zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011 - Includes as part of the Republic of Vietnam its territorial seas for purposes of the presumption of service connection for diseases associated with exposure by veterans to certain herbicide agents while in Vietnam.

Date: 2011-09-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes the American Legion under its federal charter to provide guidance and leadership to its state and territorial organizations and local chapters. Prohibits it from controlling or otherwise influencing their specific activities and conduct.

Date: 2011-10-03
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Veterans Sexual Assault Prevention Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop and implement, by February 1, 2012, a centralized and comprehensive policy on reporting and tracking sexual assaults and other safety incidents at each medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including: (1) risk-assessment tools; (2) mandatory security training; (3) physical security precautions (surveillance camera systems and panic alarm systems); (4) criteria and guidance for employees communicating and reporting incidents to specified supervisory personnel, VA law enforcement officials, and the Office of Inspector General; (4) an oversight system within the Veterans Health Administration; (5) procedures for VA law enforcement officials investigating, tracking, and closing reported incidents; and (6) clinical guidance for treating sexual assaults reported over 72 hours after assault. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit an annual report to Congress on such incidents and policy implementation, and (2) prescribe applicable regulations. Repeals required annual reports concerning registered nurse staffing at VA health care facilities.

Date: 2011-10-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Commission on the Review of the Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States Act of 2011 - Establishes the Commission on the Review of the Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States to: (1) conduct a thorough study of matters relating to the U.S. overseas military facility structure, and (2) report study findings and conclusions to the President and Congress. Requires the report to include a proposal for an overseas basing strategy for the Department of Defense (DOD) to meet current and future DOD missions during periods of heightened fiscal constraints.

Date: 2011-10-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes payment under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiary travel program of travel expenses in connection with medical examination, treatment, or care of a veteran with vision impairment, a spinal cord injury or disorder, or double or multiple amputations whose travel is in connection with inpatient care in a VA special disabilities rehabilitation program.

Date: 2011-10-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Expands the authority of the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to accept travel benefits to facilitate the travel of members of the Armed Forces during leave from active duty to include, as part of such benefits, points or awards for free or reduced-cost hotel accommodations. Includes as benefits purposes: (1) providing humanitarian support to members and eligible beneficiaries receiving care through the military health care system, and (2) support to allow participation by members and their families in DOD-sponsored and authorized programs.

Date: 2011-11-01
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Comptroller General, annually from 2013 through 2018, to submit to Congress an assessment of the performance of the major automated information system programs of the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires a preliminary report by the end of FY2012.

Date: 2011-11-01
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to take all necessary steps to: (1) exhume the remains of 13 deceased U.S. sailors buried in or near Protestant Cemetery and Tripoli Castle in Tripoli, Libya; (2) transfer such remains for laboratory identification; (3) in the case of identified remains, transport such remains to a veterans cemetery located near the closest living family member of the deceased (or to another cemetery, as determined by the Secretary); (4) in the case of identified remains, provide a military funeral and burial; and (5) in the case of remains that cannot be identified, transport such remains to Arlington National Cemetery for interment at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Date: 2011-11-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to commence a three-year pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of using service dog training activities as components of integrated post-deployment mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rehabilitation programs at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers to positively affect veterans with such symptoms and to produce specially trained service dogs for veterans. Requires the pilot program to be carried out at one VA medical center selected by the Secretary other than the VA health care system in Palo Alto, California. Makes veteran participation voluntary. Requires the Secretary to: (1) collect program data to determine its effectiveness, as well as the advisability of expanding the program to additional VA medical centers; and (2) report annually to Congress for the duration of the pilot program.

