zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Improving Contracting Opportunities for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, for purposes of meeting Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracting goals with respect to small businesses owned and controlled by veterans, to include the acquisition of goods and services through the use of a federal supply schedule of the General Services Administration (GSA).

Date: 2012-02-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Consolidating Veteran Employment Services for Improved Performance Act of 2012 - Transfers, as of October 1, 2013, to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) specified veterans-related programs of the Department of Labor, including: (1) job counseling, training, employment, and placement services; (2) administration of employment and reemployment rights of members of the reserves; and (3) homeless veterans reintegration programs. Directs the President, for FY2014 and thereafter, to include in the budget request funding for the VA for such functions. Establishes a Deputy Under Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training, to formulate all VA policies and procedures with respect to veterans' employment, unemployment, and training programs. Consolidates provisions establishing VA disabled veterans' outreach program specialists and local veterans' employment representatives into a single provision establishing veteran employment specialists, which shall perform both tasks. Provides similar eligibility and reporting requirements for such specialists.

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

Date: 2012-02-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2012, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.

Date: 2012-02-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Helping Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Return to Employment at Home Act or HIRE at HOME Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), as a condition of a grant or contract to a state for certain veterans' employment and training programs, to require the state to demonstrate the consideration of any military training received by a veteran when approving or denying a commercial driver's license or a certification to be a nursing assistant or certified nursing assistant, a registered nurse, or an emergency medical technician.

Date: 2012-02-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
American Heroes COLA Act - Requires that, whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) shall increase by the same percentage the amounts payable as veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.

Date: 2012-03-05
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Caring for the Fallen Act - Makes the American Battle Monuments Commission responsible for Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Philippines, including ensuring its ongoing maintenance.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Citizen Soldier Equality Act of 2012 - Requires that, in the case of a member of the reserves who is retired or placed on the temporary disability retired list because of an incurred disability for which the member is awarded the Purple Heart, the member shall be credited with the number of years of service that would be counted under the computation of years of service for retired pay for non-regular service.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires that the principal office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) be in the metropolitan area of Washington, DC, but allows the CAVC to sit any place within the United States. Requires judges in active service on the CAVC to: (1) have their official duty station at the principal office, and (2) reside within 50 miles of the District of Columbia. Allows the President to remove judges violating that residency requirement who were confirmed on or after January 1, 2012. Sets forth exceptions for recall-eligible retired judges.

Date: 2012-03-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Iron Dome Support Act - Authorizes the President to provide assistance to the government of Israel for the procurement, maintenance, and sustainment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles launched against Israel.

Date: 2012-03-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: International affairs
Makes eligible for interment or inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery members of the Army who served honorably for at least nine months in the Tomb Guard Platoon of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment which provides sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknowns at such Cemetery.

Date: 2012-03-22
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Includes as a homeless veteran, for purposes of eligibility for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a veteran or veteran's family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Gold Star Fathers Act of 2012 - Includes as a preference eligible for federal employment purposes a parent (currently, the mother only) of either an individual who lost his or her life under honorable conditions while serving in the Armed Forces during a war, in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, or during the period beginning April 28, 1952, and ending July 1, 1955, or a service-connected permanently and totally disabled veteran, if: (1) the spouse of such parent is totally and permanently disabled; or (2) such parent, when preference is claimed, is unmarried or legally separated from his or her spouse.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Tinnitus Research and Treatment Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) recognize tinnitus as a mandatory condition for research and treatment by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Auditory Centers of Excellence, (2) ensure that research is conducted at VA facilities on the prevention and treatment of tinnitus, and (3) ensure VA cooperation with the Hearing Center of Excellence established by the Department of Defense (DOD) to further research on tinnitus.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Disabled Military Child Protection Act of 2012 - Authorizes monthly annuity payments under the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) to a supplemental or special needs trust established for the sole benefit of a disabled dependent child who is incapable of self-support because of mental or physical incapacity.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Expresses the sense of Congress, among other things, that: (1) children of members of the Armed Forces deserve health-care practices and policies that are designed to meet their pediatric-specific needs and ensure and maintain their access to pediatric-specific treatment, providers, and facilities; and (2) the TRICARE program (a Department of Defense [DOD] managed health care program) should meet the needs of such children, including those with special needs and chronic conditions. Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a working group to review the TRICARE program and make appropriate recommendations with respect to pediatric-specific health care and health care settings. Requires an initial and final report from the working group to the congressional defense and appropriations committees.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Fairness for World War II and Korean War Spouses Act - Makes the annual rate of pension paid to the surviving spouses of veterans of World War II or the Korean conflict the greater of the following amounts, reduced by the survivor's annual income: (1) the current limit applicable to surviving spouses of veterans of any period of war; or (2) the amount equal to the poverty line, as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the prior year. Prohibits benefits paid by any federal entity from being included in the determination of annual income.

