Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 154 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 3, 2019 Mr. GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. KILMER, Mrs. BUSTOS, Ms. PIN- GREE, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. PERLMUTTER, and Mr. KING of New York) 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H154.IH H154 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 154 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Honoring Our WWII 2 Merchant Mariners Act of 2019’’. 3 SEC. 2. PAYMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO SERVED DURING 4 WORLD WAR II IN THE UNITED STATES MER- 5 CHANT MARINE. 6 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPENSATION FUND.— 7 Subchapter II of chapter 5 of title 38, United States Code, 8 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 9 ‘‘§ 533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund 10 ‘‘(a) COMPENSATION FUND.—(1) There is in the gen- 11 eral fund of the Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Mer- 12 chant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund’ (in this sec- 13 tion referred to as the ‘compensation fund’). 14 ‘‘(2) Subject to the availability of appropriations for 15 such purpose, amounts in the compensation fund shall be 16 available to the Secretary without fiscal year limitation to 17 make payments to eligible individuals in accordance with 18 this section. 19 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS.—(1) An eligible indi- 20 vidual is an individual who— 21 ‘‘(A) during the one-year period beginning on 22 the date of the enactment of this section, submits to 23 the Secretary an application containing such infor- 24 mation and assurances as the Secretary may require; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H154.IH H154 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 154 IH ‘‘(B) has not received benefits under the Serv- 1 icemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (Public Law 2 78–346); and 3 ‘‘(C) has engaged in qualified service. 4 ‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a person has en- 5 gaged in qualified service if, between December 7, 1941, 6 and December 31, 1946, the person— 7 ‘‘(A) was a member of the United States mer- 8 chant marine (including the Army Transport Service 9 and the Naval Transport Service) serving as a crew- 10 member of a vessel that was— 11 ‘‘(i) operated by the War Shipping Admin- 12 istration or the Office of Defense Transpor- 13 tation (or an agent of the Administration or Of- 14 fice); 15 ‘‘(ii) operated in waters other than inland 16 waters, the Great Lakes, and other lakes, bays, 17 and harbors of the United States; 18 ‘‘(iii) under contract or charter to, or prop- 19 erty of, the Government of the United States; 20 and 21 ‘‘(iv) serving the Armed Forces; and 22 ‘‘(B) while so serving, was licensed or otherwise 23 documented for service as a crewmember of such a 24 vessel by an officer or employee of the United States 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H154.IH H154 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 154 IH authorized to license or document the person for 1 such service. 2 ‘‘(3) In determining the information and assurances 3 required in the application pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), 4 the Secretary shall accept a DD–214 form as proof of 5 qualified service. 6 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF PAYMENT.—The Secretary shall 7 make one payment out of the compensation fund in the 8 amount of $25,000 to an eligible individual. The Secretary 9 shall make such a payment to eligible individuals in the 10 order in which the Secretary receives the applications of 11 the eligible individuals. 12 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 13 is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2020 14 $125,000,000 for the compensation fund. Such amount 15 shall remain available until expended. 16 ‘‘(e) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall include, in docu- 17 ments submitted to Congress by the Secretary in support 18 of the President’s budget for each fiscal year, detailed in- 19 formation on the operation of the compensation fund, in- 20 cluding the number of applicants, the number of eligible 21 individuals receiving benefits, the amounts paid out of the 22 compensation fund, the administration of the compensa- 23 tion fund, and an estimate of the amounts necessary to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H154.IH H154 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 154 IH fully fund the compensation fund for that fiscal year and 1 each of the three subsequent fiscal years. 2 ‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 3 regulations to carry out this section.’’. 4 (b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 6 prescribe the regulations required under section 532(f) of 7 title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a). 8 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 9 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 10 after the item related to section 532 the following new 11 item: 12 ‘‘533. Merchant Mariner Equity Compensation Fund.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:36 Jan 15, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H154.IH H154 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS