assistance under this Act a readjustment housing allowance of up to $6,000. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2012: (1) for veterans' employment and training programs; and (2) to carry out the Service Members Occupational Conversion and Training Act.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-01 00:00:00

Creates, for veterans who were subjected to certain chemical or biological warfare testing involving Project 112 conducted through Deseret Test Center (including the Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project, also known as Project SHAD), a presumption that a disease was incurred in or aggravated by service, notwithstanding that there is no record of evidence of the disease during the period of service, if the disease warrants presumtion of service connection by reason of increased exposure to a biological, chemical, or other toxic agent.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2008-05-05 00:00:00

Disabled Veteran Small Business Eligibility Expansion Act of 2008 - Amends the Small Business Act to make small businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans eligible for the award by the Small Business Administration (SBA) of small business development grants in the same manner as small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-07 00:00:00

Compensation for Combat Veterans Act - Provides that, for a veteran claiming disability benefits related to combat, service in a combat zone that is recognized as such service under the Internal Revenue Code shall be considered proof that the veteran engaged in combat.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-07 00:00:00

Guarantees a pay increase for uniformed services members for FY2010-FY2013 of 0.5% higher than the Employment Cost Index.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2008-05-12 00:00:00

Freedom to Serve Act of 2008 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose criminal penalties for: (1) using force or the threat of force or physical obstruction to injure, intimidate or interfere with anyone providing federal or state military recruiting services or anyone seeking to inquire about or volunteer for military service in the active or reserve Armed Forces or the National Guard of any state; or (2) intentionally damaging or destroying facilities that house or host military recruiting services.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-13 00:00:00

Adds Parkinson's disease (manifested to a degree of disability of 10% or more) to the list of diseases considered to have been incurred in or aggravated by military service in Vietnam, notwithstanding that there is no evidence of the disease during the period of service, provided a veteran served between specified dates and was exposed to an herbicide used in military operations during that period.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-14 00:00:00

Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide for the protection of child custody arrangements for parents who are members deployed in support of a contingency operation. States that if a motion for change of custody of a child of such a member is filed while the member is so deployed, no court may enter an order modifying or amending a previous child custody judgment, except if there is clear and convincing evidence that it is in the best interest of the child. Prohibits any court from considering a member's absence due to deployment, or possible deployment, in support of a contingency operation in determining the best interest of the child.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-15 00:00:00

Military Spouses Residency Relief Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prohibit, for purposes of voting for a federal, state, or local office, deeming a person to have lost a residence or domicile in a state, acquired a residence or domicile in any other state, or become a resident in or of any other state solely because the person is absent from a state because the person is accompanying the person's spouse who is absent from the state in compliance with military or naval orders. Prohibits a servicemember's spouse from either losing or acquiring a residence or domicile for purposes of taxation because of being absent or present in any U.S. tax jurisdiction solely to be with the servicemember in compliance with the servicemember's military orders if the residence or domicile is the same for the servicemember and the spouse.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Law
Date: 2008-05-20 00:00:00

Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act of 2008 - Amends the Federal Tort Claims Act to allow claims for damages to be brought against the United States for personal injury or death of a member of the Armed Forces arising out of a negligent or wrongful act or omission in the performance of medical, dental, or related health care functions that: (1) takes place other than in the context of combat; and (2) is provided by persons acting within the scope of their office or employment by or at the direction of the Armed Forces, whether inside or outside the United States. Provides for a reduction of claims under this Act by the present value of other benefits attributable to such death or injury received by the member and by that member's estate, survivors, and beneficiaries pursuant to other federal law.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-22 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of the Army to implement the First Sergeants Barracks Initiative (FSBI) throughout the Army. (The FSBI transfers responsibility for daily maintenance operations of barracks from their occupying units to a maintenance team working for the post command.)
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-05-22 00:00:00

PROTECT Act or Protecting the Retirement of Our Troops by Ensuring Compensation is Timely Act - Prohibits the Secretary of a military department, regarding a participant in the Survivor Benefit Plan who the Secretary of State has determined was kidnapped in Iraq or Afghanistan on or after October 7, 2001, from making a determination that the participant is missing, with the presumption of death, until the earlier of: (1) at least seven years after the Secretary of State's determination; or (2) the date on which the participant is confirmed dead. Directs the Secretary of a military department, regarding such a participant who was presumed to be dead before enactment of this Act, to pay retired pay for periods before and after enactment of this Act until one of the above conditions is met.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-05 00:00:00