Date: 2011-11-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
National Guard and Reserve Soft Landing Reintegration Act - Requires that a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who was deployed for more than 269 days for a contingency operation or a homeland defense mission be: (1) retained on active duty in the Armed Forces for 45 days after the end of the member's demobilization from a deployment, (2) allowed to use accrued leave, and (3) paid specified pay and allowances. Requires a member requesting an early release from such active duty to be released within 14 days after such request. Allows such request to be denied only for medical or personal safety reasons. Allows the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide each member so retained (and, as practicable, appropriate family members) reintegration counseling and services.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Nationwide Network of Support for Veterans and Their Families Act of 2011 - Establishes the National Veterans Support Foundation to, among other things: (1) analyze and organize resources that list and describe organizations, programs, events, and other activities that provide assistance specifically to veterans; (2) provide support and help align and scale resources that support veterans and their families; and (3) encourage and promote participation by private organizations in activities that serve and support veterans. Requires the Foundation to establish a direct community reintegration support program to award grants to create or expand community-based veterans reintegration and support programs. Prohibits the Foundation from accepting any federal funds. Requires annual Foundation audits and reports to Congress.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Protect Our Disabled Heroes Act of 2011 - Provides criminal penalties against any person who solicits, contracts for, charges, or receives any fee or compensation from a veteran, other than that currently permitted under law, for: (1) advice on how to file a benefits claim; or (2) the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a claim before the date on which a notice of disagreement is filed in a proceeding on the claim.

Date: 2011-11-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honoring Ezeagwula and Long Act or the HEAL Act - Requires that Armed Forces members who were killed or wounded in the attack that occurred at a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009, be treated as having been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States for the purposes of all applicable federal laws, regulations, and policies.

Date: 2011-11-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to specify that an authorization to use military force, a declaration of war, or any similar authority shall not authorize the detention without charge or trial of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident apprehended in the United States, unless an Act of Congress expressly authorizes such detention. Applies this Act to any such authorizations or declarations enacted before, on, or after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2011-12-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Requires that the principal office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) be in the metropolitan area of Washington, DC, but allows the CAVC to sit any place within the United States. Requires judges in active service on the CAVC to: (1) have their official duty station at the principal office; and (2) reside within 50 miles of such metropolitan area. Allows the President to remove judges violating that residency requirement who were confirmed on or after January 1, 2012. Sets forth exceptions for recall-eligible retired judges.

Date: 2012-01-31
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish accelerated licensing procedures to assist Armed Forces veterans to acquire commercial driver's licenses. Requires such procedures to apply to any veteran attempting to acquire a commercial driver's license who, during military service, obtained driving experience that makes the use of accelerated licensing procedures appropriate.

Date: 2012-02-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Honoring Our Nations Outstanding Rifle Squads Act or HONOR Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, if determined appropriate to meet the needs of an eligible organization with respect to performing funeral and other ceremonies, to: (1) loan or donate excess small arms; (2) authorize the organization to retain small arms other than M-1 rifles; or (3) if excess small arms stock is insufficient to meet organizational requirements, provide excess small arms on a rotational basis with other eligible organizations pursuant to a program and procedures prescribed by the Secretary.

Date: 2012-02-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Provides that, as of October 1, 2011, changes made to the program guidance relating to the award of Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence administrative absence days to members of the reserves under a specified Department of Defense (DOD) instruction shall not apply to reservists whose qualified mobilization commenced before October 1, 2011, and continued until the termination of the mobilization.

Date: 2012-02-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Conservation Corps Authorization Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a veteran conservation corps (corps) to: (1) provide training and employment to unemployed veterans not enrolled in any other federal training program, (2) assist veterans in their transition from military service to civilian life, and (3) assist the government in maintaining federal land and water. Directs the Secretary to employ such veterans for a one-year period, with an option for employment for an additional one-year period. Allows the Secretary to establish a corps program for the short-term employment of veterans attending institutions of higher education. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide to such veterans any education or training necessary to carry out assigned work projects.

