[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S7176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 3794. A bill to amend chapter 5 of title 40, United States Code, 
to include organizations whose membership comprises substantially 
veterans as recipient organizations for the donation of Federal surplus 
personal property through State agencies; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, today, I am introducing bipartisan 
legislation to add military veterans to the list of groups eligible to 
receive excess property donations from the Federal Government. The 
sacrifices that members of our armed forces make every day for us and 
our country cannot be overstated, and I welcome any opportunity to 
recognize their services. While this bill is a small token, it is 
another effort to give back to our military veterans. I encourage the 
Senate to act swiftly and pass this bill.
  The FOR VETS Act will enable military veterans to receive surplus 
goods donations through the Federal Government's property distribution 
program. The types of property donated through this program include 
computers, trucks, snowmobiles, home appliances, and electronics. These 
are items that would be of good use to our military veterans, and which 
they should have the opportunity to claim.
  The administrator of General Services oversees this property 
distribution program, which currently donates property to medical 
institutions, providers of assistance to the homeless, universities, 
and child care facilities, among others. Given the surplus of available 
goods, military veterans' groups are simply being added into this pool 
of recipients for goods that might otherwise go unused.
  I am pleased to be joined by the Homeland Security and Government 
Affairs Committee Ranking Member, Senator Collins, in sponsoring this 
legislation. This is a bipartisan effort, as legislation to support our 
veterans should always be, and I hope Congress will come together to 
promptly send this legislation to the President to be signed into law.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3794

       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 ``Formerly Owned Resources for 
     Veterans to Express Thanks for Service Act of 2010'' or ``FOR 
     VETS Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 2. RECIPIENTS OF CERTAIN FEDERAL SURPLUS PERSONAL 
                   PROPERTY.

       Section 549(c)(3)(B) of title 40, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) in clause (viii), by striking ``or'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in clause (ix), by striking the period and inserting 
     ``; or''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(x) an organization whose membership comprises 
     substantially veterans (as defined under section 101 of title 
     38).''.
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