[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1415 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1415

  To provide veterans benefits to certain individuals serving in the 
United States merchant marine in a combat zone during a period of war, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 18, 1993

  Mr. Hochbrueckner introduced the following bill; which was referred 
jointly to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and Merchant Marine and 
                               Fisheries

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide veterans benefits to certain individuals serving in the 
United States merchant marine in a combat zone during a period of war, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Combat Merchant Mariners Benefits 
Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF CERTAIN MERCHANT MARINERS FOR VETERANS BENEFITS.

    Subject to section 3, the service of an individual in the United 
States merchant marine during a period of war for a total period equal 
to at least 12 months shall be considered to be active duty in 
determining the individual's eligibility for veterans benefits under 
all laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS.

    (a) Qualified Service.--The service referred to in section 2 is the 
following:
            (1) Ocean, coastal, or intercoastal voyages.--Service on a 
        vessel of the United States on ocean, coastwise, or 
        intercoastal voyages, during a period of war in a combat zone 
        of such war that was rendered to the Armed Forces in a capacity 
        considered civilian employment or contractual service at the 
        time the service was rendered.
            (2) Forcible detention or internment.--Any period of 
        forcible detention or internment by an enemy government or 
        hostile force as a result of hostile action against a vessel of 
        the United States while the individual was performing service 
        referred to in paragraph (1) on the vessel.
            (3) Other service.--Any period of service in the War 
        Shipping Administration, the United States Maritime Service, or 
        a maritime training program conducted or recognized by the 
        Armed Forces, except that not more than six months of such 
        service may be included in calculating the period of service 
        referred to in section 2.
    (b) Applicability of Minimum Active-Duty Service Requirements.--Any 
minimum active-duty service requirement of any law administered by the 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall apply in determining an 
individual's eligibility for veterans benefits under this Act.

SEC. 4. WAIVER OF PERIOD OF SERVICE REQUIREMENT FOR DISABILITY INCURRED 
              DURING QUALIFIED SERVICE.

    The requirement of section 2 that the period of service referred to 
in such section be equal to at least 12 months shall not apply to an 
individual who is permanently disabled in the performance of the 
service referred to in such section while the vessel of the United 
States on which the individual is performing the service is subjected 
to hostile action.

SEC. 5. VERIFICATION OF SERVICE.

    The service referred to in section 2 may be verified by entries in 
a continuous discharge book, a certificate of discharge to merchant 
seamen, a certificate of substantially continuous service, or other 
documentation available from the Secretary of Transportation or the 
head of any other Federal agency.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``Armed Forces'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(10) of title 38, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``combat zone'' means an area in which the 
        Armed Forces are engaged in combat, as determined by the 
        Secretary of Defense.
            (3) The term ``individual in the United States merchant 
        marine'' means any citizen or resident alien of the United 
        States serving as a civilian or civil service member of the 
        United States merchant marine.
            (4) The term ``period of war'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(11) of title 38, United States Code.
            (5) The term ``vessel of the United States'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 2101(46) of title 46, United 
        States Code.

SEC. 7. APPLICABILITY AND PROHIBITION OF RETROACTIVE BENEFITS.

    Section 2 applies with respect to service rendered before, on, or 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. An individual who performs 
such service before the date of the enactment of this Act may not be 
paid benefits that accrue as a result of the enactment of this Act for 
any period before the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 8. AWARD OF MERCHANT MARINE MEDALS USING APPROPRIATED FUNDS.

    The Secretary of Transportation may, to the extent that 
appropriated funds are available for such purpose, provide that any 
medal awarded by the United States to an individual in the United 
States merchant marine for service during a period of war be provided 
without any charge to that individual.

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