Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 39 To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) during World War II. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 4, 2021 Mr. GREEN of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs A BILL To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Sec- retary of Veterans Affairs to establish the Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund to provide benefits to certain individuals who served in the United States merchant marine (including the Army Transport Service and the Naval Transport Service) during World War II. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Honoring Our WWII 4 Merchant Mariners Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:31 Jan 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H39.IH H39 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 39 IH SEC. 2. PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED DURING 1 WORLD WAR II IN THE UNITED STATES MER- 2 CHANT MARINE. 3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPENSATION FUND.— 4 Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, 5 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 6 ‘‘§ 533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund 7 ‘‘(a) COMPENSATION FUND.—(1) There is in the gen- 8 eral fund of the Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Mer- 9 chant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund’ (in this sec- 10 tion referred to as the ‘compensation fund’). 11 ‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for 12 such purpose, amounts in the compensation fund shall be 13 available to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to 14 make payments to eligible individuals in accordance with 15 this section. 16 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—(1) An eligible indi- 17 vidual is an individual who— 18 ‘‘(A) during the one-year period beginning on 19 the date of the enactment of this section, submits to 20 the Secretary an application containing such infor- 21 mation and assurances as the Secretary may require; 22 ‘‘(B) has not received benefits under the Serv- 23 icemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 24 78–346); and 25 ‘‘(C) has engaged in qualified service. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:31 Jan 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H39.IH H39 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 39 IH ‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a person has en- 1 gaged in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, 2 and December 31, 1946, the person— 3 ‘‘(A) was a member of the United States mer- 4 chant marine (including the Army Transport Service 5 and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crew- 6 member of a vessel that was— 7 ‘‘(i) operated by the War Shipping Admin- 8 istration or the Office of Defense Transpor- 9 tation (or an agent of the Administration or Of- 10 fice); 11 ‘‘(ii) operated in waters other than inland 12 waters, the Great Lakes, and other lakes, bays, 13 and harbors of the United States; 14 ‘‘(iii) under contract or charter to, or prop- 15 erty of, the Government of the United States; 16 and 17 ‘‘(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and 18 ‘‘(B) while so serving, was licensed or otherwise 19 documented for service as a crewmember of such a 20 vessel by an officer or employee of the United States 21 authorized to license or document the person for 22 such service. 23 ‘‘(3) In determining the information and assurances 24 required in the application pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:31 Jan 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H39.IH H39 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 39 IH the Secretary shall accept a DD–214 form as proof of 1 qualified service. 2 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The Secretary shall 3 make one payment out of the compensation fund in the 4 amount of $25,000 to an eligible individual. The Secretary 5 shall make such a payment to eligible individuals in the 6 order in which the Secretary receives the applications of 7 the eligible individuals. 8 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 9 is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2022 10 $125,000,000 for the compensation fund. Such amount 11 shall remain available until expended. 12 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall include, in docu- 13 ments submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support 14 of the President’s budget for each fiscal year, detailed in- 15 formation on the operation of the compensation fund, in- 16 cluding the number of applicants, the number of eligible 17 individuals receiving benefits, the amounts paid out of the 18 compensation fund, the administration of the compensa- 19 tion fund, and an estimate of the amounts necessary to 20 fully fund the compensation fund for that fiscal year and 21 each of the three subsequent fiscal years. 22 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 23 regulations to carry out this section.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:31 Jan 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H39.IH H39 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 39 IH (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 1 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 2 prescribe the regulations required under section 532(f) of 3 title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 4 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 5 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 6 after the item related to section 532 the following new 7 item: 8 ‘‘533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:31 Jan 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H39.IH H39 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS