zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD), within one year after enactment of this bill, to identify:

 certain disability severance payments that were not considered gross income to veterans with combat-related injuries paid after January 17, 1991, from which DOD withheld amounts for tax purposes, and the individuals to whom such severance payments were made. DOD shall provide each such veteran with: (1) notice of the amount of improperly withheld severance payments, and (2) instructions for filing amended tax returns to recover such amount.

The period for filing a related claim with the Internal Revenue Service for a credit or refund is extended beyond the three-year limitation to the date that is one year after DOD provides the veteran with the information required by this bill.

(Sec. 4) DOD shall ensure that amounts are not withheld for tax purposes from DOD severance payments to individuals when such payments are not considered gross income.

(Sec. 5) DOD shall report on: (1) the number of identified individuals, (2) the aggregate amount of payments withheld for tax purposes from such severance payments, and (3) a description of how DOD shall ensure that the withheld amounts will not be considered gross income to the affected individuals.

Date: 2016-04-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Love Lives On Act of 2016

This bill amends the definition of a veteran's "surviving spouse," for the purpose of veterans benefits provisions, to eliminate the requirement that such person: (1) has not remarried; or (2) has not, since the death of the veteran and after September 19, 1962, lived with another person and held himself or herself out to be the other person's spouse.

The effective date of an award of specified veterans benefits to a surviving spouse based upon termination of a remarriage by death or divorce occurring before the date of enactment of this bill shall be the date of death, or the date the judicial decree or divorce becomes final, if an application therefor is received within one year of the remarriage's termination.

Date: 2016-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Harry Lew Military Hazing Accountability and Prevention Act

This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to: (1) establish a data-collection system for reports, including anonymous reports, of hazing incidents involving a member of the Armed Forces; and (2) issue DOD-wide guidance regarding database availability and use, including information on protected classes such as race and religion.

Each military department shall: (1) improve service member training to better recognize, prevent, and respond to hazing at all command levels; and (2) conduct an annual hazing survey, which shall include the extent to which service members report hazing and the effectiveness of anti-hazing training.

Date: 2016-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
VA Appeals Modernization Act of 2016

This bill amends the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits appeals process to permit a claimant to request:

 a review of the Agency of Original Jurisdiction's decision by a higher-level adjudicator within the agency under which no additional evidence may be submitted; or a Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) review under which no BVA hearing is requested and no additional evidence may be submitted or under which a BVA hearing is requested and the appellant requests an opportunity to submit additional evidence at, and within 90 days of, the hearing. ("Agency of Original Jurisdiction" means the activity which entered the original determination with regard to a claim for veterans benefits.)

The BVA shall maintain two such separate dockets.

A finding favorable to a claimant is binding on all subsequent VA adjudicators unless clear and convincing evidence is shown to the contrary.

The BVA may remand a claim to the agency to obtain a corrective advisory medical opinion.

The bill revises effective dates of awards provisions.

The VA's duty to assist a claimant shall not apply: (1) once the claimant is provided notice of the agency's initial decision, and (2) to higher-level agency or BVA review.

The VA is not required to send notice for a supplemental claim or to readjudicate a claim that has been disallowed except when new and relevant evidence is presented or secured (currently such provisions applies to reopening such claim).

A claimants's notice of disagreement must set out specific allegations of error of fact or law. The BVA is authorized to dismiss an appeal which fails to do so.

Date: 2016-04-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Medal of Honor Legacy Act

This bill directs the Department of the Army to reserve 100 in-ground burial plots at Arlington National Cemetery for interment of deceased Medal of Honor recipients.

Such requirement shall terminate when the Army submits a report on the cemetery's interment and inurnment capacity that includes: (1) the estimated date of achieving maximum capacity; and (2) recommendations to ensure that such capacity is not reached until well into the future, including actions to redefine interment eligibility and considerations for cemetery expansion.

Date: 2016-04-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Appropriate Care for Disabled Veterans Act

This bill repeals the termination date of (thus, reinstates) the requirement for an annual report from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the VA's compliance, by facility and by service-network, with requirements for managing the provision of hospital care and medical services furnished to veterans with service-connected disabilities.

