S.Amdt. 4582

SA 4582. Ms. HIRONO submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
her to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2017 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

[[Page S3658]]

At the end of subtitle G of title V, add the following:

SEC. 590. REVIEW REGARDING AWARD OF MEDAL OF HONOR TO CERTAIN
ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC
ISLANDER WAR VETERANS.

(a) Review Required.--The Secretary of each military
department shall review the service records of each Asian
American and Native American Pacific Islander war veteran
described in subsection (b) to determine whether that veteran
should be awarded the Medal of Honor.
(b) Covered Veterans.--The Asian American and Native
American Pacific Islander war veterans whose service records
are to be reviewed under subsection (a) are the following:
(1) Any Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander
war veteran who was awarded the Distinguished-Service Cross,
the Navy Cross, or the Air Force Cross during the Korean War
or the Vietnam War.
(2) Any other Asian American or Native American Pacific
Islander war veteran whose name is submitted to the Secretary
concerned for such purpose before the end of the one-year
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) Consultations.--In carrying out the review under
subsection (a), the Secretary of each military department
shall consult with such veterans service organizations as the
Secretary considers appropriate.
(d) Recommendations Based on Review.--If the Secretary
concerned determines, based upon the review under subsection
(a) of the service records of any Asian American or Native
American Pacific Islander war veteran, that the award of the
Medal of Honor to that veteran is warranted, the Secretary
shall submit to the President a recommendation that the
President award the Medal of Honor to that veteran.
(e) Authority to Award Medal of Honor.--A Medal of Honor
may be awarded to an Asian American or Native American
Pacific Islander war veteran in accordance with a
recommendation of the Secretary concerned under subsection
(d).
(f) Congressional Notification.--No Medal of Honor may be
awarded pursuant to subsection (e) until the Secretary of
Defense submits to the Committees on Armed Services of the
Senate and the House of Representatives notice of the
recommendations under subsection (d), including the name of
each Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander war
veteran recommended to be awarded a Medal of Honor and the
rationale for such recommendation.
(g) Waiver of Time Limitations.--An award of the Medal of
Honor may be made under subsection (e) without regard to--
(1) section 3744, 6248, or 8744 of title 10, United States
Code, as applicable; and
(2) any regulation or other administrative restriction on--
(A) the time for awarding the Medal of Honor; or
(B) the awarding of the Medal of Honor for service for
which a Distinguished-Service Cross, Navy Cross, or Air Force
Cross has been awarded.
(h) Definition.--In this section, the term ``Native
American Pacific Islander'' means a Native Hawaiian or Native
American Pacific Islander, as those terms are defined in
section 815 of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (42
U.S.C. 2992c).
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