Date: 2012-04-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Right to Habeas Corpus Act - States that nothing in the Authorization for Use of Military Force or the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 shall be construed to deny the availability of the writ of habeas corpus in a court ordained or established by or under Article III of the Constitution for any person detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force.

Date: 2012-04-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Veterans Affairs Employee Accountability Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that no employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) who violates any civil law covered by the Federal Acquisition Regulation receives any retention incentive, payment, or award for or during the year of such violation.

Date: 2012-04-24
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Fairness for Military Homeowners Act of 2012 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to prohibit the absence of a servicemember from his or her principal place of residence due to active-duty military service from preventing such servicemember from refinancing a mortgage on such residence. Makes such prohibition inapplicable to a servicemember who entered into a refinancing on such residence within the past five years.

Date: 2012-04-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Requires the Secretary of Defense (DOD), within 60 days after the enactment of this Act, to ensure the continuous military command responsibility and accountability for the care, handling, and transportation of the remains of each deceased member of the Armed Forces who dies overseas, beginning with initial recovery of the remains, through the defense mortuary system, until their interment or when the remains are otherwise accepted by the person designated to direct their disposition.

Date: 2012-04-26
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Makes the $100,000 payment limit for qualified losses under the traumatic injury protection coverage of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance inapplicable to any loss directly caused by: (1) armed conflict, (2) training under conditions simulating armed conflict, (3) hazardous service, or (4) a traumatic event caused through an instrumentality of war.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense (DOD), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) with respect to the Coast Guard, should duly honor those members of the Armed Forces who are killed or wounded in the United States in terrorist attacks that are inspired by the ideology that gives rise to terrorism, as defined by the Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Provides that, for purposes of awarding the Purple Heart, the Secretary of the military department concerned shall treat a member of the Armed Forces who is killed or wounded in a terrorist attack within the United States in the same manner as a member killed or wounded in action due to an act of an enemy of the United States. Makes this Act effective as of January 1, 2009. Directs the Secretaries concerned to: (1) review each death or wounding of a member within the United States between January 1, 2009, and the date of enactment of this Act to determine whether such death or wounding qualifies as a death or wounding resulting from a terrorist attack for purposes of this Act; and (2) upon a positive determination, take appropriate action.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Service Members and Communities Count Act of 2012 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce, beginning with the 2020 census, to ensure that all members of the Armed Forces deployed abroad are fully and accurately counted in the tabulation of total population by states and are properly attributed to the state in which their permanent duty station or homeport is located.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) (Secretary) to: (1) assess and develop a uniform definition of hazing, applicable to members of the Armed Forces (members), for inclusion in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ); and (2) submit such definition to Congress. Expresses the sense of Congress that such definition should cover, at a minimum, any situation in which a member suffers or is exposed to any cruelty, indignity, humiliation, hardship, harm, harassment, or oppression, or the deprivation or abridgment of any right, by another member. Requires the Secretary to develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the prevention of and response to hazing involving members. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and implement a centralized, case-level database for the collection and maintenance of information regarding hazing, including incidents occurring at officer candidate schools, military academies and their preparatory schools, and basic training and professional schools for enlisted members. Requires such Secretaries to: (1) submit to Congress a plan to implement the database, and (2) complete implementation within 15 months after the enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to report to Congress: (1) a description of the current status of the Defense Incident-Based Reporting System, and (2) an explanation of how such System will relate to the database. Requires annual reports from each Secretary on the hazing incidents involving members. Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on the policies to prevent hazing and the systems initiated to track incidents of hazing in each of the military departments.

Date: 2012-05-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Renovate and Enhance Veterans' Meeting Halls and Posts Act of 2012 or REVAMP Act of 2012- Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible veterans service organizations for repairs and rehabilitation of their existing facilities. Defines "eligible veterans service organization" as: (1) a tax-exempt entity organized on a local or area basis; and (2) a local or area chapter, post, or other unit of a national, regional, statewide, or other larger entity of which local or area chapters, posts, or units are members (but not any such national, regional, statewide, or other larger entity itself). Prohibits an eligible veterans service organization from receiving such grant amounts, for any single fiscal year, in an amount exceeding the lesser of the cost of the proposed repair or rehabilitation or $250,000. Makes a grant recipient ineligible to receive another such grant until after five succeeding fiscal years. Prohibits the use of such grants for construction or acquisition of a new facility.