Date: 2016-04-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on December 7, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Communities Helping Invest through Property and Improvements Needed for Veterans Act of 2016 or the CHIP IN for Vets Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a five-year pilot program under which it may accept up to five donations by non-federal entities of: (1) real property that includes a constructed facility or that is to be used as the site of a facility constructed by the entity, and (2) a facility to be constructed by the entity on real property of the VA.

A donation must be: (1) a property for which funds have been appropriated for a VA facility project or a property that is identified as meeting a need of the VA as part of its long-range capital planning process and that is the location for a VA facility project that is included on the Strategic Capital Investment Planning process priority list; and (2) donated pursuant to a formal agreement with the VA for a VA facility project in an amount acceptable to the VA at no additional cost to the federal government.

Such a formal agreement must provide for: (1) the donation of real property that includes a constructed facility; or (2) the construction of a facility on VA real property or on real property donated to the VA by the entity. An agreement that provides for the construction of a facility shall require the entity to:

 conduct all necessary environmental and historic preservation due diligence, comply with all local zoning requirements, obtain all required construction permits, use construction standards required of the VA when designing, repairing, altering, or building the facility, and provide the real property, improvements, goods, or services in a manner sufficient to complete the construction at no additional cost to the federal government. The VA may not: (1) pay rent, usage fees, or any other amounts to an entity for the use or occupancy of real property donated under this bill; and (2) provide funds to help the entity finance, design, or construct such a facility that are in addition to those appropriated for the facility as of the date of the donation agreement.

An entity that: (1) is donating a facility constructed by the entity shall be required to provide other funds in addition to the amounts provided by the VA that are needed to complete construction of the facility; and (2) seeks to donate real property shall submit an application to address needs relating to VA facilities, including health care needs, identified in its Construction and Long-Range Capital Plan in such manner as the VA may require.

The VA shall include in the annual budget submitted to Congress by the President information regarding real property donated under the pilot program and the status of facility projects relating to that property.

 The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress every two years until the program ends on the donation agreements under the program.

Date: 2016-04-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Success in Transition for All Veterans Act

This bill directs the Department of Labor to carry out a research program to evaluate whether the transition assistance program addresses the differentiated needs, challenges, and post-military service aspirations of women veterans, veterans with disabilities, Native American veterans, veterans who are residents of a U.S. territory, veterans who are part of the indigenous population of a U.S. territory, and other groups of minority veterans. (The transition assistance program is a Labor program that assists members of the armed forces separating from active duty and their spouses in identifying and obtaining employment and training opportunities.)

The research program shall address:

 whether and how employment barriers and employment aspirations facing such veterans are substantively different from other veteran populations; and whether the transition program is designed to address such differences and, if not, changes that could be made to do so.

Date: 2016-05-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
State Outreach for Local Veterans Employment Act of 2016

This bill prohibits the Department of Labor from rejecting a disabled veterans training and employment outreach plan submitted by a state based solely on which agency the state selected to carry out the plan.

Labor shall encourage each state to: (1) colocate its disabled veterans outreach program specialists and local veterans employment representatives with one or more one-stop centers, and (2) tailor its plan to meet the employment and training needs of in-state veterans.

If a plan addresses a significant employment barrier, a state may propose such barriers as appropriate in order to allow additional categories of veterans to receive outreach and local veterans employment representative services.

 Labor shall, if it objects to only a portion of a state's plan: (1) approve those portions of the plan that it does not object to, (2) submit to the state an explanation of which portions were not approved and why, and (3) allow the state to submit revisions to such portions for approval.

Date: 2016-05-11
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Improving Transition Programs for All Veterans Act

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to study and report on programs to assist veterans in their transition to civilian life.

Such study shall determine the effectiveness of current programs, especially concerning the challenges faced by women veterans, veterans with disabilities, Native American veterans, veterans who are residents of a U.S. territory, veterans who are part of the indigenous population of a U.S. territory, and other groups of minority veterans with regard to: (1) pursuing higher education, (2) entering the civilian workforce and translating military experience and skills to the job market, and (3) transitioning to civilian life for veterans families.

(Sec. 4) No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this bill. Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.