Date: 2012-02-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to classify military working dogs as canine members of the Armed Forces. Requires that such dogs no longer be classified as equipment. Provides that if a dog should be retired, and no suitable adoption is available at the military facility where the dog is located, the dog may transferred to the 341st Training Squadron or to another location for adoption. Authorizes the acceptance of the donation of frequent traveler miles to facilitate the adoption of a dog. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system to provide for the lifetime veterinary care of retired, adopted dogs. Requires the Secretary to administer the system under a contract awarded by the Secretary to a private non-profit entity. Requires such care to meet standards that the Secretary shall establish and periodically update. Requires any costs of the operation and administration of the system and of any veterinary care provided under the system to be covered by such combination of the following as the Secretary and the non-profit entity jointly consider appropriate: (1) contributions from the non-profit entity, (2) payments for such care by owners or guardians of such dogs, and (3) other appropriate non-federal sources of funds. Prohibits the use of federal funds to provide care or operate the system, except for funds used to establish or administer the system, establish standards of care, or prescribe related regulations. Directs the Secretary to create a decoration or other appropriate recognition to recognize dogs that are killed in action or perform an exceptionally meritorious or courageous act in service to the United States.

Date: 2012-02-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Prohibits providing a waiver for commissioning or enlistment in the Armed Forces for any individual convicted under federal or state law of the felony offense of rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, incest, or any other sexual offense.

Date: 2012-02-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Due Process and Military Detention Amendments Act of 2012 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to provide that, in the case of a person detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force, disposition under the law of war shall only mean transfer for trial and proceedings by a court established under article III of the Constitution. Requires such trial and proceedings to have all due process provided under the Constitution. Repeals the requirement of detention in military custody pending disposition under the law of war for individuals determined to be a member or part of al Qaeda or an associated force who has participated in planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military and Veterans Educational Reform Act of 2012 - Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) or a state approving agency (SAA) to approve, for purposes of veterans' educational assistance provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a course that leads to an associate or higher degree only when such course is an eligible program offered by an institution of higher education that has entered into and is complying with a program approved by the Secretary of Education under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Provides conditions under which the Secretary or a SAA may approve a course that does not lead to an associate or higher degree. Prohibits the approval of a non-degree course of education unless, among other things, the course is determined to further the purposes of the VA program. Provides additional requirements for the VA approval of nonaccredited courses. Requires additional requirements imposed by SAAs to be approved by the Secretary prior to use under the VA program. Provides additional requirements for the approval of programs of educational assistance for persons enlisting for active duty. Requires educational institutions to inform participants on matters relating to accreditation and educational outcomes as a condition of approval under educational assistance programs offered by the VA and Department of Defense (DOD). Directs an educational institution with 20 or more VA program participants enrolled, prior to approval, to provide adequate academic and student support services, including remediation, tutoring, and job placement counseling. Requires each SAA, as a condition of receiving VA reimbursement for program approval activities, to conduct education and outreach activities to assist participants in making well-informed choices about their education and successful transition into an educational environment. Requires SAAs to conduct annual audits of institutions that have VA program participants. Directs the Secretary to conduct mandatory annual compliance reviews of such institutions. Directs the Secretary to provide individualized, one-on-one counseling to veterans and members of the Armed Forces who are considering a program of education with assistance through the VA or DOD. Requires the Secretaries of VA and DOD to each establish a process whereby individuals are able to submit complaints regarding educational institutions relevant to the provision of educational assistance, including complaints regarding misrepresentation, fraud, waste, and abuse.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veteran Skills to Jobs Act - Directs the head of each federal licensing authority to consider, and authorizes such official to accept, any relevant training received by an individual while serving as a member of the Armed Forces for the purpose of satisfying the license requirements.

Date: 2012-03-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Veterans Missing in America Act of 2012 - Recognizes the tireless work and dedication of the Missing in America Project, in conjunction with numerous veterans service organizations, in identifying unclaimed remains of veterans. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to cooperate with such organizations to assist entities in possession of unclaimed or abandoned human remains in determining if any such remains are the remains of veterans or other individuals eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Requires the Secretary, upon a positive determination with respect to any such remains, to provide for and cover the cost of the burial and funeral expenses if the Secretary determines that: (1) there is no next of kin or other person claiming the remains, and (2) there are no other sufficient resources to cover such expenses. Directs the Secretary to establish a publicly accessible database of the names of any veteran or other individual so identified.

