[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4130 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4130

 To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Defense to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and 
 tickets for the purpose of facilitating the travel of members of the 
 Armed Forces who are deployed away from their permanent duty station 
 and are granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave 
and certain other forms of leave and the travel of family members to be 
          reunited with such a member, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 2, 2004

 Mr. Ruppersberger (for himself, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Murtha, 
 Mr. Hunter, and Mr. Skelton) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
Defense to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and 
 tickets for the purpose of facilitating the travel of members of the 
 Armed Forces who are deployed away from their permanent duty station 
 and are granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave 
and certain other forms of leave and the travel of family members to be 
          reunited with such a member, 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 ``Operation Hero Miles Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE OF FREQUENT TRAVELER MILES, CREDITS, AND TICKETS TO 
              FACILITATE THE AIR OR SURFACE TRAVEL OF CERTAIN MEMBERS 
              OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES.

    Section 2608 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (g) through (k) as 
        subsections (h) through (l), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(g) Operation Hero Miles.--(1) The Secretary of Defense may use 
the authority of subsection (a) to accept the donation of frequent 
traveler miles, credits, and tickets for air or surface transportation 
issued by any air carrier or surface carrier that serves the public and 
that consents to such donation, and under such terms and conditions as 
the air or surface carrier may specify. The Secretary shall designate a 
single office in the Department of Defense to carry out this 
subsection, including the establishment of such rules and procedures as 
may be necessary to facilitate the acceptance of such frequent traveler 
miles, credits, and tickets.
    ``(2) Frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets accepted under 
this subsection shall be used only in accordance with the rules 
established by the air carrier or surface carrier that is source of the 
miles, credits, or tickets and shall be used only for the purpose of--
            ``(A) facilitating the travel of a member of the armed 
        forces who--
                    ``(i) is deployed on active duty away from the 
                permanent duty station of the member; and
                    ``(ii) is granted, during such deployment, rest and 
                recuperative leave, emergency leave, convalescent 
                leave, or another form of leave authorized for the 
                member; or
            ``(B) facilitating the travel of family members of the 
        member to be reunited with the member.
    ``(3) The Secretary of Defense may enter into an agreement with a 
nonprofit organization to use the services of the organization--
            ``(A) to promote the donation of frequent traveler miles, 
        credits, and tickets under paragraph (1), except that amounts 
        appropriated to the Department of Defense may not be expended 
        for this purpose; and
            ``(B) to assist in administering the collection, 
        distribution, and use of donated frequent traveler miles, 
        credits, and tickets.
    ``(4) Members of the armed forces and family members who receive 
air or surface transportation using frequent traveler miles, credits, 
or tickets donated under this subsection are deemed to recognize no 
income from such use. Donors of frequent traveler miles, credits, or 
tickets under this subsection are deemed to obtain no tax benefit from 
such donation.
    ``(5) In this subsection, the term `family member' has the meaning 
given that term in section 411h(b)(1) of title 37.''.

SEC. 3. REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL COSTS INCURRED BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
              FORCES UNDER DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REST AND RECUPERATION 
              LEAVE PROGRAM.

    The Secretary of Defense shall reimburse each member of the Armed 
Forces who participated in the Department of Defense Rest and 
Recuperation Leave program during the period beginning on September 15, 
2003, and ending on December 18, 2003, for travel expenses incurred by 
the member, or by family members on behalf of the member, to travel to 
or from a designated embarkation point for the program before the 
program was expanded to include a domestic travel component.
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