Entitles a member of the uniformed services to additional pay of $1,500 per month while the member's service is extended, or eligibility for retirement is suspended, by the exercise of any provision of law commonly referred to as a "stop-loss authority."
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-10 00:00:00

Improving SCRA and USERRA Protections Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Requires (current law authorizes) the appropriate U.S. district court to use its equity powers in any case in which the court determines it is appropriate, including injunctive relief, to fully vindicate a veteran's employment or reemployment rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) with respect to a state or private employer. (Sec. 3) Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to require an institution of higher education, when a servicemember is ordered to military service and withdraws or takes a leave of absence from such institution, to: (1) provide a credit or refund to the servicemember of tuition and fees paid for the portion of the program of education for which the servicemember did not receive academic credit after such withdrawal or leave; and (2) provide the servicemember an opportunity to reenroll with the same educational and academic status the servicemember had when activated for service. Extends the current interest rate cap in SCRA to student loan obligations of members called to military service. (Sec. 4) Allows servicemembers with deployment orders to terminate or suspend, without fee or penalty, service contracts for services such as phones, utilities, cable television, and Internet access. (Currently, such servicemembers are only permitted to terminate or suspend residential or automobile lease agreements.) (Sec. 5) Provides penalties under SCRA against creditors for violations of interest rate limits for servicemembers. (Sec. 6) Allows a military spouse to vote in the same location as the servicemember with respect to federal, state, and local elections. (Sec. 7) Allows a military spouse to pay taxes in the same state as the servicemember. (Sec. 8) Provides that compensation of a spouse of a servicemember shall not be considered income within a tax jurisdiction of the United States if, when the compensation is earned, the spouse is not a resident or domiciliary of that jurisdiction, and the jurisdiction is where the servicemember is serving in compliance with military orders.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-11 00:00:00

Veterans Disability Benefits Claims Modernization Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on adjusting the schedule for rating veterans' disabilities in order to base such schedule on current standards, practices, and codes in common use by the medical, mental health, and disability professions. Establishes in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) the Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation to consult with and advise the Secretary with respect to the maintenance and periodic readjustment of the above schedule. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study on the: (1) employee work credit system of the VA's Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), which is used to measure the work production of VBA employees; and (2) VBA work management system, with the goal of improving accountability, quality, and accuracy and reducing the time for processing claims. Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a certification examination for VBA employees and managers responsible for processing benefits claims; and (2) evaluate the training of VBA employees responsible for matters relating to veterans' compensation or pension benefits. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the use of information technology at the VBA, including the technology known as "VistA." Allows a claim beneficiary to be substituted as a claimant in the case of the death of a veteran claimant while a claim is awaiting adjudication or appeal.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-12 00:00:00

SMOCTA Reauthorization Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2018 to carry out the Service Members Occupational Conversion and Training Act of 1992.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-17 00:00:00

Veterans and Survivors Dental Insurance Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide a dental insurance plan for any veteran enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) annual patient enrollment system, as well as their survivors and dependents. Provides for: (1) the payment of premiums for plan enrollment; and (2) voluntary plan disenrollment.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-17 00:00:00

Veterans Travel Equity Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in determining the amount of allowance or reimbursement under the beneficiary travel program (a program authorizing a travel allowance or reimbursement for the transportation of veterans to obtain medical care), to use the mileage reimbursement rates for the use of privately owned vehicles by government employees traveling on official business. Prohibits the Secretary, effective 90 days after the enactment of this Act, from imposing any income or pension eligibility requirement, or requiring any service-connected disability rating, in order for a veteran to be eligible for such allowance or reimbursement.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-26 00:00:00

Veterans Advocacy Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a program to assess the feasibility and advisability of utilizing legal entities to provide legal services to assist veterans and members of the Armed Forces in applying for and receiving health care, benefits, and services. Requires the Secretary to award ten grants to legal entities to provide such services. Limits grant duration to one year.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-06-26 00:00:00

Private First Class Billy MacLeod Respectful Return Act - Amends the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 to provide that requirements for the military transportation to the United States of the remains of a member of the Armed Forces who dies in a combat theater of operations shall also apply to the remains of any member found after the date of enactment of this Act in any theater of U.S. combat operations since April 6, 1917, who died while participating in such operations.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-07-08 00:00:00

Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Reporting Act of 2008 - Requires that, whenever the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or any other official of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is required to submit to Congress (or any committee thereof) a report, such Secretary or official shall submit a copy in an electronic format.