[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 96 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1270]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    AMERICAN LEGION AMENDMENT ACT, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS CHARTER 
                             AMENDMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 15, 2002

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of two 
bills, H.R. 3988, the American Legion Amendment Act, and H.R. 3838, the 
Veterans of Foreign Wars Charter Amendment Act. Both of these measures 
seek to broaden membership to their respective organizations. H.R. 
3838, the American Legion Amendment Act, revises American Legion 
eligibility requirements by providing that individuals who are 
currently serving honorably in the armed forces are eligible for 
membership in the American Legion, H.R. 3838, the Veterans of Foreign 
Wars Charter Amendment Act, amends the charter of the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) to allow members of the armed 
services who have received special pay for duty subject to hostile fire 
or imminent danger to be a member of the VFW. The bill also clarifies 
that the VFW would be considered ``charitable'' in order to qualify the 
organization's member activities for tax purposes.
  Mr. Speaker, these measures send a strong message to our Nation's 
veterans. I am pleased that the House is taking action on these 
measures and will continue to strive to meet the needs of our veterans 
of today and tomorrow. As a father of a Gulf War veteran, I am proud 
that he will have the opportunity to join a major veterans 
organization, as well as the thousands of other deserving military 
service members who served in dangerous military campaigns such as 
Somalia, Kosovo and more recently, the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. 
I, along with my colleagues in Congress, are committed to serving 
America's veterans and their families with dignity and compassion. For 
these reasons, I strongly support these two measures.

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