[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 70 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E874-E875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF AMERICAN GOLD STAR PARENTS ANNUITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 21, 2001

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce The American Gold 
Star Parents Annuity Act of 2001, H.R. 1917.
  This legislation would create a new annuity of $125 per month for all 
current and future Gold Star Parents. Gold Star Parents are those 
individuals who have lost a child, who was an active duty member of the 
Armed Forces, and subjected to either enemy fire in a recognized 
conflict or to an act of terrorism.
  The annuity is for each set of parents, to be divided equally if they 
are no longer married. Should one parent be deceased, the surviving 
parent would receive the full amount of the annuity. This annuity will 
be tax free.
  The annuity is contingent upon the parents being awarded a Gold Star, 
the eligibility of which is determined by the Secretary of Defense.
  Most of the recipients will be members of The American Gold Star 
Mothers, an organization that had its beginnings in World War I. During 
that conflict, a blue star was used to represent a person serving in 
the United States' Armed Forces. As American casualties mounted in 
1917, silver stars were used to represent those who had been wounded, 
and gold stars were use for those who had died in the service of their 
nation.
  On June 4, 1928, a group of twenty-five mothers residing in 
Washington DC, met to plan the founding of a national organization, 
which was officially incorporated on January 5, 1929.
  Gold Star membership was initially open to all mothers who had lost a 
son or daughter in World War I, but subsequently was opened to all 
those who had lost a child in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the 
Persian Gulf conflict.
  These additions have paralleled congressional modifications to the 
U.S. Code to permit the Secretary of Defense to award Gold Star pins to 
the parents of deceased veterans of those conflicts as well as those 
who lost children in terrorist attacks on U.S. Armed Forces.
  Since its founding, The American Gold Star Mothers has played a vital 
role in the healing process for those who had lost a child. By bringing 
together those who share a common tragedy, this organization has helped 
its members realize that they are not alone in their grief.
  Furthermore, The Gold Star Mothers also performed the important 
service of assisting veterans of the last century's military conflicts 
and their descendants with the presentation of claims before the 
Veterans' Administration. They also perform thousands of hours of 
volunteer service in our VA hospitals, offering assistance and comfort 
to hospitalized veterans and their families.
  Mr. Speaker, our country has always sought to look after the 
surviving spouse and children of a service-member who has been killed 
in action. Often overlooked however, are the parents of the deceased 
service-member. This is unfortunate since the parents are usually those 
who have had the greatest role in shaping that person's, life and will 
have had the greatest impact on his or her life. Yet, beyond heartfelt 
condolences, the parents receive very little from the Government that 
their child chose to patriotically serve as a member of the Armed 
Forces.
  While we all recognize that the Government has some obligation to the 
widowed spouse and the killed soldier's children, very few have argued 
on the behalf of the parents who lose their children to war. Only those 
parents who relied on their child as a primary means of support 
currently receive any benefit when their child is killed in the line of 
duty.
  This legislation seeks to change that reality. It offers a small 
annuity to any parent, mother or father, regardless of need, as a sign 
of appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice made by their child in the 
defense of freedom and liberty.
  Accordingly, I invite my colleagues to support this overdue measure, 
H.R. 1917.

                               H.R. 1917

       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 ``Gold Star Parents Annuity 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. SPECIAL PENSION FOR GOLD STAR PARENTS.

       (a) In General.--(1) Chapter 15 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     subchapter:

[[Page E875]]

         ``SUBCHAPTER V--SPECIAL PENSION FOR GOLD STAR PARENTS

     ``Sec. 1571. Gold Star parents

       ``(a) The Secretary shall pay monthly to each person who 
     has received a Gold Star lapel pin under section 1126 of 
     title 10 as a parent of a person who died in a manner 
     described in subsection (a) of that section a special pension 
     in an amount determined under subsection (b).
       ``(b) The amount of special pension payable under this 
     section with respect to the death of any person shall be $125 
     per month. In any case in which there is more than one parent 
     eligible for special pension under this section with respect 
     to the death of a person, the Secretary shall divide the 
     payment equally among those eligible parents.
       ``(c) The receipt of special pension shall not deprive any 
     person of any other pension or other benefit, right, or 
     privilege to which such person is or may hereafter be 
     entitled under any existing or subsequent law. Special 
     pension shall be paid in addition to all other payments under 
     laws of the United States.
       ``(d) Special pension shall not be subject to any 
     attachment, execution, levy, tax lien, or detention under any 
     process whatever.
       ``(e) for purposes of this section, the term `parent' has 
     the meaning provided in section 1126(d)(2) of title 10.''.
       (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter 
     is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``subchapter v--special pension for gold star parents
       ``1571. Gold Star parents.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--Section 1571 of title 38, United 
     States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall take effect on 
     the first day of the first fiscal year beginning after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act.

     

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