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2012, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, 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.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Remembering America's Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act of 2012 - Treats Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Republic of the Philippines as a permanent military cemetery in a foreign country for purposes of the purview of the American Battle Monuments Commission. Directs the Commission to restore, operate, and maintain such Cemetery in cooperation with the government of the Republic of the Philippines. Subjects such requirement to the availability of appropriations for such purpose.

Date: 2012-04-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Iron Dome Support Act - Authorizes the President to provide assistance to the government of Israel for the procurement, maintenance, and sustainment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles launched against Israel.

Date: 2012-04-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: International affairs
Military Reservists Access to Mental Health Services Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide care for behavioral health conditions to any member of the Selected Reserve for whom such Secretary determines, based on the member's most recent medical exam or mental health assessment, that the receipt of such care will ensure that the member meets applicable standards of medical readiness. Provides funding for such care through the Defense Health Program.

Date: 2012-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Service Members and Communities Count Act of 2012 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce, beginning with the 2020 census, to ensure that all members of the Armed Forces deployed abroad are fully and accurately counted in the tabulation of total population by states and are properly attributed to the state in which their permanent duty station or homeport is located.

Date: 2012-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense (DOD), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) with respect to the Coast Guard, should duly honor those members of the Armed Forces who are killed or wounded in the United States in terrorist attacks that are inspired by the ideology that gives rise to terrorism, as defined by the Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Provides that, for purposes of awarding the Purple Heart, the Secretary of the military department concerned shall treat a member of the Armed Forces who is killed or wounded in a terrorist attack within the United States in the same manner as a member killed or wounded in action due to an act of an enemy of the United States. Makes this Act effective as of January 1, 2009. Directs the Secretaries concerned to: (1) review each death or wounding of a member within the United States between January 1, 2009, and the date of enactment of this Act to determine whether such death or wounding qualifies as a death or wounding resulting from a terrorist attack for purposes of this Act; and (2) upon a positive determination, take appropriate action.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Includes as a homeless veteran, for purposes of eligibility for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a veteran or veteran's family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

Date: 2012-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during and as part of any electronic process for the filing of applications by claimants for benefits provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to: (1) notify each claimant or claimant representative that application services may be available from veterans service organizations (VSOs), and (2) provide such claimant or representative with a list of such VSOs.

Date: 2012-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Nationwide Network of Support for Veterans and Military Families Act of 2012 - Establishes the National Veterans Support Network to, among other things: (1) carry out national activities to raise awareness of the challenges facing military families and veterans, with related media campaigns; (2) provide support to communities that include veterans or members of the Armed Forces; and (3) encourage and promote participation by private organizations in activities that serve and support veterans. Requires the Network to establish a community support grant program to award grants to create or expand community-based veterans readjustment and support programs. Prohibits the Network from accepting any federal funds. Requires annual Network audits and reports to Congress.

Date: 2012-05-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
VISN Reorganization Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to organize the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) into 12 geographically defined Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to ensure that each VISN: (1) is aligned with the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the specific health care requirements of veterans in that network; (2) implements VA national goals within their network and associated medical centers; (3) maintains a regional integrated health care system; (4) identifies and reduces the duplication of functions in VHA clinical, administrative, and operational processes and practices; (5) works to achieve maximum effectiveness in patient care and safety, graduate medical education, and research; (6) assesses the consolidation or realignment of institutional functions, in collaboration and cooperation with other VISNs and specified offices or entities within their network; and (7) develops and shares innovations and best practices with each other at the local, regional, and national levels. Prohibits more than one headquarters for each VISN, with no more than 65 full-time employees. Requires the Secretary to report at least annually to the congressional veterans committees on employment at VISN headquarters. Directs the Secretary, at least every three years, to: (1) review and assess VISN structure and operations, and (2) submit review results to such committees. Requires the Secretary, in order to comply with the requirements of this Act, to realign and combine the current 21 VISNs into 12 geographically defined VISNs, and to appropriately consolidate VISN headquarters. Directs the Secretary to submit to such committees a realignment implementation plan. Provides for the relocation of leased VISN headquarters, requiring the Secretary to notify such committees if renewing or engaging in a new lease for any headquarters. Directs the Secretary to establish up to four regional support centers within the VHA to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the VISNs.

Date: 2012-05-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemember Housing Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to protect against a mortgage foreclosure or residential lease termination the surviving spouse who is the successor in interest to a servicemember who dies while in military service from a service-connected cause. Extends such protection for the nine-month period following the death of the servicemember. Allows the termination of an existing lease by the lessee, without penalties, when the lessee is assigned to or otherwise relocates to federal quarters or military housing. Requires, in such case, the lessee to notify the lessor, which shall include a letter from the servicemember's commanding officer indicating such relocation.

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing and plan that outlines Department of Defense (DOD) efforts to: (1) prevent the hazing of members of the Armed Forces (members) by other members; (2) provide hazing prevention training to members; (3) improve methods of reporting hazing incidents, including anonymous procedures; and (4) respond to and resolve alleged hazing incidents, including prosecution through the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Requires the plan to include the establishment of a database for improving DOD ability to: (1) determine the extent to which hazing incidents are occurring and their nature; and (2) track, respond to, and resolve such incidents.

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a plan to measure Department of Defense (DOD) efforts to achieve a dynamic, sustainable level of members of the Armed Forces that will reflect the diverse population of the United States eligible to serve, including gender-specific, racial, and ethnic populations. Requires the Secretary, in developing and implementing the plan, to develop a standard set of metrics and collection procedures that are uniform across the military departments. Requires progress made in implementing such plan to be included in currently-required annual DOD manpower requirements reports.

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Gender Equality in Combat Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to report to the congressional defense committees on the implementation of a termination of the ground combat exclusion policy for female members of the Armed Forces (DOD policy under which female members are excluded from units and positions below brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground).

Date: 2012-05-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Dignified Burial of Veterans Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish a casket or urn of sufficient quality for a dignified burial for the burial in a national cemetery of a deceased veteran in any case where the Secretary is unable to identify the veteran's next-of-kin and determines that sufficient resources for such casket or urn are not otherwise available. Directs the Secretary to report to the congressional veterans committees on VA compliance with industry standards for caskets and urns.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Extends through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for: (1) payment of a monthly assistance allowance to disabled veterans training or competing for the U.S. Paralympic Team, and (2) assistance to the United States Paralympics, Inc., to plan, develop, manage, and implement a sports program for disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces.

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Provides civil relief for violations of the protections on consumer credit extended to members of the Armed Forces and their dependents, including actual and punitive damages as well as equitable and declaratory relief.

Date: 2012-05-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Small Business Opportunity Act of 2012 - Treats the surviving spouse of a service-disabled veteran who acquires the ownership interest in a small business of the deceased veteran as such veteran, for purposes of eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) service-disabled small business contracting goals and preferences, for a period of: (1) 10 years after the veteran's death, if such veteran was either 100% disabled or died from a service-connected disability; or (2) 3 years after such death, if the veteran was less than 100% disabled and did not die from a service-connected disability.

Date: 2012-05-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemembers Access to Justice Act of 2012 - Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to the enforcement of uniformed services members' employment or reemployment rights or benefits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). Makes unenforceable agreements between an employer and employee requiring arbitration of disputes arising under USERRA. Provides exceptions. Requires the validity and enforceability of such an agreement to be determined by a court (as opposed to the arbitrator). Provides increased liquidated damages, and authorizes punitive damages, against state or private employer violations of USERRA. Provides a right to a jury trial in such cases. Requires (under current law, authorizes) the award of attorney fees in actions to enforce USERRA. Requires (under current law, authorizes) a court to use equitable relief, including injunctions and restraining orders when appropriate, for USERRA violations. Requires federal procurement contracts to include a notice that the contractor may have USERRA obligations. Requires a Comptroller General study on the effectiveness of federal education and outreach programs on employer obligations under USERRA.

Date: 2012-05-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the period in which death gratuities (less amounts contributed to a Coverdell education savings account) and insurance proceeds payable to survivors of members of the Armed Forces or the Uniformed Services may be contributed to a Roth individual retirement account (Roth IRA) from one to three years after receipt of such gratuities or proceeds.

Date: 2012-05-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Helping Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Return to Employment at Home Act or HIRE at HOME Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), as a condition of a grant or contract to a state for certain veterans' employment and training programs, to require the state to demonstrate the consideration of any military training received by a veteran when approving or denying a license or certification as a nursing assistant, certified nursing assistant, commercial driver, emergency medical technician EMT-B or EMT-1, or emergency medical technician-paramedic.

Date: 2012-05-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemember Employment Protection Act of 2012 - Makes unenforceable any clause of an agreement between and employer and employee requiring arbitration of a dispute arising under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Provides an exception when both parties voluntarily agree to arbitration. Requires any issue as to whether such requirement applies to an arbitration clause to be determined by federal law and the validity or enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate to be determined by a court rather than an arbitrator. Protects under USERRA an individual who is absent from employment in order to receive medical or dental treatment for an injury or illness incurred or aggravated in the line of duty. Authorizes the suspension, termination, or debarment of federal contractors for repeated failures or refusals to comply with USERRA protections.

Date: 2012-05-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Allows services for which a homeless veteran receives a grant under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) comprehensive service programs to include furnishing care for a dependent. Requires at least 15% of the total amount of grants awarded under the programs to be expended for a grant program for homeless veterans with special needs. Extends the special needs program permanently (under current law, terminates at the end of FY2013).

Date: 2012-06-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Homeless Veterans Assistance Improvement Act of 2012 - Requires public or private nonprofit entities that receive grants under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans to agree to meet the physical, privacy, safety, and security needs of such veterans. Requires at least 1% of VA financial assistance provided for supportive services for very low-income veteran families in permanent housing to be used for legal services to assist such families with issues that interfere with their ability to obtain or retain housing or supportive services. Allows services for which a homeless veteran receives a grant under the comprehensive service programs to include furnishing care for a dependent. Directs (under current law, authorizes) the VA Secretary to make per diem homeless veterans assistance payments to certain entities that meet the supportive services criteria, but also furnish assistance to individuals who are not veterans. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for the operational expenses of a service center established for homeless veterans. Revises VA authority to provide dental care to veterans receiving certain other assistance through the VA to include those veterans receiving assistance under the United States Housing Act of 1937. Extends permanently the VA comprehensive service programs for homeless veterans. Extends temporarily various VA authorities and programs affecting homeless veterans.

Date: 2012-06-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvements Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to facilitate collaborative research to meet the long-term reproductive health care needs of veterans who have a service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition that was aggravated in the line of active duty, such as a spinal cord injury, that affects the veterans' ability to reproduce. Includes fertility counseling and treatment within authorized VA medical services. Directs the Secretary to furnish such counseling and treatment, including the use of assisted reproductive technology, to a spouse or surrogate of a severely wounded veteran who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated in the line of duty and who is enrolled in the VA health care system, as long as the spouse and veteran apply jointly for such counseling and treatment. Requires the Secretary to enhance the capabilities of the VA women veterans call center: (1) to respond to requests for assistance with accessing VA health care and benefits, and (2) for referral to community resources to obtain assistance with services not furnished by the VA. Amends the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 relating to a pilot program of group retreat reintegration and readjustment counseling for women veterans recently separated from service to: (1) increase from at least 3 to at least 14 the number of locations for such counseling, and (2) extend the pilot program for an additional 2 years. Requires a pilot program under such Act relating to the provision of child care assistance for certain veterans receiving VA health care to be extended until two years after the program is established in the third Veterans Integrated Service Network. (Under current law, such program terminates two years after its original commencement.) Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing child care assistance to veterans receiving or in need of VA readjustment counseling and related mental health services. Requires the program to continue until two years after it is begun at the last Readjustment Counseling Service Region chosen by the Secretary.