Date: 2012-05-07
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Service Member Anti-Hazing Act - Directs the Secretary of the military department concerned to: (1) develop and implement a policy to prevent and respond to hazing of members of that military department; (2) develop and implement a program to train such members on the dangers of, and need to, avoid hazing and a program of training on issues of diversity, which each member shall attend at least annually; (3) expand any policies for reporting incidents to include a phone service for the anonymous reporting of such incidents; and (4) develop and implement a procedure to transfer to another unit a victim of a substantial hazing incident. Establishes the Military Hazing Prevention Oversight Panel to make recommendations to the Secretary concerned on the development of the policies, programs, and procedures required above, and on ways to improve them.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Make Our Veterans Smile Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA), beginning on January 1, 2013, to provide necessary outpatient dental services and treatment and related dental appliances to veterans awarded the Purple Heart.

Date: 2012-05-09
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish within Arlington National Cemetery a Tomb of Remembrance for the interment of cremated fragments of the remains of members of the Armed Forces killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, or any subsequent war or contingency operation if such fragments are: (1) unidentifiable by use of DNA testing or other means, (2) unclaimed after a reasonable period, (3) identified and authorized for such interment by the person designated to direct disposition, or (4) designated as "No Further Pursuit" remains.

Date: 2012-05-10
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Family Home Protection Act - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to allow a court, in an action to enforce an obligation on real or personal property secured by a mortgage against a servicemember on active duty, a totally disabled veteran, or the surviving spouse of a member who died during military service, to either: (1) stay the proceedings for a period of time as justice and equity require, or (2) adjust the obligation to preserve the interests of all parties. Prohibits the sale, foreclosure, or seizure of the subject property for the service period, as well as the 12-month period after: (1) the servicemember is discharged or redeployed from a contingency operation, (2) the veteran is retired, or (3) the death of the servicemember (in the case of a surviving spouse). Increases the civil penalties for violations of the sale or foreclosure prohibitions. Prohibits an individual from being denied or refused credit solely by reason of eligibility for relief under this Act. Requires each lending institution acting as a creditor to such servicemember, veteran, or surviving spouse to designate an employee responsible for ensuring the institution's compliance with the requirements of this Act. Requires any such institution that had prior annual assets of $10 billion or more to maintain on its primary website a toll-free number for information with respect to the protections afforded under this Act.

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

Date: 2012-05-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Ports as Small Business Incubators Act of 2012 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish the Ports as Small Business Incubators Program. Requires the Administrator to award grants of at least $300,000 and up to $500,000 to port authorities selected by the Administrator. Allows grant funds to be used only for the costs of providing selected small businesses with access to commercial real property. Requires each Program participant, in providing such access, to give a priority to small businesses owned and controlled by women, veterans, or socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as those that the participant determines would create "green" jobs (jobs involving the development of clean energy and the improvement of air and water quality).

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Commerce
Veterans Burial Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 - Increases the authorized allowance for burial and funeral expenses for deceased veterans who: (1) at the time of death were in receipt of veterans' disability compensation or veterans' pension benefits, or (2) were veterans of any war or were discharged or released from active military service for a service-connected disability and have no next of kin or sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial costs. Increases the burial and funeral allowances for veterans who: (1) at the time of death, were receiving hospital or nursing home care in or through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); or (2) die as a result of a service-connected disability. Authorizes the annual adjustment of such allowances by the same percentage increase as adjustments to benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act. Authorizes a burial plot allowance, as well as reimbursement for a burial headstone or marker, for a veteran of any war. Authorizes the VA to cover the burial and funeral expenses of a deceased veteran: (1) who is homeless, has no next of kin or other person claiming the body, and does not have sufficient resources to cover such expenses; (2) whose service in the Armed Forces was not during wartime; and (3) who was either discharged under honorable conditions or died during a period deemed to be active service. Prohibits any deduction from the burial allowance because of a veteran's assets or because of any contribution toward the burial and funeral expenses, unless the expenses incurred are covered by the United States, a state, an agency or political subdivision of the United States or a state, or the veteran's employer.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Access to Capital Act of 2012 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), using up to 20% of annual amounts available for SBA loans to state and local development companies, to make loans directly to small businesses owned and controlled by veterans to be used on projects having a sound business purpose. Provides loan limits and requires partial project funding by such small business. Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator to make up to 20% of the annual amounts available for SBA section 7(a) general small business loans available for loans to veteran-owned small businesses. Directs the Administrator, for purposes of loans or loan guarantees to veteran- or disabled veteran-owned small businesses, to reduce any applicable requirement relating to the veteran's credit score, as long as the veteran has complied with other conditions that the Administrator may require.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Commerce
Entitles the spouse or unremarried widow or widower of either a veteran who performed certain active duty or a current member of the Armed Forces to receive an additional five points preference for entrance into the competitive service.