Date: 2016-05-13
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Justice for Victims of Military Sexual Assault Act

This bill requires each military department to establish a career military justice litigation track for judge advocates in the Armed Forces. Judge advocates participating in the litigation track must have assignments that: (1) relate to the practice of military justice under the Uniform Code of Military Justice; and (2) include trial counsel, defense counsel, military trial judge, military appellate judge, academic instructor, Special Victims Prosecutor, Victims' Legal Counsel, Special Victims' Counsel, and other positions within criminal law offices or divisions of their armed force.

Date: 2016-05-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemember and Veteran Financial Transparency Act 

This bill requires that the Department of Labor's employment and training transition program for members of the Armed Forces separating from active duty include information about the requirement that a veteran who receives voluntary separation pay will have monthly amounts deducted from his or her Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation until the total amount deducted equals the amount of voluntary separation pay received.

Date: 2016-05-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veteran Opportunities on Local Transportation Act of 2016 or the VOLT Act of 2016

This bill authorizes a recipient of public transportation assistance to advertise and award a construction contract that includes requirements for employing veterans residing in or adjacent to any of the areas in which work is to be performed if:

 the project's estimated cost exceeds $10 million; there is no requirement to hire an individual who does not have relevant craft or trade work skills, unless the individual is subject to an apprenticeship or other training program; and the requirements do not compromise the project's quality, unreasonably delay its completion, or unreasonably increase its cost.

Date: 2016-05-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

No Veterans Crisis Line Call Should Go Unanswered Act

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to develop a quality assurance document for carrying out the toll-free Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), which shall: (1) outline performance indicators and objectives to improve the VCL, including at backup call centers; (2) include time frames to meet such indicators and objectives; and (3) be consistent with guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget.

The VA shall develop a plan to ensure that each telephone call, text message, and other communications received by the VCL, including at backup call centers, is answered in a timely manner by a person, consistent with the guidance established by the American Association of Suicidology. The plan shall include guidelines for periodic VCL testing.

 The VA shall submit the document and plan within 180 days.

Date: 2016-06-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay the actual burial and funeral costs (up to a specified limit) for veterans who die in an institution where they were receiving hospital care or medical services under the Veterans Choice Program.

Date: 2016-06-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Justice for Servicemembers Act of 2016

This bill amends the Uniformed Services Employment Rights Act of 1994 to: (1) consider procedural protections or provisions under such Act concerning employment and reemployment rights of members of the uniformed services to be a right or benefit subject to the protection of such Act, and (2) make any agreement to arbitrate a claim under such provisions unenforceable unless all parties consent to arbitration after a complaint on the specific claim has been filed in court or with the Merit Systems Protection Board and all parties knowingly and voluntarily consent to have that particular claim subjected to arbitration.

Consent shall not be considered voluntary when a person is required to agree to arbitrate an action, complaint, or claim alleging a violation of such provisions as a condition of future or continued employment, advancement in employment, or receipt of any right or benefit of employment.

Date: 2016-06-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Military Residency Choice Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to permit the spouse of a servicemember to elect to use the same residence as the servicemember for purposes of taxation and voting, regardless of the date on which the marriage of the spouse and the servicemember occurred.

Date: 2016-06-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Providing Leadership and Improving Veterans Care Act

This bill prohibits any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) senior executive employee whose responsibilities include participation in the rating, ranking, or selection process to fill VA medical center director positions from being paid a bonus unless the VA determines that no permanent VA medical center director position has been vacant for 18 consecutive months.

 Within 30 days after enactment of this bill and every 180 days thereafter, the VA shall report to Congress on the number and length of vacancies in VA medical center director positions.

Date: 2016-06-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 to include members of the Armed Forces and their family members among individuals who are eligible for the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

Date: 2016-06-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
VA Procurement Efficiency and Transparency Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), with respect to any VA contract that is reported in the Federal Procurement Data System, to record the amount of any cost or price savings realized by using competitive procedures in awarding such contract.

The VA shall make available and use on a VA-wide basis the standardized procurement templates used by the Central Office of the VA, the Veterans Health Administration, the Veterans Benefits Administration, and the National Cemetery Administration. Such templates may be customized to address particular procurement situations.

