[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 504 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.504

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and nineteen


                                 An Act


 
To amend title 36, United States Code, to authorize The American Legion 
to determine the requirements for membership in The American Legion, 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 ``Let Everyone Get Involved in 
Opportunities for National Service Act'' or the ``LEGION Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.
    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
        (1) Since the end of World War II, the Federal Government has 
    designated specific periods of war, the dates of which are 
    important for qualification for certain benefits or membership in 
    veterans organizations established by Congress.
        (2) In between those recognized periods of war, during so-
    called peacetime eras, the United States military has been involved 
    in not fewer than 12 known eras, which are unrecognized by the 
    United States Government as periods of war, resulting in numerous 
    United States personnel combat casualties.
        (3) Those 12 unrecognized war eras occurred at the direction of 
    the then President of the United States, with full knowledge and 
    consent of the then Congress.
        (4) The first of those 12 unrecognized war eras involving 
    active United States military personnel was the Greek Civil War, 
    fought in Greece from 1946 to 1949 between the army of the 
    Government of Greece, supported by active military personal of the 
    United States and the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Army of 
    Greece, the military branch of the Communist Party of Greece.
        (5) During the Greek Civil War, one member of the Armed Forces 
    of the United States sacrificed his life in service to the United 
    States, and five others suffered non-combat deaths.
        (6) The second of those unrecognized war eras involving active 
    United States military personnel was the Chinese Civil War, which 
    occurred during the aftermath of World War II.
        (7) During the Chinese Civil War, the United States military 
    equipped, trained, transported, and supplied the Kuomintang-led 
    Government of the Republic of China with approximately 
    $4,430,000,000 in its resistance to the Communist Party of China.
        (8) During the Chinese Civil War, 14 members of the Armed 
    Forces of the United States sacrificed their lives in service to 
    the United States, 150 non-combatants of the United States lost 
    their lives in the war, and 51 were wounded, resulting in 215 
    United States military casualties.
        (9) The third unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel is known as the Cold War.
        (10) The Cold War was a period spanning from approximately 1947 
    until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.
        (11) Although no direct large-scale military fighting occurred 
    between the militaries of the United States and the Soviet Union, 
    active United States military personnel served in multiple regional 
    conflicts during the Cold War, resulting in the deaths of not fewer 
    than 32 members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in 
    service to the United States and not fewer than 12 additional 
    casualties.
        (12) The fourth unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel is known as the China Cold War.
        (13) The China Cold War started when the Kuomintang-led 
    Government of the Republic of China retreated to the island of 
    Taiwan and lasted until 1972, after President Richard Nixon 
    conducted a landmark state visit to China.
        (14) During the military operations of the China Cold War, not 
    fewer than 16 members of the Armed Forces of the United States 
    sacrificed their lives in service to the United States.
        (15) The fifth unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel was the Lebanon Crisis of 1958, which 
    involved more than 14,000 United States personnel and resulted in 
    the death of one member of the Armed Forces who sacrificed his life 
    in service to the United States and five non-combat deaths.
        (16) The sixth unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel was the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 
    1961.
        (17) The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed military invasion of 
    Cuba undertaken by a United States military group sponsored by the 
    Central Intelligence Agency that resulted in not fewer than one 
    death of a member of the Armed Forces who sacrificed his life in 
    service to the United States and 19 non-combat deaths.
        (18) The seventh unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel was the Cuban Missile Crisis, which took 
    place between October 16 and October 28, 1962.
        (19) The Cuban Missile Crisis directly related to homeland 
    protection against the deployment of a Soviet ballistic missile in 
    Cuba.
        (20) During the Cuban Missile Crisis, one member of the Armed 
    Forces sacrificed his life in service to the United States and 19 
    others died as non-combatants.
        (21) The eighth unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel was the Dominican Civil War in 1965.
        (22) Operations during the Dominican Civil War resulted in the 
    deaths of 27 members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives 
    in service to the United States, 20 non-combat-related deaths, and 
    283 wounded.
        (23) The ninth unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel was the Iran Hostage Crisis, which lasted 
    from November 4, 1979, through January 20, 1981.
        (24) The Iran Hostage Crisis involved military intervention by 
    the United States which resulted in the deaths of 8 members of the 
    Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to United 
    States.
        (25) The tenth unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel was the Salvadoran Civil War.
        (26) The Salvadoran Civil War lasted more than 12 years, 
    through the terms of two Presidential administrations of the United 
    States, and resulted in the deaths of 22 members of the Armed 
    Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States, 
    15 non-combat deaths, and 35 other casualties.
        (27) The 11th unrecognized war era involving active United 
    States military personnel started on April 5, 1986, when the La 
    Belle discotheque in West Berlin, Germany, was bombed, killing two 
    United States soldiers and wounding 79 other members of the Armed 
    Forces, which triggered what became known as the Libyan Conflict.
        (28) The military operations of the Libyan Conflict included 
    numerous air strikes by United States military forces and resulted 
    in the deaths of two members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed 
    their lives in service to the United States.
        (29) The Libyan Conflict led to the 12th unrecognized war era 
    involving active United States military personnel, known 
    collectively as the Persian Gulf Conflicts, which lasted from July 
    24, 1987, through September 26, 1988.
        (30) The Persian Gulf Conflicts involved United States military 
    missions to protect Kuwaiti-owned oil tankers which represented the 
    largest United States naval convoy operation since World War II.
        (31) The Persian Gulf Conflicts resulted in numerous military 
    operations and the deaths of not fewer than 39 members of the Armed 
    Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States 
    and 31 wounded.
        (32) Since the armistice that ended the hostilities of the 
    Korean War on January 31, 1955, nearly 100 active United States 
    military personnel have sacrificed their lives in service to the 
    United States in South Korea, and more than 132 people of the 
    United States have been wounded in-country.
        (33) Since January 1, 1947, through all of the unrecognized war 
    eras involving active United States military personnel, not fewer 
    than 778 combat and non-combat members of the Armed Forces have 
    sacrificed their lives in service to the United States and not 
    fewer than 797 have been wounded.
        (34) Since January 1, 1947, the unrecognized war eras involving 
    active United States military personnel who were wounded and killed 
    serving their country were administered under orders from the 
    commander in chief and with the consent of Congress, proving that 
    the United States has been conducting deadly wartime service to 
    protect the country consistently since December 7, 1941.
        (35) Eligibility for membership in The American Legion is 
    determined by Congress through the establishment of specific dates 
    of declared and officially recognized hostilities in which United 
    States military personnel are on active service.
        (36) The American Legion provides invaluable services to its 
    members and supports the community of veterans who sacrificed in 
    service of the United States.
        (37) Membership in The American Legion allows veterans to 
    engage in public service activities, such as supporting Boys and 
    Girls State and Nation, youth mentorship programs, and benefit 
    assistance, career fairs, and employment assistance for veterans.
        (38) The American Legion has gone on record as supporting the 
    12 unrecognized war eras involving active United States military 
    personnel since the beginning of World War II.
        (39) The American Legion has aided, assisted, and comforted the 
    families of the men and women who were called to serve or 
    volunteered to serve during all of the unrecognized war eras and 
    continues to provide support to veterans of those eras.
        (40) The American Legion has commended the heroic actions of 
    all military personnel who risked their lives in defense of freedom 
    during each of the unrecognized war eras involving active United 
    States military personnel.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, in 
accordance with the history, tradition, and purposes of The American 
Legion, it is fair, proper, and reasonable that the privilege of 
membership in The American Legion should be extended to all military 
personnel who served on active military duty during all of the 
unrecognized war eras involving active United States military 
personnel.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN LEGION.
    Section 21703 of title 36, United States Code, is amended--
        (1) in paragraph (1)--
            (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``during any period 
        from--'' and all that follows through the end of clause (vii) 
        and inserting the following: ``during--
                ``(i) the period from April 6, 1917, through November 
            11, 1918; or
                ``(ii) any time after December 7, 1941; or''; and
            (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``or time'' after ``a 
        period''; and
        (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``or time'' after ``that 
    period''.
SEC. 4. NONDISCRIMINATION WITH RESPECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS FOR HOLDING 
A STAFF POSITION IN THE AMERICAN LEGION.
    (a) In General.--Chapter 217 of title 36, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 21704 the following new section:
``Sec. 21704A. Nondiscrimination
    ``The requirements for holding a staff position in the corporation 
may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or 
national origin.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
21704 the following new item:

``21704A. Nondiscrimination.''.


                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.