[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2266 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2266

   To establish a fellowship program for the congressional hiring of 
                           disabled veterans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2006

 Mr. Santorum introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a fellowship program for the congressional hiring of 
                           disabled veterans.

    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 ``Disabled Veterans Fellowship Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the 
House of Representatives shall establish a program to encourage the 
personal offices of Members of Congress, committee offices, and 
leadership offices to hire disabled veterans for temporary staff 
positions under the fellowship program established by this Act.
    (b) Employment of Fellows.--A disabled veteran congressional fellow 
hired under this Act shall be employed--
            (1) at a level of responsibility commensurate with the 
        abilities of the fellow;
            (2) at a level of compensation appropriate to the level of 
        responsibility but not in excess of the level of compensation 
        authorized for other comparable employees of the Senate and the 
        House of Representatives; and
            (3) for not more than a 12-month period of time.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Disabled veteran.--The term ``disabled veteran'' means 
        a veteran with a service-connected disability (as defined in 
        section 101 of title 38, United States Code) which was incurred 
        or aggravated in the line of duty during Operation Iraqi 
        Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom or during such other 
        operations as may be designated under regulations promulgated 
        jointly by the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the 
        House of Representatives in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs.
            (2) Disabled veteran congressional fellow.--The term 
        ``disabled veteran congressional fellow'' means a fellow in the 
        office of a Member of the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives or the office of a committee or joint committee 
        of the Senate or the House of Representatives or leadership 
        office of the Senate or the House of Representatives who is a 
        disabled veteran.
            (3) Member of the house of representatives.--The term 
        ``Member of the House of Representatives'' includes a Delegate 
        or Resident Commissioner to the Congress.

SEC. 4. EXCLUSION OF DISABLED VETERAN CONGRESSIONAL FELLOW FROM BUDGET 
              OF EMPLOYING OFFICE AND LIMITS ON NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES OF 
              EMPLOYING OFFICE.

    (a) Treatment Under Office Budget.--
            (1) Separate authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2007 and each 
        succeeding fiscal year from the applicable accounts of the 
        House of Representatives or the contingent fund of the Senate 
        such amounts as may be necessary for the salaries and related 
        expenses of disabled veteran congressional fellows during the 
        fiscal year.
            (2) Exclusion of amounts appropriated from general budgets 
        of employing offices.--To the extent that amounts are 
        appropriated pursuant to this Act for the salary and related 
        expenses of a disabled veteran congressional fellow for a 
        fiscal year, such amounts shall not be paid from, and shall be 
        excluded in determining the balance of--
                    (A) in the case of a disabled veteran congressional 
                fellow of the office of a Member of the House of 
                Representatives, the Member's Representational 
                Allowance for that office for the year; and
                    (B) in the case of a disabled veteran congressional 
                fellow of any other office, any account of the Senate 
                or the House of Representatives from which the salaries 
                and related expenses of employees of the office is paid 
                during the year.
    (b) Exclusion From Limits on Number of Positions.--A disabled 
veteran congressional fellow shall be excluded in determining the 
number of employees of the office which employs the fellow for purposes 
of--
            (1) in the case of the office of a Member of the House of 
        Representatives, section 104 of Public Law 104-186 (2 U.S.C. 
        92); and
            (2) in the case of any other office, any applicable 
        provision of law or any rule or regulation which imposes a 
        limit on the number of employees of the office.

SEC. 5. RULES GOVERNING DISABLED VETERAN CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the 
House of Representatives shall implement rules establishing fellowships 
for disabled veterans for service in the personal offices of Members of 
Congress, committee, offices, and leadership offices.
    (b) Content.--The rules promulgated by this section shall provide 
that the compensation of 1 disabled veteran fellow for each personal 
office or any Member of Congress and 1 disabled veteran fellow for each 
committee office and 1 disabled veteran fellow for each leadership 
office shall not count against the staff allowance of that Member of 
Congress, committee, or office.
    (c) Authorizations.--The Architect of the Capitol shall make 
whatever reasonable accommodation is necessary to provide access to 
disabled veteran fellows hired pursuant to the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 6. COMPENSATION.

    Any compensation received by a disabled veteran pursuant to this 
Act shall not affect the benefits otherwise available to that disabled 
veteran under other provisions of law.
                                 <all>