Date: 2016-06-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Highly Rural Veteran Transportation Program Extension Act

This bill amends the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 to reauthorize through FY2020 a grant program to provide innovative transportation options to veterans in highly rural areas.

Date: 2016-06-22
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

Veterans' Compensation COLA Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2016, 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.

Each such increase shall be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance [OASDI]) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.

(Sec. 3) The VA shall publish such increased amounts in the Federal Register not later than the date on which certain OASDI cost-of-living increases are required to be published during FY2017.

Date: 2016-06-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Protecting Veterans Credit Act of 2016

 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to exclude from a consumer report: (1) for one year, information related to a veteran's choice medical program (program) debt; and (2) information related to a fully paid or settled program debt that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection.

The Consumer Credit Protection Act is amended to provide a mechanism for veterans to dispute the inclusion of program debt already on a credit report. A consumer reporting agency shall, within 30 days after receiving notice of such dispute, delete such information from the veteran's file and notify the furnisher and the veteran.

Within five days after the initial communication with a veteran, a debt collector shall, unless the appropriate information is contained in the initial communication or the veteran has paid the debt, send the veteran a written notice containing specified debt-related information, including information concerning debt amount, creditors, the insurance company involved, and the hospital or medical care provider.

If a veteran notifies the debt collector within such one-year period that the program debt is disputed or that the veteran requests the name and address of the original creditor, the debt collector shall cease collection until debt verification or the name and address of the original creditor is obtained.

Date: 2016-06-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
More for Veterans Act

This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure that retired and honorably discharged members of the Armed Forces, including members medically discharged, separated, or on the temporary disability retirement list, and their immediate family remain eligible for Military OneSource Program services for at least one year after the end of the member's tour of service, retirement date, or separation date.

(Military OneSource is a DOD-funded program that provides comprehensive information on aspects of military life at no cost to active duty National Guard and Reserve Component members and their families.)

Date: 2016-07-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Providing Accountability for Veterans Affairs Executives Act of 2016 or the PAVE Act of 2016

This bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and other specified officials of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), as a condition of office and employment and for the duration of their terms, to receive hospital care or medical services (other than emergency medical services) solely from the VA.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require a qualified hazardous duty area to be treated in the same manner as a combat zone for certain tax provisions.

A "qualified hazardous duty area" is the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt if a member of the Armed Forces performs services in such location that qualify for special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger.

The requirement applies to specified tax provisions relating to:

 the special rule where a deceased spouse was in missing status; the exclusion from gross income of certain combat pay of members of the Armed Forces; income taxes of members of the Armed Forces on death; combat zone-related deaths of members of the Armed Forces; the definition of wages relating to combat pay for members of the Armed Forces; the taxation of phone service originating from a combat zone from members of the Armed Forces; joint tax returns where an individual is in missing status; and additional time for individuals serving in combat zones to file returns, pay taxes, and perform other specified acts.

Date: 2016-07-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Federal Aviation Administration Veteran Transition Improvement Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill applies federal civil service requirements to leave used by disabled armed forces veterans in the personnel management system of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

To verify that leave credited to such an employee is used for treating a service-connected disability, the employee shall certify to FAA Human Resource Management that the employee used that leave for purposes of being furnished treatment for that disability by a health care provider.

Date: 2016-09-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act

This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1980, as radiation exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers.

Date: 2016-09-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
VA Accountability for Location of Records Act or the VALOR Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish, within 14 days after receiving a request, any record in its custody pertaining to a claim, or relating to the military service or medical records of a veteran, that the VA is otherwise authorized to furnish to the requester.

If the VA is unable to furnish a record by such time, it shall inform the requester within 10 days after receiving the request of the reason for the delay and the estimated date on which the record will be furnished.

Date: 2016-09-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Financial Independence for Disabled Veterans Act of 2016

This bill requires the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to prescribe regulations to permit continued participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) by a member of the uniformed services after such member's discharge or release from service if such individual is entitled to veterans disability compensation.

For purposes of provisions regarding TSP contributions, such individual's monthly veterans disability compensation shall be deemed to be his or her basic pay for a monthly pay period, but such individual's contribution shall not require or authorize a matching government contribution.

