[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 461 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 461

To amend title 37, United States Code, to require that a member of the 
uniformed services who is wounded or otherwise injured while serving in 
a combat zone continue to be paid monthly military pay and allowances, 
 while the member recovers from the wound or injury, at least equal to 
the monthly military pay and allowances the member received immediately 
 before receiving the wound or injury, to continue the combat zone tax 
  exclusion for the member during the recovery period, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 18, 2005

Mr. Rockefeller (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 37, United States Code, to require that a member of the 
uniformed services who is wounded or otherwise injured while serving in 
a combat zone continue to be paid monthly military pay and allowances, 
 while the member recovers from the wound or injury, at least equal to 
the monthly military pay and allowances the member received immediately 
 before receiving the wound or injury, to continue the combat zone tax 
  exclusion for the member during the recovery period, 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 ``Crosby-Puller Combat Wounds 
Compensation Act''.

SEC. 2. NO REDUCTION IN MONTHLY MILITARY PAY AND ALLOWANCES FOR MEMBERS 
              OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES WOUNDED OR INJURED IN COMBAT 
              ZONES.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (b) of section 310 of title 37, United 
States Code, is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) No Reduction in Monthly Military Pay for Wounded or Injured 
Members.--
            ``(1) Effect of wound or injury in combat zone.--For each 
        month during the period specified in paragraph (2), the total 
        amount of monthly military pay paid to a member who was wounded 
        or otherwise injured while assigned to duty in an area for 
        which special pay was available under this section at the time 
        the member was wounded or otherwise injured shall not be less 
        than the total amount of military pay paid to the member for 
        the month during which the member was wounded or otherwise 
        injured.
            ``(2) Duration.--Paragraph (1) shall apply with respect to 
        a wounded or injured member until the end of the first month 
        during which any of the following occurs:
                    ``(A) The member is found to be physically able to 
                perform the duties of the member's office, grade, rank, 
                or rating.
                    ``(B) The member is discharged or separated from 
                the uniformed services.
                    ``(C) The member dies.
            ``(3) Military pay defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        `military pay' has the meaning given the term `pay' in section 
        101(21) of this title, except that the term includes allowances 
        under chapter 7 of this title.''.
    (b) Retroactive Effective Date.--Subsection (b) of section 310 of 
title 37, United States Code, as amended by this section, shall apply 
with respect to any pay period ending on or after September 11, 2001, 
for members of the uniformed services described in paragraph (1) of 
such subsection who were wounded or otherwise injured on or after that 
date.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF TIME LIMITATION ON EXCLUSION OF COMBAT ZONE 
              COMPENSATION BY REASON OF HOSPITALIZATION.

    (a) In General.--Subsections (a)(2) and (b)(2) of section 112 of 
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 are each amended by striking ``; but 
this paragraph shall not apply for any month beginning more than 2 
years after the date of the termination of combatant activities in such 
zone''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsections (a)(2) and (b)(2) of section 112 
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by this section, shall 
apply to compensation received for months ending after September 11, 
2001, for members of the uniformed services described in such 
subsections who were wounded or otherwise injured on or after that 
date.
                                 <all>