Date: 2012-06-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires a state, as a condition for receipt of a grant or contract from the Department of Labor for support of disabled veterans' outreach specialists and local veterans' employment representatives, to establish a program which issues a license or credential to a veteran without requiring any training or apprenticeship if such veteran: (1) receives a satisfactory score on completion of an examination administered by that state, and (2) has at least 10 years of experience in a military occupational specialty that is similar to the civilian occupation for which such license or credential is required.

Date: 2012-06-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Transition Assistance Advisor Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish, as part of the Transition Assistance Program of the Department of Defense (DOD), a Transition Assistance Advisor (TAA) program to provide professionals in each state to serve as statewide contacts to assist members of the Armed Forces in accessing benefits and health care furnished by DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Requires a minimum number of TAAs in each state based on the number of Army and Air National Guard members in such state. Provides additional TAA duties, including the provision of a military-to-civilian transition plan for such members and their families.

Date: 2012-06-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Small Business Protection Act of 2012 - Treats a small business acquired by the surviving spouse or dependent from a member of the Armed Forces killed during active duty as a small business owned and controlled by a service-disabled veteran, for purposes of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) small business contracting goals and preferences. Continues such treatment for the period beginning on the date of the member's death and ending on the earlier of: (1) the date on which the surviving spouse remarries or relinquishes such ownership interest or ten years after the member's death, or (2) the date on which the surviving dependent relinquishes such ownership interest or ten years after the member's death.

Date: 2012-07-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Battlefield Excellence through Superior Training Practices Act or BEST Practices Act - Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD), no later than: (1) October 1, 2014, to develop, test, and validate human-based training methods for training members of the Armed Forces in the treatment of combat injuries, with the goal of replacing live animal-based training methods; and (2) October 1, 2016, to use only use human-based training methods for such purposes. Prohibits the use of animals in such training after the latter date. Provides an exception when the Secretary determines that human-based training methods will not provide an educationally equivalent or superior substitute for live animal-based training methods. Requires an annual report from the Secretary to the congressional defense committees on the development and implementation of the human-based training methods, as well as any exceptions implemented.

Date: 2012-07-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) (Secretary) to establish a veteran jobs corps to employ veterans: (1) in conservation, resource management, and historic preservation projects on public lands and maintenance and improvement projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the National Cemetery Administration; and (2) as firefighters and law enforcement officers. Requires priority employment for veterans who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Provides for such employment in coordination with the Attorney General, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Interior. Directs the Secretary to establish a steering committee for assistance in providing such employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to commence a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing veterans seeking employment with access to computing facilities in order to: (1) match veterans with available jobs based on veterans' skills acquired as members of the Armed Forces, and (2) allow employers to post information about available jobs. Directs the Secretary, as a condition of a grant or contract to a state for certain veterans' employment and training programs, to require the state to demonstrate the consideration of any military training received by a veteran when approving or denying a license or certification as a nursing assistant, certified nursing assistant, commercial driver, emergency medical technician EMT-B or EMT-1, or emergency medical technician-paramedic. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish minimum funding levels for specified veterans' benefits contracts and grants to ensure that each state receives sufficient funding to support at least one disabled veterans' outreach program specialist and one local veterans' employment representative per 5,000 square miles of service delivery area within the state. Directs the Secretary of Labor, during the three-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to provide the Transition Assistance Program to veterans and their spouses at locations other than military installations in at least three and up to five states selected by the Secretary based on the highest rates of veteran unemployment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a 100% continuous levy upon the property and rights of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) providers and suppliers neglecting or refusing to pay taxes. Permits the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport to any individual upon receiving certification from the Secretary of the Treasury that such individual has a delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000.

Date: 2012-07-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security