[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10207-10208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                        VETERAN'S I.D. CARD ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration 
of H.R. 91 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 91) to amend title 38, United States Code, to 
     direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to issue, upon 
     request, veteran identification cards to certain veterans.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I further ask unanimous consent that the Blumenthal 
substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be read a 
third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be made and laid 
upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 2076) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to, 
as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans Identification Card 
     Act 2015''.

     SEC. 2. VETERANS IDENTIFICATION CARD.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Effective on the day before the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, veteran identification cards were issued to 
     veterans who have either completed the statutory time-in-
     service requirement for retirement from the Armed Forces or 
     who have received a medical-related discharge from the Armed 
     Forces.
       (2) Effective on the day before the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, a veteran who served a minimum obligated time in 
     service, but who did not meet the criteria described in 
     paragraph (1), did not receive a means of identifying the 
     veteran's status as a veteran other than using the Department 
     of Defense form DD-214 discharge papers of the veteran.
       (3) Goods, services, and promotional activities are often 
     offered by public and private institutions to veterans who 
     demonstrate proof of service in the military, but it is 
     impractical for a veteran to always carry Department of 
     Defense form DD-214 discharge papers to demonstrate such 
     proof.
       (4) A general purpose veteran identification card made 
     available to veterans would be useful to demonstrate the 
     status of the veterans without having to carry and use 
     official Department of Defense form DD-214 discharge papers.
       (5) On the day before the date of the enactment of this 
     Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs had the 
     infrastructure in place across the United States to produce 
     photographic identification cards and accept a small payment 
     to cover the cost of these cards.
       (b) Provision of Veteran Identification Cards.--Chapter 57 
     of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding after 
     section 5705 the following new section:

     ``Sec. 5706. Veterans identification card

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
     issue an identification card described in subsection (b) to 
     each veteran who--
       ``(1) requests such card;
       ``(2) presents a copy of Department of Defense form DD-214 
     or other official document from the official military 
     personnel file of the veteran that describes the service of 
     the veteran; and
       ``(3) pays the fee under subsection (c)(1).
       ``(b) Identification Card.--An identification card 
     described in this subsection is a card issued to a veteran 
     that--
       ``(1) displays a photograph of the veteran;
       ``(2) displays the name of the veteran;
       ``(3) explains that such card is not proof of any benefits 
     to which the veteran is entitled to;
       ``(4) contains an identification number that is not a 
     social security number; and
       ``(5) serves as proof that such veteran--
       ``(A) served in the Armed Forces; and
       ``(B) has a Department of Defense form DD-214 or other 
     official document in the official military personnel file of 
     the veteran that describes the service of the veteran.
       ``(c) Costs of Card.--(1) The Secretary shall charge a fee 
     to each veteran who receives an identification card issued 
     under this section, including a replacement identification 
     card.
       ``(2)(A) The fee charged under paragraph (1) shall equal 
     such amount as the Secretary determines is necessary to issue 
     an identification card under this section.
       ``(B) In determining the amount of the fee under 
     subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure that the total 
     amount of fees collected under paragraph (1) equals an amount 
     necessary to carry out this section, including costs related 
     to any additional equipment or personnel required to carry 
     out this section.
       ``(C) The Secretary shall review and reassess the 
     determination under subparagraph (A) during each five-year 
     period in which the Secretary issues an identification card 
     under this section.
       ``(3) Amounts collected under this subsection shall be 
     deposited in an account of the Department available to carry 
     out this section. Amounts so deposited shall be--
       ``(A) merged with amounts in such account;
       ``(B) available in such amounts as may be provided in 
     appropriation Acts; and
       ``(C) subject to the same conditions and limitations as 
     amounts otherwise in such account.
       ``(d) Effect of Card on Benefits.--(1) An identification 
     card issued under this section shall not serve as proof of 
     any benefits that the veteran may be entitled to under this 
     title.
       ``(2) A veteran who is issued an identification card under 
     this section shall not be entitled to any benefits under this 
     title by reason of possessing such card.
       ``(e) Administrative Measures.--(1) The Secretary shall 
     ensure that any information collected or used with respect to 
     an identification card issued under this section is 
     appropriately secured.
       ``(2) The Secretary may determine any appropriate 
     procedures with respect to issuing a replacement 
     identification card.

[[Page 10208]]

       ``(3) In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall 
     coordinate with the National Personnel Records Center.
       ``(4) The Secretary may conduct such outreach to advertise 
     the identification card under this section as the Secretary 
     considers appropriate.
       ``(f) Construction.--This section shall not be construed to 
     affect identification cards otherwise provided by the 
     Secretary to veterans enrolled in the health care system 
     established under section 1705(a) of this title.''.
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the 
     beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the 
     item relating to section 5705 the following new item:

``5706. Veterans identification card.''.

       (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall 
     take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.

  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed, and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.
  The bill (H.R. 91), as amended, was passed.

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