zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Veteran Employment Transition Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the definition of "qualified veteran" for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit to mean recently discharged veterans and any veteran receiving specified benefits. Defines "recently discharged veteran" to mean: (1) any individual who has served on active duty (other than active duty for training) in the Armed Forces for more than 180 consecutive days, (2) any individual who has been discharged or released from active duty for a service-connected disability, and (3) any member of the National Guard who has served for more than 180 consecutive days in active duty, full-time National Guard duty, or duty in state status. Defines "veteran receiving specified benefits" as any veteran who is certified as being a member of a family receiving assistance under a supplemental nutrition assistance program and is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability. Requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Guard to inform military personnel who are discharged or released from active duty of the work opportunity tax credit and provide them with documentation relating to eligibility for and use of such credit.

Date: 2011-03-01
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Jobs for Veterans Act of 2011 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish within the SBA a Veterans Business Center program (program), headed by a Director, to provide entrepreneurial training and counseling to veterans. Authorizes the Director to make grants to each entity designated as a veterans business center. Requires each center to use such funds on veteran entrepreneurial development, counseling of veteran-owned small businesses through one-on-one instruction and classes, and providing government procurement assistance to veterans. Targets populations where veterans and veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom. Enduring Freedom, or New Dawn exceed the national median. Requires the Director to establish, with respect to veteran-owned small businesses, grant programs for: (1) access to capital; (2) procurement assistance; and (3) service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. Authorizes the Director to carry out, every two years, a veterans entrepreneurial development summit. Requires: (1) an annual report from the Administrator on appointments made to, and activities of, the interagency task force on veteran-owned small businesses; and (2) a study by the Comptroller General of the effects of this Act on small businesses owned and controlled by veterans.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept as proof of service-connection of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) alleged to have been incurred in or aggravated by active military service a diagnosis of PTSD by a mental health professional, together with written testimony by the veteran and a written determination by the professional that such disorder is related to the veteran's service, notwithstanding the fact that there is no official record of such incurrence or aggravation in such service, and to resolve every reasonable doubt in favor of the veteran. Allows such service-connection to be rebutted by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary. Provides the same conditions (with the same authorized rebuttal) with respect to acceptance of proof of service-connection of certain mental health conditions alleged to have been incurred or aggravated by military sexual trauma experienced during active military service.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
K-9 Companion Corps Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the K-9 Companion Corps program for the awarding of grants to nonprofit organizations to assist them in establishing programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain disabilities. Defines the term "assistance dog" to mean a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of such a disability, except that such term does not include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Safe Haven for Heros Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit for 5 hours (currently, 60 minutes) before and after a funeral of a member of the Armed Forces that is not located at a cemetery under the control of the National Cemetery Administration or part of Arlington National Cemetery: (1) activity that disturbs the peace or good order of that funeral, and (2) activity within 2500 (currently, 300) feet of the boundary of the location of such funeral that impedes access to or egress from such location.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Authorizes space-available travel on military aircraft, on the same basis as active-duty members, for members of the reserves. Authorizes such travel, on the same basis as members entitled to retired pay, for: (1) a former member of the reserves who is entitled to retired pay but for attaining the required age (generally, 60); and (2) unremarried surviving spouses of such members or former members. Authorizes such travel for dependents of such members or former members, if accompanying the member.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Children of Military Service Members Commemorative Lapel Pin Act - Requires a lapel button, to be known as the children of military service members commemorative lapel button, to be designed, as approved by the Secretary of Defense (DOD), to identify and recognize child dependents of members of the Armed Forces who serve on active duty for more than 30 days. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should expedite the design and manufacture of the button, as well as mechanisms to facilitate its issuance. Makes such button available retroactively to the child of any member satisfying such eligibility conditions before the enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to notify members with qualifying service since September 30, 2001, of the availability of the button.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Treats a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DOD) who was killed or wounded in a covered attack outside a combat zone as a member killed or wounded in a combat zone or an employee killed or wounded while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation, respectively, for purposes of all applicable federal laws, regulations, and policies. Defines "covered attack" as an attack at: (1) Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009; (2) a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009; or (3) the Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on March 2, 2011. Excludes from such consideration any member or DOD employee whose death or wound was the result of misconduct, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honor the Written Intent of our Soldier Heroes Act or Honor the WISH Act - Includes, as a person authorized to direct disposition of the remains of a member of the Armed Forces who dies while on active duty, the person identified by the decedent on the record of emergency data maintained by the Secretary of the military department concerned as the Person Authorized to Direct Disposition, regardless of the relationship of the designee to the decedent.

