[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[House]
[Pages 29803-29804]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 PURPLE HEART FAMILY EQUITY ACT OF 2007

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1119) to amend title 36, United States 
Code, to revise the congressional charter of the Military Order of the 
Purple Heart of the United States of America, Incorporated, to 
authorize associate membership in the corporation for the spouse of a 
recipient of the Purple Heart medal, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1119

       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 ``Purple Heart Family Equity 
     Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP IN THE MILITARY ORDER OF THE 
                   PURPLE HEART OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 
                   INCORPORATED.

       Section 140503(b) of title 36, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``parents and lineal descendants'' and 
     inserting ``the parents, spouse, siblings, and lineal 
     descendants''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) and the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  H.R. 1119, the Purple Heart Family Equity Act of 2007, provides an 
excellent opportunity for us to recognize and honor the brave women as 
well as brave men who served our Nation in the armed services.
  As many of you know, the Purple Heart is awarded to Armed Forces 
members who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the 
enemy, and posthumously to the next of kin for those who are killed in 
action or who die of wounds received in action. It is specifically a 
combat decoration first conceived in 1782 by General George Washington.
  Seventy-five years ago, an organization now known as the Military 
Order of the Purple Heart was formed for the purposes of protecting the 
mutual interests of all those who have received the decoration. 
Composed exclusively of Purple Heart recipients, it is the only 
veterans service organization comprised strictly of combat veterans.
  When the order was federally chartered in 1958, however, very few 
women had received the Purple Heart. And to this day, women recipients 
of the Purple Heart do not have the same benefits as their male 
counterparts.
  Under the current law, male members can invite their wives to join 
the Ladies Auxiliary of the Purple Heart, but there is no place in the 
order for husbands of Purple Heart recipients. The order has identified 
at least 97 female purple heart recipients who have joined and who are 
not enjoying the full benefits of membership that they deserve.
  H.R. 1119 seeks to fully honor the women of the Armed Forces who have 
been awarded the Purple Heart defending our Nation. Specifically, the 
bill amends the order's Federal charter to allow members to invite 
their spouses to join as associate members, both for male and female 
recipients of the Purple Heart. With this minor revision to the Federal 
charter, the husbands of female members could join the organization.
  This bill also allows members to invite their siblings to join as 
associate members so that they too can take part in the full honor of 
their brothers and sisters who fought so bravely for our country and 
received a Purple Heart. It is only right that we allow the members to 
include their siblings in this honor.
  This bipartisan legislation is endorsed by the Military Order of the 
Purple Heart. It recognizes the important role women have played in 
defending our Nation in times of war.

                              {time}  1300

  We owe this long overdue recognition to these women and their 
families. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. I thank the gentlewoman for her presentation of H.R. 1119.
  The Military Order of the Purple Heart of the United States of 
America was founded in 1932. And as the gentlewoman stated, it goes 
back to George Washington. It's rich in our heritage, and it's precious 
in our reference to those who have bled for this Nation and for the 
freedom of the people here in the United States of America. It was 
recognized by the Veterans Administration and represents ``veterans in 
the presentation of claims before the . . . administration,'' this is 
the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and also ``its service officers 
are active in veterans hospitals.'' The organization was federally 
chartered in 1958.
  Active members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart must be 
persons of good moral character who have received the Purple Heart for 
wounds received as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces or for those of 
any country during military combat against an armed enemy of the United 
States.
  The Military Order of the Purple Heart is a sterling organization 
that provides services to those brave Americans who were wounded 
defending our country. The order also seeks to promote ``patriotic 
allegiance to the United States, fidelity to the Constitution and laws 
of the United States, and the security of civil liberty and the 
permanence of free institutions.'' And that's all out of their mission. 
Its goals are ``educational, fraternal, historical, and patriotic, 
perpetuating the principles of liberty and justice which have created 
the United States.'' In short, Mr. Speaker, the Military Order of the 
Purple Heart upholds many of the pillars of American exceptionalism.
  Parents or lineal descendants of persons eligible to be active 
members can be associate members of the order. The order has requested 
that its charter be amended so that siblings and spouses of members can 
also become associate members.
  I am pleased that H.R. 1119, the Purple Heart Family Equity Act of 
2007, as amended by the Judiciary Committee, provides that spouses and 
siblings of persons eligible to be active members of the Military Order 
of the Purple Heart can become associate members.
  If I just look at the bill for the sake of clarity, Mr. Speaker, the 
current law is parents and lineal descendants. This strikes parents and 
lineal descendants

[[Page 29804]]

and replaces it with the parents, spouse, and lineal descendants. This 
is something that has been agreed to and promoted by the members of the 
Military Order of the Purple Heart, by Republicans and Democrats in the 
Judiciary Committee. I do not recall opposition to this. I believe one 
could say that it is clearly without opposition, perhaps unanimous on 
the Judiciary Committee.
  I urge adoption of H.R. 1119.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 4 
minutes to the author of the bill, my colleague from California, 
Congresswoman Davis.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague 
from California as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I was honored for the opportunity to introduce the 
Purple Heart Equity Act along with Representative Virginia Foxx, 
Minority Whip Roy Blunt, Chairman John Murtha, and a number of other 
bipartisan sponsors. We came together, and this is a unanimous bill 
because honoring the women who have won the Purple Heart is something 
that we can all stand behind.
  As commander of the Continental Army, as has been mentioned, George 
Washington wanted to recognize soldiers whose sacrifices and 
distinction forwarded the cause of independence. As a result, he 
created the Military Merit. He also designed the award, shaped it like 
a heart in the color purple. And after the Revolutionary War, this 
award was actually abandoned. But in honor of the bicentennial of 
Washington's birth, President Herbert Hoover revived the award in 1932, 
and it maintained its original design and became more known today, of 
course, as the Purple Heart.
  In that same year the Military Order of the Purple Heart formed with 
the mission of fostering a positive environment among wounded veterans 
as well as providing services to all veterans and their families. But 
when the organization was federally chartered in 1958, few women 
actually had won the Purple Heart. So, under the current law, male 
members today can invite their wives to join the Ladies Auxiliary of 
the Purple Heart, but there is no place in this organization for the 
husbands of female members.
  So that's why H.R. 1119 is important today, because it adds the word 
``spouses'' to the Federal Charter of the Military Order of the Purple 
Heart. And with this small update, the husbands of female members will 
have the option of joining the organization just as the wives do.
  Just a little bit more history, Mr. Speaker. The first woman to be 
awarded the Purple Heart was Lieutenant Annie G. Fox after she was 
killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Since then, the Military Order of 
the Purple Heart has identified at least 97 female Purple Heart 
recipients who have joined the organization.
  It has been 66 years since Lieutenant Fox earned the award, and now 
it is time, certainly time, that we act to fully honor the courageous 
women who are bestowed with the Purple Heart. H.R. 1119 honors and 
recognizes these brave women and future recipients of the Purple Heart. 
This is the least, certainly, we can do for the women who sacrifice for 
our country.
  And, finally, H.R. 1119 will allow the siblings of all who belong to 
the organization to join as associate members.
  By passing this legislation today, we certainly honor every family 
whose son or daughter or sister or brother has won the distinguished 
Purple Heart.
  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this 
bipartisan bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1119, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to amend 
title 36, United States Code, to revise the congressional charter of 
the Military Order of the Purple Heart of the United States of America, 
Incorporated, to authorize associate membership in the corporation for 
the spouse and siblings of a recipient of the Purple Heart medal.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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