Date: 2012-05-18
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Veterans Disability Examination Access Improvement Act - Amends the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 to extend through 2012 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) authority for the performance of medical disability evaluations by contract physicians.

Date: 2012-05-31
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for charitable contributions to a post or organization of war veterans, to treat recipients of the Korea Defense Service Medal as war veterans.

Date: 2012-06-06
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Taxation
Civil Liberties Act of 2012 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (such Act) to provide that, in the case of a person detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force or such Act, disposition under the law of war shall occur immediately upon custody and shall only mean transfer for trial and proceedings by a court established under article III of the Constitution or an appropriate state court. Requires such trial and proceedings to have all due process provided under the Constitution. Prohibits any person detained, captured, or arrested in the United States or a U.S. territory or possession from being transferred to the custody of the Armed Forces for detention under the Authorization for Use of Military Force or such Act. Repeals the requirement of detention in military custody pending disposition under the law of war for individuals determined to be a member or part of al Qaeda or an associated force who has participated in planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.

Date: 2012-06-08
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Savings Act of 2012 - Directs the Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) to carry out a five-year pilot program to develop innovative consumer financial products that encourage savings and wealth-creation among active-duty servicemembers. Requires the program to be carried out in such a way that it does not exacerbate the incidence of servicemember credit overextension. Directs the Undersecretary to choose at least 10 military installations at which to implement the program. Directs the Undersecretary to contract for an annual independent program evaluation until its termination. Allows the Undersecretary, under certain conditions, to expand the program to a nationwide program and to extend its duration.

Date: 2012-06-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Housing for Blinded Veterans Act - Changes from "5/200 visual acuity or less" to "central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of standard correcting lenses" the standard of visual acuity required for eligibility for veterans' specially adapted housing assistance provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Date: 2012-06-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Vocational Employment and Technical Skills Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to require a state applicant for a grant or contract for certain veterans' employment and training programs to demonstrate that when that state approves or denies any required professional certification or license (including a driver's license), it takes into consideration any training received by the veteran while serving on active duty in the Armed Forces.

Date: 2012-06-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemembers Access to Justice Act of 2012 - Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to the enforcement of uniformed services members' employment or reemployment rights or benefits under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). Makes unenforceable agreements between an employer and employee requiring arbitration of disputes arising under USERRA. Provides exceptions. Requires the validity and enforceability of such an agreement to be determined by a court (as opposed to the arbitrator). Provides increased liquidated damages, and authorizes punitive damages, against state or private employer violations of USERRA. Provides a right to a jury trial in such cases. Requires (under current law, authorizes) the award of attorney fees in actions to enforce USERRA. Requires (under current law, authorizes) a court to use equitable relief, including injunctions and restraining orders when appropriate, for USERRA violations. Requires federal procurement contracts to include a notice that the contractor may have USERRA obligations. Requires a Comptroller General study on the effectiveness of federal education and outreach programs on employer obligations under USERRA.

Date: 2012-06-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Volunteer Veterans for Cemetery Service Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Secretary of the military department concerned to accept voluntary services performed by a veteran or veterans organization at a national cemetery, including the veteran's sharing with visitors of the story of the veteran's military service.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act of 2012 - Considers a person a spouse, for purposes of military personnel policies and military and veterans' benefits, if the marriage of the individual is valid in the state in which the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place in which the marriage was entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Includes as a state the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories and possessions.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Dignified Burial of Veterans Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish a casket or urn of sufficient quality for a dignified burial for the burial in a national cemetery of a deceased veteran with no next of kin, or other person claiming the body of the deceased veteran, and who is without sufficient resources to cover burial and funeral expense. Prohibits the furnishing of such casket or urn in the case of a veteran convicted of a federal or state capital crime. Requires the Secretary, in the case of a deceased veteran with no next of kin and without sufficient resources to cover funeral and burial expenses, to ensure that the entity responsible for transporting the body to a national cemetery for burial notifies the VA as to whether such veteran was cremated and steps taken to ensure that such veteran has no next of kin. Directs the Secretary to report to the congressional veterans committees on VA compliance with industry standards for caskets and urns.