Date: 2011-03-11
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Combat Act - Increases, as of the beginning of FY2011, the maximum monthly rates of: (1) hostile fire or imminent danger pay from $225 to $260; (2) hazardous duty pay from $250 to $260; and (3) the monthly family separation allowance from $250 to $285.

Date: 2011-03-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Global Combat Zone Recognition Act - Treats a member of the Armed Forces (member) or civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DOD) (employee) who is killed or wounded in an attack outside a combat zone as a member killed or wounded in a combat zone or an employee killed or wounded while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation, respectively, for purposes of all applicable federal laws, regulations, and policies. Excludes from such consideration any member or employee whose death or injury is the result of misconduct, as determined by the Secretary of Defense. Provides retroactive coverage under this Act with respect to victims of attacks at: (1) Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009; (2) a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009; and (3) the Frankfurt Airport, Germany, on March 2, 2011. Directs the Secretary to notify appropriate members and employees or their next-of-kin of the availability of benefits as the result of this Act.

Date: 2011-03-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Universal National Service Act of 2011 - Declares that it is the obligation of every U.S. citizen, and every other person residing in the United States, between the ages of 18 and 25 to perform a 2-year period of national service, unless exempted, either as a member of an active or reserve component of the Armed Forces or in a civilian capacity that promotes national defense. Requires induction into national service by the President. Allows persons to be inducted only: (1) under a declaration of war or national emergency, or (2) when members of the Armed Forces are engaged in a contingency operation. Requires each person, before induction, to be examined physically and mentally for classification for fitness to perform. Sets forth provisions governing: (1) induction deferments, postponements, and exemptions, including exemption of a conscientious objector from combatant training and military service; and (2) discharge following national service. Amends the Military Selective Service Act to authorize the military registration of females.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Equal Treatment for Service Dogs Act or VETS Dogs Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) from prohibiting the use of service dogs in or on any VA facility or property or any facility or property that receives VA funding.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act - Permits a veteran with any compensable service-connected disability (and the veteran's dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Denies a pay adjustment to civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DOJ) who have an unacceptable performance rating.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Support for Survivors Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to identify the most appropriate and effective means for the preservation by the Department of Defense (DOD) of documentary evidence of incidents of sexual assault or harassment in which a member of the Armed Forces is the victim (covered incidents), which shall be the sole means used by all the military departments. Requires the means identified to be in electronic form and to include the full protection of the victim's privacy and lifetime access to such evidence. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a joint task force to determine whether to establish a documentary evidence form, report, or document in lieu of forms, reports, and documents currently generated by DOD. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report to Congress on the means of preservation identified; and (2) provide for the implementation of such means by the military departments within 18 months after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2011-03-30
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Reserve Retirement Deployment Credit Correction Act - Removes the requirement that days of active duty or active service used to reduce the minimum age at which a member of the reserves may retire for non-regular (reserve) service must occur in the same fiscal year.

Date: 2011-03-31
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to consider certain methods for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a member of the merchant marine during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such methods to include Social Security Administration (SSA) records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, or other official employment records. Requires the Secretary to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for the merchant marine or discharge therefrom, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period.

Date: 2011-03-31
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, during a federal funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, to transfer to the Secretary of Defense (DOD), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the case of the Coast Guard, amounts necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including the reserves, who perform active service during the funding gap. Prohibits any such transfer after December 31, 2011.

Date: 2011-03-31
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Jobs for Veterans Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an increased work opportunity tax credit for the hiring in 2011 or 2012 of veterans discharged or released from active military duty after September 11, 2001. Reduces amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Veterans Affairs for general administration in FY2011 and FY2012 to offset the cost of the increased credit allowed by this Act.

Date: 2011-04-01
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honoring Hometown Heroes Act - Permits the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a first responder (firefighter, police officer, or emergency medical service provider) serving in the line of duty.

Date: 2011-04-01
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer to the Secretary of Defense (DOD), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in the case of the Coast Guard, amounts necessary to provide pay and allowances to members of the Armed Forces, including the reserves, who perform active service during any funding gap during FY2011 when interim or full-year appropriations for the military personnel accounts have not been enacted. Requires: (1) such members to continue to be paid even if the debt of the U.S. government reaches its statutory limit, and (2) such pay obligation to take priority over all other government obligations.

