Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces Act of 2003
Latest action · Jul 24, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 24, 2003
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces Act of 2003 - Allows the full payment of military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation, without deduction from either (current law), without the enactment of qualifying offsetting legislation.
Repeals: (1) special compensation programs for certain severely disabled and combat-disabled military retirees; and (2) provisions requiring a dependency and indemnity compensation offset from surviving spouse annuities under the Survivor Benefit Plan.
Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for members of the Selected Reserve.
Directs the Secretary of Defense, for fiscal years after 2005, to provide a percentage increase in the higher learning cost index for determining basic educational assistance amounts.
Directs the Secretary to pay a bonus to members who, at any time during service under Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, satisfied eligibility requirements for the receipt of special pay for duty subject to hostile fire or imminent danger. Directs the Secretary of Homeland to provide such bonus to qualifying Coast Guard members.
Authorizes additional appropriations for veterans' improved access to medical care.
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make interim payments under claims for veterans' benefits when the final decision regarding the payment of such benefits is delayed following remand by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims or the Board for Veterans' Appeals to the Secretary for expedited consideration.
Prohibits with respect to veterans: (1) increases in medication copayments; and (2) the imposition of health care enrollment fees.
Requires the: (1) Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Labor to provide appropriate information concerning veterans' benefits and employment opportunities; and (2) Secretary of Veterans Affairs to prepare an annual plan for the conduct of veterans' outreach activities.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to place the maximum individual income tax rate at 38.6 percent.
Cosponsors 97
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 24, 2003 to Nov 17, 2004; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Bob Filner | Original | Jun 24, 2003 |
| D-MO | Ike Skelton | Original | Jun 24, 2003 |
| D-GA | Jim Marshall | Original | Jun 24, 2003 |
| D-IL | Lane Evans | Original | Jun 24, 2003 |
| D-MD | Albert Russell Wynn | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn B. Maloney | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Carolyn McCarthy | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-LA | Christopher John | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-MD | Elijah E. Cummings | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-NJ | Frank Pallone, Jr. | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Jim Turner | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-MA | John F. Tierney | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Louise McIntosh Slaughter | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Max Sandlin | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Maxine Waters | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-ME | Michael H. Michaud | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Michael R. McNulty | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Nancy Pelosi | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-WV | Nick J. Rahall II | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-AZ | Raúl M. Grijalva | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-WI | Ron Kind | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Sam Farr | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-OH | Ted Strickland | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-PA | Tim Holden | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Jun 25, 2003 | |
| D-NC | Bob Etheridge | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-OK | Brad Carson | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Charles B. Rangel | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Ciro D. Rodriguez | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Gene Green | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-IL | Jerry F. Costello | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Joe Baca | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-MA | John W. Olver | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Joseph Crowley | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-IA | Leonard L. Boswell | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-IL | Luis V. Gutierrez | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Martin Frost | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-NC | Mike McIntyre | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-HI | Neil Abercrombie | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-IL | Rahm Emanuel | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| R-TX | Ralph M. Hall | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-ME | Thomas H. Allen | Jul 7, 2003 | |
| D-OH | Dennis J. Kucinich | Jul 10, 2003 | |
| D-MA | Richard E. Neal | Jul 10, 2003 | |
| D-GA | Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. | Jul 10, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Chris Bell | Jul 16, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Jose E. Serrano | Jul 16, 2003 | |
| D-CT | Rosa L. DeLauro | Jul 16, 2003 | |
| D-OH | Stephanie Tubbs Jones | Jul 16, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Steve Israel | Jul 16, 2003 | |
| D-NM | Tom Udall | Jul 16, 2003 | |
| D-KS | Dennis Moore | Jul 17, 2003 | |
| D-CT | John B. Larson | Jul 17, 2003 | |
| D-RI | Patrick J. Kennedy | Jul 17, 2003 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Jul 17, 2003 | |
| D-LA | William J. Jefferson | Jul 17, 2003 | |
| D-MD | C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger | Jul 18, 2003 | |
| D-VI | Donna M. Christensen | Jul 18, 2003 | |
| D-CA | George Miller | Jul 18, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Grace F. Napolitano | Jul 18, 2003 | |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Jul 18, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Susan A. Davis | Jul 18, 2003 | |
| D-MI | Dale E. Kildee | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-HI | Ed Case | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Edolphus Towns | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-PA | Joseph M. Hoeffel | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-AR | Mike Ross | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-MI | Sander M. Levin | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Jul 22, 2003 | |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Jul 24, 2003 | |
| D-TX | Solomon P. Ortiz | Jul 24, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Sep 3, 2003 | |
| D-NC | Brad Miller | Sep 3, 2003 | |
| D-UT | Jim Matheson | Sep 3, 2003 | |
| D-TN | Lincoln Davis | Sep 3, 2003 | |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | Sep 5, 2003 | |
| D-FL | Jim Davis | Sep 23, 2003 | |
| D-PA | Robert A. Brady | Sep 23, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Robert T. Matsui | Sep 25, 2003 | |
| D-MA | Barney Frank | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-MI | Bart Stupak | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-MN | Betty McCollum | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-CA | Diane E. Watson | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-NC | Frank W. Ballance Jr. | Nov 4, 2003 | |
| D-MN | James L. Oberstar | Nov 7, 2003 | |
| D-GA | John Lewis | Nov 7, 2003 | |
| D-NY | Jerrold Nadler | Mar 2, 2004 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Mar 9, 2004 | |
| D-CA | Dennis A. Cardoza | Mar 23, 2004 | |
| D-NY | Major R. Owens | Apr 27, 2004 | |
| D-FL | Robert Wexler | Nov 17, 2004 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Armed Services Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2003 |
| House | Veterans' Affairs Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2003 |
| Benefits Subcommittee | Referred Jul 24, 2003 | |
| Health Subcommittee | Referred Jul 24, 2003 | |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jun 24, 2003 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 24, 2003Referred to the Subcommittee on Benefits.
- Jul 24, 2003Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Jun 24, 2003Introduced in House
- Jun 24, 2003Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H10544, H10546 | Barbara Lee D-CA | Nov 6, 2003 |
| House | Debate and remarks H10452–H10454 | Denise L. Majette D-GA, Maxine Waters D-CA, Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. D-GA | Nov 5, 2003 |
| House | Debate and remarks H9096 | Barbara Lee D-CA | Oct 1, 2003 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To improve benefits for members of the Armed Forces and veterans and for their dependents and survivors.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Salute to Veterans and the Armed Forces Act of 2003
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Access to health care
- Administrative remedies
- Afghanistan
- Annuities
- Armed forces abroad
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Armed forces reserves
- Authorization
- Coast guard
- Coinsurance
- College costs
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Cost of living adjustments
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Disabled
- Drugs
- Education
- Families
- Fees
- Finance and Financial Sector
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government publicity
- Health
- Higher education
- Income tax
- International Affairs
- Iraq
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Medical economics
- Middle East and North Africa
- Military dependents
- Military discharges
- Military intervention
- Military operations
- Military pay
- Military pensions
- Military personnel
- Prescription pricing
- South Asia
- Survivors' benefits
- Tax rates
- Taxation
- Terrorism
- Veterans' benefits
- Veterans' disability compensation
- Veterans' education
- Veterans' employment
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterans' pensions
- War
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2003Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.