[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1018 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1018

 To amend provisions of law governing benefits for certain children of 
    Vietnam veterans who are born with spina bifida, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 15, 1997

Mr. Specter (by request) introduced the following bill; which was read 
        twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend provisions of law governing benefits for certain children of 
    Vietnam veterans who are born with spina bifida, 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. REFERENCES TO TITLE 38, UNITED STATES CODE.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of title 18, United States 
Code.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS.

    Section 1801 is amended to read as follows:
    ``For the purposes of this chapter--
            ``(1) The term `child', with respect to a Vietnam veteran, 
        means a natural child of a Vietnam veteran, regardless of age 
        or marital status, who was conceived after the date on which 
        the Vietnam veteran first entered the Republic of Vietnam 
        during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on 
        May 7, 1975.
            ``(2) The term `Vietnam veteran' means an individual who 
        performed active military, naval, or air service in the 
        Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 
        1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, without regard to the 
        character of such individual's service.''.

SEC. 3. APPLICATION OF CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS TO CHAPTER 18.

    Section 1806 is amended to read as follows:
    ``The provisions of sections 5101(c), 5110(a), (b)(2), (g), and 
(i), 5111, and 5112(a), (b)(1), (b)(6), (b)(9), and (b)(10) of this 
title shall be deemed to apply to benefits under this chapter in the 
same manner in which they apply to veterans' disability 
compensation.''.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION PROVISIONS.

    (a) Section 1804(c)(1)(B) is amended by striking out ``institution 
of higher education'' and inserting in lieu thereof ``institution of 
higher learning''.
    (b) Section 1804(d) is amended by adding after paragraph (2) the 
following new paragraph:
            ``(3) A vocational training program under this section may 
        begin on the child's eighteenth birthday, or on the successful 
        completion of the child's secondary schooling, whichever first 
        occurs, except that, if the child is above the age of 
        compulsory school attendance under applicable State law, and 
        the Secretary determines that the child's best interests will 
        be served thereby, the vocational training program may begin 
        before the child's eighteenth birthday.''

SEC. 5. CONFORMING CHANGES TO EFFECTIVE DATE PROVISIONS.

    (a) Section 421(d) of Public Law 104-204, 110 Stat. 2926, is 
amended by striking out ``January 1, 1997'' and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``October 1, 1997''.
    (b) Section 422(b)(1) of Public Law 104-204, 110 Stat. 2927, is 
amended by striking out ``October 1, 1996'' and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``October 1, 1997''.
    (c) Section 422(c) of Public Law 104-204, 110 Stat. 2927, is 
repealed.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall be effective on October 1, 
1997.
                                 <all>