[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3293 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3293

 To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
  Defense (and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the 
  Coast Guard) to issue, at no cost to the United States, a military 
 service identification card to persons who served in the Armed Forces.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 1, 2011

 Mr. Bass of New Hampshire (for himself and Mr. Guinta) 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 (and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the 
  Coast Guard) to issue, at no cost to the United States, a military 
 service identification card to persons who served in the Armed Forces.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. MILITARY SERVICE IDENTIFICATION CARD.

    (a) Establishment and Availability.--Chapter 59 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1166 the following 
new section:
``Sec. 1167. Military service identification card: availability and 
              issuance
    ``(a) Design and Availability.--The Secretary of Defense (and the 
Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard) shall 
design an appropriate identification card (to be known as the `military 
service identification card') to identify and recognize the service of 
a member of the armed forces after the retirement or other separation 
of the member from the armed forces.
    ``(b) Contents.--At a minimum, the military service identification 
card shall include the information contained on the Certificate of 
Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214).
    ``(c) Issuance.--The Secretary concerned shall issue the military 
service identification card to an eligible person upon the request of 
the person, subject to the payment of the amount required by subsection 
(e). In the case of a member of the armed forces who is being separated 
from the armed forces and requests the military service identification 
card, the Secretary concerned is encouraged to provide for issuance of 
the military service identification card as part of any ceremony 
conducted in connection with the separation of the member to recognize 
the service of the member.
    ``(d) Application.--The Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of 
Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard) shall establish an 
application process by which a person can request the military service 
identification card.
    ``(e) Cost.--Issuance of the military service identification card 
to a person is conditioned upon the payment of an amount sufficient to 
cover the costs incurred by the United States to manufacture and issue 
the military service identification card.
    ``(f) Regulations.--The Secretary of Defense (and the Secretary of 
Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard) shall issue such 
regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
1166 the following new item:

``1167. Military service identification card: availability and 
                            issuance.''.
    (c) Retroactive Availability.--
            (1) Availability.--The Secretary of Defense (and the 
        Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard) 
        shall make the military service identification card authorized 
        by section 1167 of title 10, United States Code, as added by 
        subsection (a), available to retired and former members of the 
        Armed Forces who retired or were separated before the date of 
        the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Notice.--The Secretaries should widely announce the 
        availability of the military service identification card 
        through military and public information channels.
            (3) Application process.--The Secretaries shall provide a 
        mechanism by which a person eligible under paragraph (1) may 
        apply for the military service identification card.
            (4) Cost and issuance.--Subsection (e) of section 1167 of 
        title 10, United States Code, shall apply with respect to the 
        issuance of the military service identification card under this 
        subsection.
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