Date: 2011-04-04
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2011, 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. Andrew Connolly Veterans' Housing Act - Extends through 2016 the authority of the Secretary to provide specially adapted housing assistance to certain disabled veterans residing temporarily in housing owned by a family member.

Date: 2011-04-06
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. Requires an annual report from the Secretary to the congressional defense committees on the development and implementation of the human-based training methods.

Date: 2011-04-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Prohibits: (1) more than one gravesite from being provided at Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington) to a veteran or member of the Armed Forces who is eligible for burial there and family members also eligible for burial there, and (2) a gravesite from being reserved at Arlington before an individual's death. Provides an exception under (2) above, in the case of a request submitted to the Secretary of the Army before January 1, 1962. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on reservations made for interment at Arlington.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Provides that if a funding gap occurs during FY2011 impacting the Armed Forces, amounts shall be appropriated at the rate provided for military personnel accounts by Division A of H.R. 1, for the purpose of providing pay and allowances to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard (including their reserve components) who perform active service during the funding gap.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honor Our Fallen Heroes Act - Appropriates amounts to the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) during a funding gap impacting the Armed Forces to allow for the timely payment of death gratuities under specified code provisions addressing death benefits for deceased military personnel. Defines "funding gap" as any period during FY2011 for which interim or full-year appropriations (other than as provided by this Act) for the personnel accounts of the Armed Forces for that fiscal year have not been enacted.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Appeals Improvement Act of 2011 - Provides that if a veteran claimant or representative submits new evidence in support of a case for which a substantive appeal has been filed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals, such evidence shall be submitted directly to the Board and not to the agency of jurisdiction, unless the claimant or representative requests that the evidence first be reviewed by the agency of jurisdiction.

Date: 2011-04-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Appropriates amounts to the Secretary of Defense (DOD) (and the Secretary of Homeland Security [DHS] with respect to the Coast Guard) during a funding gap impacting the Armed Forces to allow for the timely payment of pay and allowances, and for death gratuities under specified code provisions addressing death benefits for deceased military personnel. Defines "funding gap" as any period during FY2011 for which interim or full-year appropriations (other than as provided by this Act) for the personnel accounts of the Armed Forces for that fiscal year have not been enacted.

