S.Amdt. 5719

SA 5719. Mr. COTTON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 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:

At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:

SEC. ___. INCREASE IN SPECIAL PENSION FOR MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS.

(a) In General.--Section 1562(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking “$1,388.68” and inserting “$3,500”.

(b) Effective Date.--

(1) In general.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is--

(A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act; and

(B) in the case that the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act is not the first day of a month, the first day of the first month beginning after the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(2) Delay of annual cost-of-living adjustment.--

(A) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall not make an increase pursuant to section 1562(e) of such title effective December 1, 2022, if the amendment made by subsection (a) takes effect before such date.

(B) Resumption.--In the case that the Secretary, pursuant to subparagraph (A), does not make an increase pursuant to section 1562(e) of such title effective December 1, 2022, the Secretary shall resume making increases pursuant to such section with the first such increase effective December 1, 2023.