To prohibit the Department of Defense from entering into contracts to facilitate payments for honoring members of the Armed Forces at sporting events.

SA 1539. Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Flake, Mr.
Sullivan, and Mr. Inhofe) submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R.
1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military
activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

Insert after section 342 the following:

SEC. 342A. PROHIBITION ON CONTRACTS TO FACILITATE PAYMENTS
FOR HONORING MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AT
SPORTING EVENTS.

(a) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the Army National Guard has paid professional sports
organizations to honor members of the Armed Forces;
(2) any organization wishing to honor members of the Armed
Forces should do so on a voluntary basis, and the Department
of Defense should take action to ensure that no payments be
made for such activities in the future; and
(3) any organization, including the National Football
League, that has accepted taxpayer funds to honor members of
the Armed Forces should consider directing an equivalent
amount of funding in the form of a donation to a charitable
organization that supports members of the Armed Forces,
veterans, and their families.
(b) Prohibition.--
(1) In general.--Subchapter I of chapter 134 of title 10,
United States Code, is amended by inserting after section
2241a the following new section:

``Sec. 2241b. Prohibition on contracts providing payments for
activities to honor members of the armed forces

``(a) Prohibition.--The Department of Defense may not enter
into any contract or other agreement under which payments are
to be made in exchange for activities by the contractor
intended to honor, or giving the appearance of honoring,
members of the armed forces (whether members of the regular
components or the reserve components) at any form of sporting
event.
``(b) Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a) shall be
construed as prohibiting the Department from taking actions
to facilitate activities intended to honor members of the
armed forces at sporting events that are provided on a pro
bono basis or otherwise funded with non-Federal funds if such
activities are provided and received in accordance with
applicable rules and regulations regarding the acceptance of
gifts by the military departments, the armed forces, and
members of the armed forces.''.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of subchapter I of chapter 134 of such title is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 2241a
the following new item:

``2241b. Prohibition on contracts providing payments for activities to
honor members of the armed forces at sporting events.''.
______