Date: 2011-04-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Defense Sexual Trauma Response Oversight and Good Governance Act (Defense STRONG Act) - Amends the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to require the Director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office to be appointed from general or flag officers or Department of Defense (DOD) employees in a comparable Senior Executive Service position. Requires the assignment within each military brigade or equivalent unit level of at least one full-time Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and one full-time Sexual Assault Victim Advocate, allowing the Secretary of the military department concerned to assign additional coordinators and/or advocates based on the demographics or needs of the unit. Allows only members of the Armed Forces (members) or DOD civilian personnel to be assigned as coordinators or advocates as of October 1, 2013. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a professional training and certification program for such coordinators and advocates. Entitles any member, or dependent of a member, who is the victim of a sexual assault to legal assistance provided by a military legal assistance counsel and coordinator and advocate services, regardless of whether the member elects unrestricted or restricted (confidential) reporting of the assault. Makes privileged any communications between a member or dependent and a coordinator, advocate, legal counsel, or person staffing a helpline. Directs the Secretary to establish a system for tracking and maintaining for at least 100 years any medical, investigative, and other records prepared or obtained by DOD in connection with a sexual assault involving a member or dependent. Requires permanent access to such records by the victim. Requires the transfer from the Secretary to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) of certain medical records in anticipation of a member's discharge, release, retirement, or medical treatment. Provides for the expedited consideration of, and priority for, an application by victims of sexual assault for a permanent change of station or unit transfer based on humanitarian conditions. Requires each military department Secretary to develop a curriculum to provide sexual assault prevention and response training and education for members and civilian employees of that department. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for the inclusion of a sexual assault prevention and response training module at each level of professional military education, and (2) require managers of specialty skills associated with first responders to integrate sexual assault response training in initial and recurring first responder training courses.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Guarantee Paychecks for America's Military Families Act - Prioritizes, in the event that the public debt of the U.S. government reaches the statutory limit, the following obligations over all other obligations: (1) the Secretary of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on debt held by the public; (2) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to pay members of the Armed Forces the earned pay, allowances, and other compensation paid from military personnel accounts; and (3) the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to carry out a contingency operation (as defined in existing provisions of federal military law), including the pay earned by civilian employees of the DOD and the Coast Guard serving in a combat zone (as defined in existing provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986). Appropriates to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security, for any period of lapsed appropriations, such amounts as may be necessary to allow such Secretaries to provide, during the period of lapsed appropriations and without interruption: (1) pay and allowances to members of Armed Forces, including reserve components thereof, who perform active service during the period of lapsed appropriations; and (2) pay to civilian employees of the DOD and the Coast Guard serving in a combat zone. Defines "period of lapsed appropriations" as any period during which appropriations are not available due to the absence of the timely enactment of any Act or joint resolution (whether a general appropriations Act or an Act or joint resolution making continuing appropriations) appropriating funds for the payment of the pay and allowances of members of the Armed Forces or civilian employees of the DOD and Coast Guard.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Sanctity of Eternal Rest for Veterans Act of 2011 or SERVE Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code concerning the prohibition on disruptions of funerals of members or former members of the Armed Forces to increase the period covered under such prohibition from one to two hours before and after a military funeral. Includes within such unlawful conduct any disturbance or disruption occurring within 500 feet of the residence of a surviving member of a deceased's immediate family. Provides civil remedies, including actual and statutory damages. Makes identical changes under federal veterans' provisions concerning the prohibition on certain demonstrations and disruptions at national cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetery.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
War Powers Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the War Powers Resolution to repeal an existing framework under which the President is required to terminate, within 60 days, subject to a possible 30-day extension, any use of Armed Forces with respect to which the President has submitted (or is required to submit) a report concerning the introduction of Armed Forces into hostilities in the absence of a declaration of war, unless: (1) Congress declares war or enacts specific authorization, (2) extends the 60-day period, or (3) is physically unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States. Strikes provisions concerning congressional action to remove Armed Forces engaged in hostilities without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization. Replaces such framework with a process that prohibits funds available for the Armed Forces from being obligated or expended for introducing the Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated, in the absence of: (1) a declaration of war; (2) specific statutory authorization or obligation under a treaty; or (3) a national emergency created by an attack or imminent threat of attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or the Armed Forces. Provides that such prohibition shall not be construed to prohibit the use of such funds to provide for the defense of Israel created by an attack upon Israel.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Choice in Filing Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a two-year pilot program to permit a qualifying veteran filing a claim for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits to submit such claim to any VA regional office. Includes as a qualifying veteran one who, except for the pilot program, would be required to submit such claim to one of five VA regional offices selected by the Secretary based on below-average performance. Requires reports from the Secretary to Congress on: (1) the five below-average offices selected by the Secretary; and (2) the pilot program, including recommendations on the allocation of resources among the regional offices.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Force Protection and Readiness Act - Grants, in cases arising under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) for communications made between an alleged victim of sexual assault and a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate of the Department of Defense (DOD), to an individual who consulted with such an Advocate, a victim service organization, or a health care professional the privilege of refusing to disclose a confidential communication made by the individual if such communication was made for the purpose of securing advice, counseling, treatment, or assistance in connection with a sexual assault or other sexual misconduct. Allows the privilege to be claimed by the individual's guardian or conservator. Provides exceptions. Requires the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide for the expedited consideration of a request for a permanent change of military station or unit transfer submitted by a member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who was a victim of sexual assault or other sexual offense. Codifies under federal law a required information database on sexual assault incidents involving members of the Armed Forces. Repeals a superseded requirement under the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a universal hotline to facilitate the reporting of sexual assault involving members of the Armed Forces. Requires: (1) at least one full-time Sexual Assault Victim Advocate to be assigned to each battalion or equivalent military unit, and (2) appropriate training and certification of such advocates. Requires a copy of the record of proceedings of a court-martial involving a sexual assault or other sexual offense to be given to the victim if the victim testified during the proceedings. Directs the Secretary to provide a training module for judge advocates who serve as trial counsel to improve their ability to investigate and prosecute cases involving a sexual assault or other sexual offense.

Date: 2011-05-04
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
United States Cadet Nurse Corps Equity Act - Deems service of a person as a member of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps between July 1, 1943, and December 15, 1945 (qualified service), to be active military service for purposes of all laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to issue an honorable discharge to each person whose qualified service warrants one, and (2) the discharge to be issued before the end of the one-year period beginning on the enactment of this Act. Prohibits benefits from being paid to persons as a result of such enactment for any period before the enactment date.

