[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14906-14907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1515
                     GOLD STAR FATHERS ACT OF 2015

  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 136) to amend chapter 21 of title 5, United States Code, to 
provide that fathers of certain permanently disabled or deceased 
veterans shall be included with mothers of such veterans as preference 
eligibles for treatment in the civil service.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 136

       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 Fathers Act of 
     2015''.

     SEC. 2. PREFERENCE ELIGIBLE TREATMENT FOR FATHERS OF CERTAIN 
                   PERMANENTLY DISABLED OR DECEASED VETERANS.

       Section 2108(3) of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking subparagraphs (F) and (G) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(F) the parent of an individual who lost his or her life 
     under honorable conditions while serving in the armed forces 
     during a period named by paragraph (1)(A) of this section, 
     if--
       ``(i) the spouse of that parent is totally and permanently 
     disabled; or
       ``(ii) that parent, when preference is claimed, is 
     unmarried or, if married, legally separated from his or her 
     spouse;
       ``(G) the parent of a service-connected permanently and 
     totally disabled veteran, if--
       ``(i) the spouse of that parent is totally and permanently 
     disabled; or
       ``(ii) that parent, when preference is claimed, is 
     unmarried or, if married, legally separated from his or her 
     spouse; and''.

     SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       The amendment made by this Act shall take effect 90 days 
     after the date of enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which 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 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 136, the Gold Star Fathers 
Act of 2015. This important piece of legislation supports fathers of 
permanently disabled or deceased veterans in their search for 
employment with the Federal Government.
  Mr. Speaker, under current law, mothers of certain permanently 
disabled or deceased veterans receive preference in hiring for civil 
service positions in recognition of their sacrifice. That preference 
applies when the mother is widowed, divorced, or separated, or if their 
husband is totally or permanently disabled.
  The Gold Star Fathers Act of 2015 extends this same benefit to 
fathers. The bill also grants preference in hiring to parents who never 
married along with those that are widowed, divorced, or legally 
separated.
  I thank Senators Wyden, Brown, and Collins for their work over 
several Congresses on this important issue, and Congresswoman Esty for 
sponsoring the House companion bill.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans and to the 
mothers and fathers of our veterans. I urge my colleagues to support 
this bipartisan legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 136, the Gold Star 
Fathers Act of 2015, bipartisan legislation introduced by my colleague, 
Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, last January and cosponsored by Senators 
Sherrod Brown of Rhode Island and Susan Collins of Maine. This bill 
passed the United States Senate by unanimous consent in May of this 
year and was favorably reported out of the House Oversight and 
Government Reform Committee in July.
  This legislation also has bipartisan support in the House in the form 
of identical legislation, H.R. 1222, introduced by my colleague, 
Representative Elizabeth Esty, of Connecticut.
  In appreciation of the sacrifices that Gold Star families have made 
on behalf of our grateful Nation, the Gold Star Fathers Act would 
extend the 10-point hiring preference for Federal civilian jobs to the 
fathers of servicemembers who have been permanently disabled or who 
lost their lives while serving on Active Duty. This would be identical 
to the Federal hiring preference that has been available to our Gold 
Star Mothers since 1948.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation is reflective of the immense gratitude 
that we hold as a nation for the parents of our fallen and disabled 
heroes. It also recognizes the profound sacrifice that our Gold Star 
families continue to endure every day. It is a burden that is 
shouldered by the very few on behalf of the entire Nation.
  Back in South Boston, my mother-in-law, Helen Shaughnessy, originally 
Helen Bailey, is a Gold Star sister. She lost her brother, Arnie 
Bailey, in April of 1944 on his first jump over the Rhine close to the 
end of the Second World War in Europe. I know that their family 
continues to carry that pain and that burden each and every day.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support Ms. Esty 
in her efforts, along with Senator Wyden and others in the Senate, to 
support S. 136.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Connecticut (Ms. Esty). I would like to introduce and welcome her 
remarks. She is the lead sponsor of this bill in the House and has been 
a true champion on behalf of veterans all over this country.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 136, the Senate 
companion to my bill in the House, the Gold Star Fathers Act of 2015.
  I want to thank Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings for 
their support of our Gold Star families and for prioritizing this 
bipartisan bill that would bring equity to the treatment of all Gold 
Star families, and I want to thank my friends Mr. Walberg and Mr. Lynch 
for their support today.
  Mr. Speaker, on Memorial Day last year, I met with Gold Star families 
in Waterbury, Connecticut, and I heard the stories of how deeply they 
feel the loss of their loved ones, whether that loss was a year ago, 20 
years ago, or 40 years ago. I heard from mothers and I heard from 
fathers about the difficulty of continuing on without a member of their 
family that they held so dear.
  Those willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country 
deserve to

[[Page 14907]]

know that we will support and care for their loved ones they leave 
behind. After talking with these families, I knew that we needed to do 
more for these grieving families and we needed to do more to recognize 
the sacrifice of their loved ones. That is why I introduced the House 
bill companion of the Gold Star Fathers Act.
  Mr. Speaker, our country has long recognized that mothers who have 
lost a child in military service or are caring for their son or 
daughter who was permanently disabled in the military deserve a hand 
when seeking Federal employment. Currently, qualifying mothers of 
certain disabled or deceased veterans are eligible to receive the 
veterans hiring preference that will no longer be used by their loved 
one when applying for certain Federal service jobs.
  However, mothers are not the only ones who grieve. The loss of a 
child is felt just as strongly by our veterans' fathers as by their 
mothers. It is time to ensure equal treatment of and respect for all 
parents of deceased or disabled veterans. That is why the Gold Star 
Fathers Act would extend this hiring preference to fathers as well.
  In many cases, not only have the parents undergone significant trauma 
emotionally, but they have lost a working-age member of their family; 
and in the case of a permanently disabled child, they may have mounting 
medical bills to deal with as well. It is time to establish equality in 
our Nation's treatment of the parents of deceased and disabled 
veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Senators Wyden, Collins, and Brown for 
their leadership on the Gold Star Fathers Act in the Senate, and I want 
to thank my former colleague Representative Tim Bishop for his past 
leadership on this issue as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues to join us in honoring 
our Gold Star families. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to vote in favor of this bipartisan, unanimously supported Gold Star 
Fathers Act.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this commonsense bill. It is more 
than common sense. We talk about family values a lot. These are family 
values. These are highest family values of parents that have raised 
young people who are willing to step forward for our country without 
consideration of their own lives or their futures in most cases. So I 
applaud my colleagues' efforts on this behalf, and I support and ask 
that this bill be supported fully by this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 136.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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