Date: 2016-09-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Arla Harrell Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reconsider and make a new determination regarding each claim for disability compensation in connection with exposure to mustard gas or lewisite during active military, naval, or air service during World War II that was denied before this bill's enactment. The VA or the Department of Defense (DOD): (1) shall presume that a veteran experienced full-body exposure to mustard gas or lewisite unless proven otherwise; and (2) may not use information contained in the DOD and VA Chemical Biological Warfare Database or any list of known testing sites for mustard gas or lewisite maintained by the VA or DOD as the sole reason for determining that the veteran did not experience such exposure.

The VA shall report to Congress every 90 days on reconsidered claims that were denied.

The VA and DOD shall jointly establish a policy for processing future claims in connection with such exposure.

The bill requires DOD, for purposes of determining whether a site should be added to the list of DOD sites where mustard gas or lewisite testing occurred, to: (1) investigate and assess sites where the Army Corps of Engineers has uncovered evidence of mustard gas or lewisite testing or where more than two veterans submitted claims in connection with exposure that were denied; and (2) report on experiments conducted by DOD during World War II to assess the effects of mustard gas and lewisite.

The VA shall: (1) investigate and assess VA actions to reach out to individuals who had been exposed in such experiments, the disability compensation claims that were filed, and the percentage of such claims that were denied; and (2) submit a comprehensive list of each location where such an experiment was conducted.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Charles Duncan Buried with Honor Act of 2016

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if it is unable to identify a deceased veteran's next of kin and if it determines that sufficient resources for the furnishing of a casket or urn for the burial of such veteran are not otherwise available, to furnish a casket or urn for the burial of such veteran in a national cemetery (current law) or in a veterans cemetery of a state or tribal organization for which the VA has provided a grant for the establishment, expansion, and improvement of veterans' cemeteries.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Keep Student Veterans in Their Homes Act of 2016

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to pay educational assistance and subsistence allowances to eligible veterans and eligible persons enrolled in specified courses solely for a monthly housing stipend of up to four months following a permanent school closure.

A housing or educational assistance payment shall not be counted against the aggregate period for which such assistance may be provided or charged against the individual's entitlement to educational assistance.

Date: 2016-09-22
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Private Corrado Piccoli Purple Heart Preservation Act of 2016

This bill provides that regulations restricting the purchase, production, sale, or exchange of military medals or decorations may not authorize the sale of a Purple Heart awarded to a member of the Armed Forces.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Collaborating for Economic Reintegration of Troops Act or the CERT Act

This bill establishes the Commission on Veteran Certification Standards which shall:

 examine the challenges confronting members of the Armed Forces and their spouses upon post-service entry into the civilian workforce; determine best state practices and evaluate efforts to assist members of the Armed Forces in obtaining professional credentials to facilitate the transfer of military skills and certifications to civilian settings; identify industries and jobs that can most benefit from military experience; develop recommended Blue Star credentialing standards and design evaluation criteria that the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs can use to evaluate state and territory utilization of such standards; and develop related administrative recommendations.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Honor Our National Guard Act

This bill prohibits the department concerned (the Department of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Homeland Security, Commerce, or Health and Human Services) from requiring the repayment by a member of the uniformed services of any bonus or similar payment under provisions regarding special pay and repayment of an unearned portion of a bonus, incentive pay, or a similar benefit unless the Department, in the case of such a required repayment for failure to perform the required service:

 obtains a signed statement from a commanding officer of at least at the grade of O-6 in the member's chain of command, provides notice to the member of the intent to require repayment, and provides specified notice for the member to respond and provide evidence that the member fulfilled the required service. In the case of such a required repayment by reason that the contract providing for the payment of the bonus is found invalid, the department shall:

 appoint an investigating officer; confirm that such officer determines that the member committed fraud or did not complete the service requirement; and obtain the written concurrence of a general or flag officer in the member's chain of command. The department shall repay, and pay interest on, any amount a member repaid the Department of Defense for a bonus or similar payment the contract for which was found to be invalid.

Date: 2016-11-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Hunger Prevention Act

This bill excludes the value of a housing allowance for a member of a uniformed service from any income, assets, or resources calculation for determining eligibility for the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) and the family subsistence supplemental allowance program.