Date: 2011-05-04
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to award the Army Combat Action Badge to any member of the Army who participated in combat during which the person actually engaged, or was personally engaged by, the enemy at any time between December 7, 1941, and September 18, 2001, as long as such person has not been previously recognized for such participation.

Date: 2011-05-11
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Outreach Enhancement Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year program of outreach to veterans to increase: (1) their access and use of federal, state, and local programs providing compensation and other benefits for service in the Armed Forces; and (2) their awareness of and eligibility for such programs. Allows the Secretary, under the program, to enter into agreements with other federal and state agencies and specified authorities and commissions to carry out projects to further such purposes.

Date: 2011-05-11
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Health Equity Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, with respect to each of the 48 contiguous states, to ensure that veterans eligible for hospital care and medical services through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have access to: (1) at least one full-service VA medical center in the state, or (2) hospital care and medical services comparable to that provided in full-service VA medical centers through contract with other health providers in the state. Makes such requirement effective only to the extent and in amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress on compliance with such requirement, including its effect on improving the quality and standards of veterans' care.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Wounded Warrior Tax Equity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prevent any extension of the tax collection period after assessment for taxpayers who are members of the Armed Forces due to a hospitalization for combat zone injuries.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Sets a maximum age limit of 40 years for an original appointment to a position as a federal law enforcement officer in the case of individuals who have been discharged or released from active duty in the Armed Forces under honorable conditions. Increases the age at which such an individual must be separated from service as an officer to 60 years of age, with an authorized exemption until age 63.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Military Commissions Guilty Plea Adjustment Act - Permits a guilty plea made by the accused prior to the announcement of the sentence in a capital offense trial before a military commission to form the basis of an agreement to reduce the maximum approved sentence.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Extends for one year and 30 days after the enactment of this Act the authority of members of the Armed Forces or veterans who have completed more than 10 years of active-duty service to transfer to family members any portion of their unused post-9/11 educational assistance program benefits.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Women's Fair and Equal Right to Military Service Act - Requires the Secretary of Defense to revise the military personnel policies of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the military departments so that such policies do not restrict members of the Armed Forces from assignment to units and positions based on gender. Prohibits any change in a military personnel policy that would exclude based on gender from taking effect until: (1) the Secretary submits to Congress a notice of the intent to make the change, and (2) the expiration of 30 legislative days after Congress receives such notice. Repeals specified existing Armed Forces personnel laws directing the Secretary to notify Congress of changes to the ground combat exclusion policy (defined in the existing provisions as military personnel policies of DOD and military departments, as in effect on October 1, 1994, by which female members of the armed forces are restricted from assignment to units and positions below brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground), assignment of females to certain military career designators, and other related personnel policy changes.

Date: 2011-05-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Supply Our Soldiers Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide for a program under which postal benefits are provided to a member of the Armed Forces who is on active duty and who is either: (1) serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or (2) hospitalized at a military medical facility as a result of such service. Provides the postal benefits in the form of coupons or other evidence of credit (vouchers) to use for postal-free mailings. Makes the benefits program applicable during FY2012-FY2017.

Date: 2011-05-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Hiring Heroes Act of 2011- Amends the Wounded Warriors Act to extend until January 1, 2015, the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide the same rehabilitation and vocational benefits to members of the Armed Forces with severe injuries or illnesses as are provided to veterans. Expands the authority of the VA Secretary to make payments to employers to provide on-job training to veterans to include veterans who have not been rehabilitated to the point of employability. Entitles certain veterans with service-connected disabilities who have exhausted their rights to unemployment benefits to participation in an additional VA rehabilitation program. Limits the duration of such a program to 24 months. Makes the 12-year period of eligibility for a VA rehabilitation program inapplicable under such an additional program. Instructs the VA Secretary to follow-up on the employment status of veterans who participate in a VA rehabilitation program. Requires (current law encourages) participation by eligible members in the Transitional Assistance Program (TAP) of the Department of Defense (DOD). Requires (under current law, authorizes) the provision of preseparation counseling to members whose discharge or release is anticipated. Instructs the Secretary of Labor to follow-up on the employment status of members who complete their participation in the TAP. Directs the VA Secretary to award grants to up to three nonprofit organizations under a collaborative veterans' training, mentoring, and placement program for eligible veterans seeking employment. Requires participants in the TAP to receive individualized assessments of civilian positions for which they may be qualified based on a joint DOD, VA, and Department of Labor study of the equivalencies between military skills and civilian employment requirements. Authorizes the appointment of an honorably discharged member of the uniformed services to a position in the civil service, without regard to specified civil service examination, certification, and appointment provisions, if otherwise qualified. Requires executive agencies to establish programs to provide employment assistance to members who are being separated from active duty. Directs the Secretary of Labor to carry out an outreach program to provide employment assistance to certain veterans who have been receiving assistance under the Unemployment Compensation for Ex-servicemembers program. Authorizes a pilot program to assess the feasibility of providing work experience to certain members of the Armed Forces who are on terminal leave. Requires (under current law, authorizes) a VA demonstration project on the credentialing and licensing of veterans.

