[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2863 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2863

    To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit unrecognized 
individuals from charging fees for legal services provided to veterans 
  related to appeals before the Department of Veterans Affairs or the 
          Board of Veterans' Appeals, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2015

 Mr. Rooney of Florida (for himself, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Walz, Mr. Brady 
 of Pennsylvania, and Mr. Rigell) introduced the following bill; which 
           was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 38, United States Code, to prohibit unrecognized 
individuals from charging fees for legal services provided to veterans 
  related to appeals before the Department of Veterans Affairs or the 
          Board of Veterans' Appeals, 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 ``Secure Legal Services for Veterans 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF UNRECOGNIZED INDIVIDUALS CHARGING FEES FOR LEGAL 
              SERVICES PROVIDED TO VETERANS RELATED TO APPEALS CLAIMS 
              BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 5904(a)(6) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
    ``(F)(i) An individual who is not recognized as an agent or 
attorney under this section may not directly or indirectly solicit, 
contract for, charge, receive, or attempt to solicit, contract for, 
charge, or receive any fee or compensation for services rendered in the 
preparation, presentation, or prosecution of an appeal before the 
Department or the Board of Veterans' Appeals.
    ``(ii) Whoever violates this subparagraph shall be fined in 
accordance with title 18, imprisoned for not more than one year, or 
both.
    ``(iii) There is established in the General Fund of the Treasury a 
fund to be known as the `TBI Research and Initiatives Fund'. Amounts 
collected for violations of this subparagraph shall be deposited in the 
fund and shall remain available to the Secretary without fiscal year 
limitation for traumatic brain injury research and initiatives.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and apply with 
respect to an act that occurs on or after that date.
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