Date: 2016-11-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Alternatives to Licensing that Lower Obstacles to Work Act of 2016 or the ALLOW Act

This bill declares, for purposes of establishing an individual's authorization to engage in an occupation on a military installation located on federally-owned land, that the federal government endorses occupational licenses and certifications granted by a state (including the District of Columbia [DC]), regardless of whether the installation is located in the issuing state or DC, provided that:

 the license or certification is not expired, revoked, or suspended by the issuing state; and there are no outstanding enforcement actions against the individual brought by the licensing board or certifying authority for that occupation in the issuing state. District of Columbia Occupational Licensing Reform Act

The bill declares DC policy regarding occupational licensing laws.

The bill establishes an Office of Supervision of Occupational Boards in the office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, or another appropriate DC government agency, to be responsible for exercising active supervision over each occupational licensing board to ensure compliance with occupational licensing policy.

The bill prescribes procedures for the Office's review, approval, or rejection of occupational licensure actions before their adoption.

The DC Council shall establish a legislative committee to analyze occupational regulations and review any proposed legislation to impose or modify an occupational regulation to ensure compliance.

An individual may engage in a lawful occupation without being subject to occupational regulations that are arbitrary or unnecessary and substantially burdensome.

The DC government and its boards may not require an occupational license, certification, or registration for a person, or impose any other occupational regulation that imposes a substantial burden on a person, unless:

 the government has an important interest in protecting against present and recognizable harm to public health, safety, or welfare; and the regulation is substantially related to achievement of that interest. Any person providing tour guide services for a fee at certain national parks and memorials shall not be required to obtain a license, certification, or permit to provide those services.

Date: 2016-11-14
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Commerce
Veterans Earned Their Bonus Act or the VET Bonus Act

This bill prohibits the Department of the Army from recouping a bonus or similar benefit that was provided to a member of the California Army National Guard between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010, unless the Army proves, after a hearing opportunity, that the member knowingly: (1) participated in fraud or misrepresentation to receive the bonus or benefit, or (2) failed to satisfy the service requirement upon which the bonus or benefit was conditioned.

A member shall be presumed to have acted in good faith in procuring the bonus or benefit and to have satisfied the service requirement.

The Army shall: (1) reimburse a member for any amount previously recouped, plus interest; (2) notify each consumer reporting agency that any debt and recoupment measures linked to the bonus or benefit were not valid; and (3) provide financial assistance to a member who is facing financial hardship because of the recoupment measures.

Date: 2016-11-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
National Guard Pay Integrity Act

This bill requires the Department concerned (the Department of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Homeland Security, Commerce, or Health and Human Services) to: (1) absolve any debt resulting from any bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit (including any student loan payment or repayment) that was paid to a member of the California National Guard for recruitment or reenlistment during FY2004-FY2010; and (2) refund any such amount such person already repaid to the United States.

Such requirement shall not apply with respect to a debt resulting from any such amount that was paid under circumstances involving fraud or misrepresentation on the part of the California National Guard member.

Date: 2016-11-15
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
National Guard Bonus Repayment and Financial Relief Act

This bill requires the Army to review all bonuses, incentive pays, or similar benefits received by members of the Army National Guard between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2010, to determine if such benefits were issued erroneously and to either: (1) waive repayment of such an erroneous payment if the member concerned fully satisfies any period of service otherwise agreed to or imposed upon the member in connection with receipt of the payment; or (2) repay any such erroneous payment and any interest that was repaid by a member before this bill's enactment if the member fully satisfies any such period of service.

The Army may require an Army National Guard member to repay any such erroneous payment upon determining that: (1) the member knowingly received the benefit through fraud or misrepresentation in which the member participated, or (2) repayment is otherwise consistent with provisions governing repayment of unearned pay.

For any such member granted relief under this bill, the Army shall: (1) notify all consumer credit reporting agencies that any debt subject to the relief was never valid, and (2) provide assistance to the member facing financial hardship as a result of recoupment actions taken in connection with receipt of the payment. A consumer reporting agency notified of the invalidity of such a debt may not, after the date of notice, make any consumer report containing information relating to the debt.

