[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 584 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 584

    To authorize the award of the Purple Heart to persons who were 
             prisoners of war on or before April 25, 1962.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               March 21 (legislative day, March 16), 1995

     Mr. Robb (for himself, Mr. Craig, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
   Rockefeller, Mr. Lugar, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Cochran, Mr. 
  Wellstone, Mr. Ford, and Mr. Kerry) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize the award of the Purple Heart to persons who were 
             prisoners of war on or before April 25, 1962.

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

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY TO AWARD PURPLE HEART.

    (a) Authority To Make Award.--(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the 
President may award the Purple Heart to a person described in 
subsection (b) who was taken prisoner and held captive before April 25, 
1962.
    (2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), an award of the 
Purple Heart under paragraph (1) may be made only in accordance with 
the standards in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act for 
the award of the Purple Heart to a person described in subsection (b) 
who has been taken prisoner and held captive on or after April 25, 
1962.
    (B) An award of a Purple Heart may not be made under paragraph (1) 
to any person convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of 
rendering assistance to any enemy of the United States.
    (b) Eligible Persons.--(1) A person referred to in subsection (a) 
is an individual--
            (A) who is a member of the Armed Forces of the United 
        States; and
            (B) who is wounded while being taken prisoner or held 
        captive--
                    (i) in an action against an enemy of the United 
                States;
                    (ii) in military operations involving conflict with 
                an opposing foreign force;
                    (iii) during service with friendly forces engaged 
                in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in 
                which the United States is not a belligerent party;
                    (iv) as the result of an action of any such enemy 
                or opposing armed force; or
                    (v) as the result of an act of any foreign hostile 
                force.
    (2) Any wound of a person referred to in paragraph (1)(A) that is 
determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to be a service-
connected injury arising from being taken prisoner or held captive 
under a circumstance referred to in paragraph (1)(B) shall also meet 
the requirement set forth in paragraph (1)(B).
    (c) Relationship to Other Authority To Award the Purple Heart.--The 
authority under this Act is in addition to any other authority of the 
President to award the Purple Heart.
                                 <all>