Date: 2011-05-23
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability (under current law, only a disability rated at 50% or more). Repeals provisions phasing in the full concurrent receipt of such pay through December 31, 2013. Makes eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay those individuals who were retired or separated from military service due to a service-connected disability. Repeals certain provisions which require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age. Prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund. Repeals the optional authority of (and instead requires) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. Directs the Secretary concerned to restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to a surviving child or children of a member. Removes the requirement that days of active duty or active service used to reduce the minimum age at which a member of the reserves may retire for non-regular (reserve) service must occur in the same fiscal year.

Date: 2011-05-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Permits the posthumous transfer of Post 9/11 Educational Assistance (an educational assistance entitlement for certain members of the Armed Forces serving on or after September 11, 2001) to the spouse or children of eligible Armed Forces members when the application of a member electing to transfer such assistance was not approved before the member died in the line of duty. Allows transfers of such entitlements by individuals honorably discharged or released from active duty in the Armed Forces due to a service-connected disability or after sustaining an injury in line of duty requiring hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care or treatment. (Current law requires an individual to be serving as a member of the Armed Forces when the transfer is executed.) Sets forth extended and alternative eligibility periods for such individuals. Applies this Act to individuals who become eligible to transfer such benefits on or after August 1, 2009.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Modifies the requirement that the Secretary concerned provide preseparation counseling to members of the Armed Forces whose discharge or release from active duty is anticipated as of a specific date. Directs the Secretary concerned, including the Secretary of Defense (DOD) and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), to require such members to receive, as part of their preseparation counseling, employment assistance, job training assistance, and other transitional services under a specified program established by the Secretary of Labor.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Dr. James Allen Veteran Vision Equity Act of 2007 to apply specified provisions of the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001 and the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 concerning the provision of government markers for marked graves of veterans at private cemeteries to headstones, markers, and medallions for individuals dying before, on, or after November 1, 1990. (Current law applies only to headstones and markers for individuals dying on or after that date.)

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Missing in America Act of 2011 - 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: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Fort McClellan Health Registry Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Fort McClellan Health Registry containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, during the period beginning on January 1, 1935, and ending on May 20, 1999, and who: (1) applies for care or services from the VA; (2) files a claim for compensation on the basis of any disability which may be associated with such service; (3) dies and is survived by a spouse, child, or parent who files a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation on the basis of such service; (4) requests a health examination from the VA; or (5) receives such health examination and requests inclusion in the Registry. Requires the Secretary, upon request, to provide such health examination, as well as consultation and counseling with respect to examination results. Directs the Secretary to: (1) notify individuals in the Registry of significant developments in research on the health consequences of potential exposure to a toxic substance or environmental hazard related to service at Fort McClellan; and (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Disability Claims Efficiency Act of 2011 - Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), in the case of a disability claim with multiple conditions, to assign an interim disability rating for the condition(s) that can be assigned without further development and to continue development of the remaining condition(s). Requires an interim disability rating to remain in effect unless the Secretary later assigns an increased rating for such condition. Prohibits the continuation of such rating if the rating was based on fraud or the condition improves. Directs the Secretary to establish a process for the rapid identification of initial claims for disability compensation that should, in adjudication, receive priority in the order of review. Requires the Secretary to identify whether claims have the potential of being adjudicated quickly, the claims qualify for priority treatment, and a temporary disability rating could be assigned for such claims. Authorizes the Secretary to provide priority based on the effect such priority would have on a claimant.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act - Permits a veteran with any compensable service-connected disability (and the veteran's dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.

Date: 2011-06-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security