[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 27092]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 27092]]

                AMENDING CHARTER OF AMVETS ORGANIZATION

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 604) to amend the charter of the AMVETS 
organization, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I yield to the 
gentleman for an explanation of the bill.
  Mr. McCOLLUM. I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for 
yielding to me on this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 604 would amend the Federal charter for the 
American Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, the AMVETS. At 
the 1998 AMVETS annual convention, the delegates voted to change the 
name of the American Veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam to 
American Veterans to more accurately reflect the membership of AMVETS.
  AMVETS membership now includes not only veterans from those three 
wars but also anyone who served honorably after 1940 and national 
guardsmen and reservists. At that convention, the AMVETS also voted to 
change the structure of their governing body. H.R. 604 contains 
language to reflect the structure change in the statute.
  Also, because AMVETS moved the location of their headquarters from 
the District of Columbia to Lanham, Maryland, the headquarters and 
principal place of business section of their charter needs to be 
changed to indicate that they are now located in Maryland. In order for 
these changes to be recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
the AMVETS Federal charter must be amended.
  There were technical errors in the original bill. The committee 
amendment that we have changed the headquarters location from the 
Baltimore-Washington area to Maryland because a federally chartered 
organization must be incorporated in a specific State or the District 
of Columbia. Additionally, there were errors in the governing body 
language. That provision has been changed to accurately reflect the 
structure agreed to by the convention. And so I urge this corrective 
bill, which is what it is, to be passed.
  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his explanation.
  Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                                H.R. 604

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS TO AMVETS CHARTER.

       (a) Name of Organization.--(1) Sections 22701(a) and 22706 
     of title 36, United States Code, are amended by striking 
     ``AMVETS (American Veterans of World War II, Korea, and 
     Vietnam)'' and inserting ``AMVETS (American Veterans)''.
       (2)(A) The heading of chapter 227 of such title is amended 
     to read as follows:

              ``CHAPTER 227--AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS)''.

       (B) The item relating to such chapter in the table of 
     chapters at the beginning of subtitle II of such title is 
     amended to read as follows:

``227. AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS)..........................22701''.....

       (b) Governing Body.--Section 22704(c)(1) of such title is 
     amended by striking ``seven national vice commanders'' and 
     all that follows through ``a judge advocate,'' and inserting 
     ``two national vice commanders, a finance officer, a judge 
     advocate, a deputy judge advocate, a chaplain, a VAVS 
     representative, six national district commanders,''.
       (c) Headquarters and Principal Place of Business.--Section 
     22708 of such title is amended--
       (1) by striking ``the District of Columbia'' in the first 
     sentence and inserting ``the Washington/Baltimore 
     Metropolitan area''; and
       (2) by striking ``the District of Columbia'' in the second 
     sentence and inserting ``that metropolitan area''.


   Committee Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute Offered by Mr. 
                                McCollum

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I offer a committee amendment in the 
nature of a substitute.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Committee amendment in the nature of a substitute offered 
     by Mr. McCollum:
       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. AMENDMENTS TO AMVETS CHARTER.

       (a) Name of Organization.--(1) Sections 22701(a) and 22706 
     of title 36, United States Code, are amended by striking 
     ``AMVETS (American Veterans of World War II, Korea, and 
     Vietnam)'' and inserting ``AMVETS (American Veterans)''.
       (2)(A) The heading of chapter 227 of such title is amended 
     to read as follows:

              ``CHAPTER 227--AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS)''.

       (B) The item relating to such chapter in the table of 
     chapters at the beginning of subtitle II of such title is 
     amended to read as follows:

``227. AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS)..........................22701''.....

       (b) Governing Body.--Section 22704(c)(1) of such title is 
     amended by striking ``seven national vice commanders'' and 
     all that follows through ``a judge advocate,'' and inserting 
     ``two national vice commanders and six national district 
     commanders, at least one of whom shall be a woman, a finance 
     officer, a judge advocate, a chaplain,''.
       (c) Headquarters and Principal Place of Business.--Section 
     22708 of such title is amended--
       (1) by striking ``the District of Columbia'' in the first 
     sentence and inserting ``Maryland''; and
       (2) by striking ``the District of Columbia'' in the second 
     sentence and inserting ``Maryland''.

  Mr. McCOLLUM (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute be 
considered as read and printed in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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