[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5155 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5155

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs from collecting certain debts to the United States in 
    the case of veterans who die as a result of a service-connected 
disability incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 29, 2008

 Ms. Shea-Porter introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs from collecting certain debts to the United States in 
    the case of veterans who die as a result of a service-connected 
disability incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone, 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 ``Combat Veterans Debt Elimination Act 
of 2008''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON COLLECTION OF CERTAIN INDEBTEDNESS OF VETERANS 
              WHO DIE OF SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITIES ARISING FROM 
              SERVICE ON ACTIVE DUTY IN A COMBAT ZONE.

    (a) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 53 of title 38, United States 
        Code, is amended by inserting after section 5302 the following 
        new section:
``Sec. 5302A. Prohibition on collection of indebtedness: certain debts 
              of veterans who die of service-connected disability 
              incurred or aggravated on active duty in a combat zone
    ``(a) Prohibition.--The Secretary may not collect all or any part 
of an amount owed to the United States by a veteran described in 
subsection (b) under any program under the laws administered by the 
Secretary (other than a program referred to in subsection (c)) if the 
Secretary determines, in the Secretary's discretion, that the 
termination of collection is in the best interest of the United States.
    ``(b) Covered Veterans.--A veteran described in this subsection is 
any veteran who dies as a result of a service-connected disability 
incurred or aggravated while serving in a theater of combat operations 
(as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of 
Defense) in a war after the Persian Gulf War or in combat against a 
hostile force during a period of hostilities (as that term is defined 
in section 1712A(a)(2)(B) of this title) after September 11, 2001.
    ``(c) Inapplicability to Housing and Small Business Benefit 
Programs.--The authority in subsection (a) shall not apply to any 
amounts owed the United States under any program carried out under 
chapter 37 of this title.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 53 of such title is amended by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 5302 the following new item:

``5302A. Prohibition on collection of indebtedness: certain debts of 
                            veterans who die of service-connected 
                            disability incurred or aggravated on active 
                            duty in a combat zone.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall take 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, and shall apply with 
respect to collections of indebtedness of veterans who die on or after 
September 11, 2001.
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