Date: 2012-06-29
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2012 - Amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to exclude as family income for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing assistance purposes any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) payments made to veterans in need of regular aid and attendance for expenses related to such aid and attendance.

Date: 2012-07-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Surplus Property for Veterans Act of 2012 - Authorizes the transfer of federal surplus property to a state agency for distribution through donation within the state for purposes of education or public health for organizations whose membership comprises substantially veterans and whose representatives are recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Secretary.

Date: 2012-07-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Military Family Leave Act of 2012 - Entitles an employed family member of a member of the Armed Forces who receives notification of a call or order to active duty in support of a contingency operation, or who is deployed in connection with a contingency operation, to two workweeks of leave per year for each family member who is so called or deployed. Allows such leave to: (1) be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule; and (2) consist of paid or unpaid leave, as the employer considers appropriate. Allows an employer to require certification of entitlement to such leave within a leave request. Provides employment and benefits protection for employees upon their return from such leave. Prohibits an employer from interfering with or otherwise denying the exercise of such leave rights.

Date: 2012-07-25
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Armed Services Always Paid Act of 2012 or ASAP Act of 2012 - Provides for funding the pay and allowances, without interruption, of members of the Armed Forces, including reserve personnel, during any period of lapsed appropriations.

Date: 2012-08-01
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Reducing Barriers to Veterans' Benefits Act - Presumes a service connection, for veterans' benefits purposes, for diagnosed hearing loss, tinnitus, or both, for veterans who, during active military service: (1) were assigned to a military occupational specialty in which the veterans were likely to be exposed to a level of acoustic trauma sufficient to result in permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, or both; or (2) served in combat against a hostile force during a period of hostilities. Directs the Secretary of each military department to ensure that each member of the Armed Forces under their jurisdiction receives an audiometric test at the 8000 Hz frequency (or an equivalent test) to evaluate the hearing of such member during the 90-day period before the member is discharged, separated, or retired.

Date: 2012-08-02
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Recovering Service Members Disability Benefits Act - Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act to create an exception from the required waiting period for disability insurance benefits in the case of recovering service members (of the Armed Forces, including a member of the National Guard or a Reserve component, who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy while recovering from a serious bodily injury or physical illness related to the member's military service).

