[House Report 106-904]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
106th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 106-904
======================================================================
AMENDMENTS TO AMVETS CHARTER
_______
September 27, 2000.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be
printed
_______
Mr. Hyde, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 604]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 604) amending the charter of the AMVETS
organization, having considered the same, reports favorably
thereon with an amendment and recommends that the bill as
amended do pass.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
The Amendment.............................................. 1
Purpose and Summary........................................ 2
Background and Need for the Legislation.................... 2
Hearings................................................... 2
Committee Consideration.................................... 3
Committee Oversight Findings............................... 3
Committee on Government Reform Findings.................... 3
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures.................. 3
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate.................. 3
Constitutional Authority Statement......................... 4
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported...... 4
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
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''.
Purpose and Summary
H.R. 604 would amend the Federal charter for the American
Veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam (AMVETS).
Background and Need for the Legislation
The American Veterans of World War II were founded in 1944.
They were federally chartered in 1947. Their charter was
amended by Congress in 1950 to allow Korean War veterans to be
members of the organization and in 1966 to allow Vietnam
veterans to be members of the organization. In 1970, Congress
acted to change the name of the organization to AMVETS--
American Veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. In 1984,
the AMVETS charter was amended to allow anyone who served
honorably after 1940 to join AMVETS. In 1990, Congress acted to
allow membership for national guardsmen and reservists.
In 1998, at the AMVETS annual convention, the delegates
voted for an official name change from American Veterans of
World War II, Korea, and Vietnam to American Veterans to more
accurately reflect the membership of AMVETS. Additionally, the
AMVETS have voted to change the structure of their governing
body. H.R. 604 contain language to reflect the structure change
in the statute. Finally, the organization has changed the
location of their headquarters from the District of Columbia to
Lanham, Maryland. Therefore, the ``Headquarters and principal
place of business'' section of their charter needs to be
changed to indicate 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.
An amendment in the nature of a substitute adopted by the
committee changed the headquarters location from the
``Baltimore-Washington Area'' to ``Maryland'' and amended the
governing language to accurately reflect the structure agreed
to by the governing body.
Hearings
No hearings were held on this legislation.
Committee Consideration
On September 19, 2000, the committee met in open session
and ordered reported favorably the bill H.R. 604 with amendment
by voice vote, a quorum being present.
Committee Oversight Findings
In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(A) of rule XI of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, the committee reports
that the findings and recommendations of the committee, based
on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the
descriptive portions of this report.
Committee on Government Reform Findings
No findings or recommendations of the Committee on
Government Reform and Oversight were received as referred to in
clause 2(l)(3)(D) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives.
New Budget Authority and Tax Expenditures
Clause 2(l)(3)(B) of House Rule XI is inapplicable because
this legislation does not provide new budgetary authority or
increased tax expenditures.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
In compliance with clause 2(l)(3)(C) of rule XI of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, the committee sets
forth, with respect to the bill, H.R. 604, the following
estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, September 26, 2000.
Hon. Henry J. Hyde, Chairman,
Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 604, a bill to
amend the charter of the AMVETS organization.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark
Grabowicz, who can be reached at 226-2860.
Sincerely,
Dan L. Crippen, Director.
Enclosure
cc:
Honorable John Conyers Jr.
Ranking Democratic Member
H.R. 604--A bill to amend the charter of the AMVETS organization.
H.R. 604 would make several changes to the federal charter
for AMVETS, a veterans association. These changes would confer
no federal benefits. Thus, CBO estimates that enacting this
legislation would result in no cost to the federal government.
Because H.R. 604 would not affect direct spending or receipts,
pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. The bill contains no
intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets
of state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz,
who can be reached at 226-2860. This estimate was approved by
Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget
Analysis.
Constitutional Authority Statement
Pursuant to rule XI, clause 2(l)(4) of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the committee finds the authority for
this legislation in Article 1, section 8, of the Constitution.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
TITLE 36, UNITED STATES CODE
* * * * * * *
SUBTITLE II--PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
* * * * * * *
PART B--ORGANIZATIONS
AGRICULTURAL HALL OF FAME....................................20101
* * * * * * *
AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II, KOREA,..........
AND VIETNAM)..............................................22701]
22701MVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS)........................................
* * * * * * *
[CHAPTER 227--AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II, KOREA, AND
VIETNAM)]
CHAPTER 227--AMVETS (AMERICAN VETERANS)
* * * * * * *
Sec. 22701. Organization
(a) Federal Charter.--[AMVETS (American Veterans of World
War II, Korea, and Vietnam)] AMVETS (American Veterans) (in
this chapter, the ``corporation'') is a federally chartered
corporation.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 22704. Governing body
(a) * * *
* * * * * * *
(c) Officers.--(1) The officers of the corporation are a
national commander, [seven national vice commanders, one of
whom shall be a woman, a finance officer, an adjutant, a judge
advocate,] 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, and a provost
marshal.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 22706. Exclusive right to name, seals, emblems, and badges
The corporation and its State, regional, and local
subdivisions have the exclusive right to use the name ``[AMVETS
(American Veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam)] AMVETS
(American Veterans)'' and seals, emblems, and badges the
corporation adopts.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 22708. Headquarters and principal place of business
The headquarters and principal place of business of the
corporation shall be in [the District of Columbia] Maryland.
However, the activities of the corporation are not confined to
the [District of Columbia] Maryland but may be conducted
throughout the States, territories, and possessions of the
United States.
* * * * * * *