Honor Act of 2009
Latest action · Apr 1, 2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
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.
- IntroducedApr 1, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Honor Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out a program to provide scholarships for the pursuit of a graduate or postgraduate degree in behavioral health sciences to veterans who performed active-duty service in a theater of combat or during a contingency operation overseas. Requires the veteran, following completion of the degree requirements, to serve for an agreed-upon period with either the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or Department of Defense (DOD) furnishing mental health services to veterans or to members of the Armed Forces (members).
Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program to employ and train former members who performed service described above as DOD psychiatric technicians and nurses providing mental health counseling and related services to members deployed to a combat zone.
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, upon request, to provide: (1) referral and related assistance to former members not otherwise authorized for counseling through the VA; and (2) readjustment counseling and mental health services to former members through Vet Centers.
Requires the suicide of a former member with a medical history of a combat-related mental health condition, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs within a two-year period after separation or retirement to be treated as a death in the line of active duty for purposes of eligibility for active-duty survivors' benefits provided through the VA.
Requires the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, jointly and annually, to: (1) review and assess their respective programs for the reintegration of members and veterans into civilian life following their retirement, discharge, or release; and (2) report review and assessment results to Congress.
Cosponsors 12
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 1, 2009 to Aug 3, 2009, with 8 there on the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-PA | Arlen Specter | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| D-CA | Barbara Boxer | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| D-CT | Joseph I. Lieberman | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| R-KS | Sam Brownback | Original | Apr 1, 2009 |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Apr 21, 2009 | |
| D-MD | Barbara A. Mikulski | May 21, 2009 | |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Jun 23, 2009 | |
| D-CO | Mark Udall | Aug 3, 2009 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 1, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Apr 1, 2009Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3368 | Honor Act of 2009 | Identical bill | Oct 28, 2009 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Defense
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Health personnel
- Medical education
- Mental health
- Military medicine
- Military operations and strategy
- Neurological disorders
- Student aid and college costs
- Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
- Veterans' medical care
- Veterans' pensions and compensation
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 1, 2009Introduced in Senate
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.