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Social welfare
Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) (Secretary) to establish a veteran jobs corps to employ veterans: (1) in conservation, resource management, and historic preservation projects on public lands and maintenance and improvement projects for cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the National Cemetery Administration; and (2) as firefighters and law enforcement officers. Requires priority employment for veterans who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001. Provides for such employment in coordination with the Attorney General, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, and the Interior. Directs the Secretary to establish a steering committee for assistance in providing such employment. Directs the Secretary of Labor to commence a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing veterans seeking employment with access to computing facilities in order to: (1) match veterans with available jobs based on veterans' skills acquired as members of the Armed Forces, and (2) allow employers to post information about available jobs. Directs the Secretary, as a condition of a grant or contract to a state for certain veterans' employment and training programs, to require the state to demonstrate the consideration of any military training received by a veteran when approving or denying a commercial driver's license or a certification to be a nursing assistant or certified nursing assistant, or an emergency medical technician or paramedic. Directs the Secretary of Labor to establish minimum funding levels for specified veterans' benefits contracts and grants to ensure that each state receives sufficient funding to support at least one disabled veterans' outreach program specialist and one local veterans' employment representative per 5,000 square miles of service delivery area within the state. Directs the Secretary of Labor, during the one-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to provide the Transition Assistance Program to veterans and their spouses at locations other than military installations in at least three and up to five states selected by the Secretary based on the highest rates of veteran unemployment. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a 100% continuous levy upon the property and rights of Medicare (title XVIII of the Social Security Act) providers and suppliers neglecting or refusing to pay taxes. Repeals provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 providing for a program for the research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of technologies for ultra-deepwater and unconventional natural gas and other petroleum resource exploration and production. Permits the Secretary of State to deny, revoke, or limit a passport to any individual upon receiving certification from the Secretary of the Treasury that such individual has a delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Military CDL Act of 2012 - Revises certain commercial driver's license (CDL) requirements with which a state must comply in order to avoid the administrative penalty of a withholding by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) of a percentage of the state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway program funds. Permits a state to issue a CDL to an individual who operates or will operate a commercial motor vehicle and who: (1) is an active duty member of the Armed Forces, including the military reserves, National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, or Coast Guard Auxiliary; and (2) is not domiciled in the state, but whose temporary or permanent duty station is located there.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept any of the following as proof of service in determining the eligibility of an individual to receive amounts from the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund: (1) the name of the eligible person included on the Approved Revised Reconstructed Guerilla Roster (commonly known as the "Missouri List"); (2) documents included in the claims folder of the eligible person that prove such service, including an affidavit from the government of the Philippines certifying such service; or (3) any other documents issued or accepted by the government of the Philippines as proof of such service. Authorizes the Secretary to make a payment to such an individual filing a claim within 180 days after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-09-20
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Permits a member of the Armed Forces (member) who is involuntarily separated from active duty or the Selected Reserve and who has a service-connected disability (and the member's dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member entitled to retired or retainer pay. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to ensure that such authority is fully implemented within 90 days after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Women Veterans and Other Health Care Improvements Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to facilitate collaborative research to meet the long-term reproductive health care needs of veterans who have a service-connected genitourinary disability or a condition that was aggravated in the line of active duty, such as a spinal cord injury, that affects the veterans' ability to reproduce. Includes fertility counseling and treatment within authorized VA medical services. Directs the Secretary to furnish such counseling and treatment, including the use of assisted reproductive technology, to a spouse or surrogate of a severely wounded veteran who has an infertility condition incurred or aggravated in the line of duty and who is enrolled in the VA health care system, as long as the spouse and veteran apply jointly for such counseling and treatment. Requires the Secretary to enhance the capabilities of the VA women veterans call center: (1) to respond to requests for assistance with accessing VA health care and benefits, and (2) for referral to community resources to obtain assistance with services not furnished by the VA. Amends the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 relating to a pilot program of group retreat reintegration and readjustment counseling for women veterans recently separated from service to: (1) increase from at least 3 to at least 14 the number of locations for such counseling, and (2) extend the pilot program for an additional 2 years. Requires a pilot program under such Act relating to the provision of child care assistance for certain veterans receiving VA health care to be extended until two years after the program is established in the third Veterans Integrated Service Network. (Under current law, such program terminates two years after its original commencement.) Directs the Secretary to carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing child care assistance to veterans receiving or in need of VA readjustment counseling and related mental health services. Requires the program to continue until two years after it is begun at the last Readjustment Counseling Service Region chosen by the Secretary.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a special record to be known as the Canadian Forces Base Gagetown Health Registry containing the name of each individual who, while serving in the Armed Forces, was stationed at or underwent training at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada (Gagetown), during the period beginning on January 1, 1956, and ending on December 31, 2005, 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 Gagetown; and (2) carry out appropriate outreach activities with respect to such health examinations, consultation, and counseling.

Date: 2012-09-21
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Servicemember Mental Health Review Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish within each military department a board of review to review determinations previously made that covered individuals separated from the Armed Forces have a mental condition not amounting to disability. Defines "covered individuals" as members and former members of the Armed Forces who have been separated from the Armed Forces since September 11, 2001, because of unfitness for duty because of a mental condition not amounting to disability, including separation on the basis of a personality disorder or adjustment disorder. Requires the Secretary to ensure that covered individuals receive notification of their right to a separation review by the appropriate Mental Health Discharge Board of Review. Requires the establishment of such Boards. Permits a Board to make specified recommendations to the Secretary with respect to a covered individual, including the recharacterization of the separation.

Date: 2012-10-12
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide transportation on scheduled and unscheduled military flights within the United States and on scheduled overseas flights on a space-available basis for veterans with a service-connected disability rated as total.

Date: 2012-10-16
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Amends the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 to permit retraining assistance under the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program to be used by a veteran to pursue a program of education for training on a less than full-time basis if the program consists of at least 16 seat-time hours (or the equivalent).

Date: 2012-10-19
Topic: Defense (Personnel Issues)
Subject: Armed forces and national security