[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1142 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1142

    To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure the equitable 
treatment of members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the 
Department of Defense who are killed or wounded in an attack, occurring 
  outside of a combat zone, that targeted the members or employees on 
  account of their status as members of the Armed Forces or civilian 
                employees of the Department of Defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2011

   Mr. West (for himself, Mr. Griffin of Arkansas, Mr. Nugent, Mrs. 
 McMorris Rodgers, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. Ross of Florida, Mr. Kissell, 
Mrs. Ellmers, and Mr. Stivers) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 10, United States Code, to ensure the equitable 
treatment of members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the 
Department of Defense who are killed or wounded in an attack, occurring 
  outside of a combat zone, that targeted the members or employees on 
  account of their status as members of the Armed Forces or civilian 
                employees of the Department of Defense.

    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 ``Global Combat Zone Recognition 
Act''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES 
              OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE KILLED OR WOUNDED IN ATTACKS 
              DIRECTED AT MEMBERS OR EMPLOYEES OUTSIDE OF COMBAT ZONE.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 53 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 1032 at the end the following new 
section:
``Sec. 1032a. Treatment of members of the armed forces and civilian 
              employees of the Department of Defense killed or wounded 
              in attacks directed at members or employees outside of a 
              combat zone
    ``(a) Treatment.--For purposes of all applicable Federal laws, 
regulations, and policies, a member of the armed forces or civilian 
employee of the Department of Defense who was killed or wounded in an 
attack under the circumstances described in subsection (b) shall be 
deemed as follows:
            ``(1) In the case of a member, to have been killed or 
        wounded in a combat zone.
            ``(2) In the case of a civilian employee, to have been 
        killed or wounded while serving with the armed forces in a 
        contingency operation.
    ``(b) Covered Attacks.--
            ``(1) Attacks described.--Except as provided in paragraph 
        (2), an attack covered by subsection (a) is any assault or 
        battery resulting in bodily injury or death committed by an 
        individual who the Secretary of Defense determines knowingly 
        targeted--
                    ``(A) a member of the armed forces on account of 
                the military service of the member or the status of 
                member as a member of the Armed Forces; or
                    ``(B) a civilian employee of the Department of 
                Defense on account of the employee's employment with 
                the Department of Defense or affiliation with the 
                Department of Defense.
            ``(2) Geographic exclusion.--Subsection (a) does not apply 
        to any attack that--
                    ``(A) occurs in a combat zone; or
                    ``(B) in the case of a civilian employee of the 
                Department, occurs while the employee is serving with 
                the armed forces in a contingency operation.
    ``(c) Exclusion of Certain Individuals.--Subsection (a) shall not 
apply to a member of the armed forces or civilian employee of the 
Department of Defense whose death or wound as described in subsection 
(b) is the result of the misconduct of the member or employee, as 
determined by the Secretary of Defense.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `armed forces' does not include the Coast 
        Guard.
            ``(2) The term `combat zone' means a combat operation or 
        combat zone designated by the Secretary of Defense.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1032 the following new item:

``1032a. Treatment of members of the armed forces and civilian 
                            employees of the Department of Defense 
                            killed or wounded in attacks directed at 
                            members or employees outside of a combat 
                            zone.''.
    (c) Retroactive Application to Certain Earlier Attacks on Members 
of the Armed Forces or DOD Civilians.--
            (1) Covered attacks.--Section 1032a of title 10, United 
        States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply to the 
        following:
                    (A) The attack that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, 
                on November 5, 2009.
                    (B) The attack that occurred at a recruiting 
                station in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009.
                    (C) The attack that occurred at the Frankfurt 
                Airport, Germany, on March 2, 2011.
            (2) Notification.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        notify all members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees 
        of the Department of Defense who were wounded in the attacks 
        specified in paragraph (1) and the next-of-kin of members and 
        civilian employees who were killed in such attacks of the 
        availability of benefits as a result of the enactment of 
        section 1032a of title 10, United States Code.
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