Date: 2016-11-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Health Care Trust Fund Act

This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), upon the commencement of any war, to establish a trust fund to be named for that war.

Amounts collected pursuant to a war tax (required by this bill) shall be deposited into such fund and may be used by the VA to provide for veterans who serve on active duty during that war programs and benefits directly related to their health care.

For any fiscal year during which the VA makes a withdrawal from such a fund, the Government Accountability Office shall conduct an audit of the consolidated financial statements relating to the fund.

The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the imposition upon individuals who have not served on active duty in the Armed Forces of a graduated income tax with respect to each war occurring at any time during the taxable year.

Date: 2016-12-06
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Army Combat Action Badge Eligibility Act

This bill authorizes the Department of the Army to award the Army Combat Action Badge to a person who: (1) participated as a member of the Army between December 7, 1941, and September 18, 2001, in combat during which the person was personally engaged with the enemy; and (2) has not been recognized previously for such participation.

The Army may make arrangements with suppliers of the badge so that eligible persons may procure it directly from suppliers, thereby substantially reducing or eliminating administrative costs for carrying out this bill.

Date: 2016-12-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Service Members Financial Planning Assistance Act of 2016

This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, effective as of January 1, 2018, to require the department concerned (Department of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Homeland Security, or Commerce) to ensure that certain members of the uniformed services who will be eligible to make an election of lump sum payment of certain military retired pay have access to retirement planning assistance with a certified financial planner, at no cost, by December 30, 2017, to help weigh the potential benefits and drawbacks of making such election and of selecting a particular payment percentage.

Date: 2016-12-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Soldier's Help Obtaining Negotiated Rates Act or the Solider's HONR Act

This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to permit an individual to provide to a creditor as proof of military service, in order to qualify for the active service interest rate limitation, a certified letter from a commanding officer or any other appropriate indicator of military service. A creditor may use information from the Defense Manpower Database Center indicating that the individual is on active duty.

A creditor that uses center information has not failed to treat the individual's debt as required if: (1) such information indicates that such individual is not on active duty; and (2) the creditor has not received the other proof required.

Date: 2016-12-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to expand eligibility for the Veterans Choice Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) cover a veteran who is unable to schedule an appointment with his or her primary care physician at the same VA medical facility at which the veteran had the most recent appointment with the physician because the physician is no longer employed at such facility, and (2) establish a minimum one-year period of care or services under such program.

Date: 2016-12-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2015

 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces (military spouse) who moves with such member to another state under a permanent change of station order a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified relicensing costs incurred by such spouse. Defines "qualified relicensing costs" as costs for a state license or certification to engage in the profession that such military spouse engaged in while residing in the former state.

Date: 2015-01-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Operation United Assistance Tax Exclusion Act of 2015

Provides for a tax exclusion of compensation paid to a member of the Armed Forces serving in Operation United Assistance in the Ebola virus disease outbreak area (i.e., Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and any other region designated as experiencing a widespread Ebola virus disease outbreak). Requires that such service member undergo a program of at least 21 days of controlled monitoring upon return from the outbreak area.

Date: 2015-01-22
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Medical Evaluation Parity for Servicemembers Act of 2015

Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) provide an individual with a mental health screening before such individual enlists or is commissioned as an officer in the Armed Forces, and (2) use such results as a baseline for any subsequent mental health examinations.

Prohibits the Secretary from considering the results of such screening in determining the promotion of a member of the Armed Forces.

Directs the Secretary to treat a screening in the same manner as medical records with respect to laws and regulations relating to the privacy of information.

Requires the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to submit to Congress and the Department of Defense (DOD) a report on preliminary mental health screenings of members of the Armed Forces, including recommendations regarding: (1) establishing preliminary mental health screenings to establish parity with physical screenings; and (2) the composition of the mental health screening, evidenced-based best practices, and how to track changes relating to traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions.

Directs DOD and the Government Accountability Office to report on the efficacy of preliminary mental health screenings. Requires DOD to report on the efficacy of the mental health components of the physical examinations to members of the Armed Forces who are separated from active duty.

Date: 2015-03-03
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Service Members and Communities Count Act of 2014 [sic]

Requires the Department 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 residence at their permanent duty station or homeport is located.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics