II 112th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1727 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES October 18, 2011 Mr. Heller (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Blunt, and Mrs. McCaskill) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To direct the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy to conduct a review of military service records of Jewish American veterans of World War I, including those previously awarded a military decoration, to determine whether any of the veterans should be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the William Shemin Jewish World War I Veterans Act.

2.

Review regarding award of Medal of Honor to Jewish American World War I veterans

(a)

Review required

The Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy shall review the service records of each Jewish American World War I veteran described in subsection (b) to determine whether that veteran should be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. (b)

Covered Jewish American war veterans

The Jewish American World War I veterans whose service records are to be reviewed under subsection (a) are the following: (1)Any Jewish American World War I veteran who was previously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, or other military decoration for service during World War I. (2)Any other Jewish American World War I veteran whose name is submitted to the Secretary concerned for such purpose by the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America before the end of the one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act. (c)

Consultations

In carrying out the review under subsection (a), the Secretary concerned shall consult with the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America and with such other veterans service organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate. (d)

Recommendation based on review

If the Secretary concerned determines, based upon the review under subsection (a) of the service records of any Jewish American World War I veteran, that the award of the Medal of Honor to that veteran is warranted, the Secretary shall submit to the President a recommendation that the President award the Medal of Honor posthumously to that veteran. (e)

Authority To award Medal of Honor

A Medal of Honor may be awarded posthumously to a Jewish American World War I veteran in accordance with a recommendation of the Secretary concerned under subsection (a). (f)

Waiver of time limitations

An award of the Medal of Honor may be made under subsection (e) without regard to— (1)section 3744, 6248, or 8744 of title 10, United States Code; and (2)any regulation or other administrative restriction on— (A)the time for awarding the Medal of Honor; or (B)the awarding of the Medal of Honor for service for which a Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, or other military decoration has been awarded. (g)

Definitions

In this section: (1)The term Jewish American World War I veteran means any person who served in the Armed Forces during World War I and identified himself or herself as Jewish on his or her military personnel records. (2)The term Secretary concerned means— (A)the Secretary of the Army, in the case of the Army; and (B)the Secretary of the Navy, in the case of the Navy and the Marine Corps. (3)The term World War I means the period beginning on April 6, 1917, and ending on November 11, 1918.