H.Res. 1090House111th Congress (2009-2011)In Committee

Recognizing the hearing of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, and the testimony of Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Admiral Michael G. Mullen at the hearing, as an important first step in permitting gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the Armed Forces and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the policy should be repealed in 2010.

Legislative Activity

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Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Military Personnel Subcommittee

March 5, 2010

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 22, 2010

HouseIntro Referral

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E189)

February 22, 2010

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Armed Services Committee

February 22, 2010

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Military Personnel Subcommittee

March 5, 2010

Floor Debate

13 members

What members said about H.Res. 1090 on the floor

4 Republicans9 Democrats

Rep. Mary Jo KilroyD-OH-15 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today regarding my amendment to the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education…

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today regarding my amendment to the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, or the GIVE Act.

My amendment would add additional opportunities to the GIVE Act by adding the Healthy Futures Corps, by helping children and the elderly.

Mr. Chairman and Members, as a former VISTA volunteer, as a former school board member who helped bring City Year to my community, and as a former county commissioner who worked diligently on the issues of childhood obesity and hunger in our community, as well as with senior options, issues facing our homebound elderly, this amendment continues some of the issues and concerns that I have seen and recognized back in central Ohio.

As somebody who has had close involvement with AmeriCorps and City Year and with VISTA, I can assert that these are very cost-effective programs that provide vital services to our community. In this instance, today, in Ohio, more than 30 percent of our children between the ages of 10 to 17 are found to be overweight or obese.

As we know, childhood obesity leads to lifelong health consequences, including diabetes and heart disease. Our poorest children are more than twice as likely to be overweight. At a time when our schools are facing cuts, physical education classes are being cut and parents are working more than one job to keep families together, this program would allow us to step up, to help educate our children about living healthy lifestyles.

My amendment focuses volunteers towards programs that combat obesity through physical education for children, after-school activities and nutrition classes. We simply cannot continue to ignore this nationwide epidemic and also the corollary epidemics of preventable chronic diseases.

Physical education opportunities not only help to build strong bodies but help to build for these children habits for a healthy lifetime of good, healthy living. And, as I have seen this as a

member of the school board, I believe that including physical education and exercise in our children's daily lives also helps them improve their learning.

Along with our children, our elderly face challenges in obtaining access to health care and other services. Many senior citizens face restrictions on their movement, making them unable to leave their homes. It shuts them off from the world, and not only from medical care, but from social interaction, from companionship, dealing with other human beings.

Our homebound elderly struggle to get food and adequate nutrition, because they are unable to shop for groceries. It can be a lonely life and a dangerous one where a fall can mean a painful end of their life. My amendment would also allow volunteers to bring food, medical supplies, and legal counsel to these senior citizens who may never be able to access these services otherwise.

I ask for support of children and the elderly by supporting my amendment to direct volunteer services towards combating childhood obesity and providing services to the homebound elderly, to our senior citizens who we need to respect and care for in their later years.

Mr. Chairman, America is facing unprecedented challenges, and it is in these times that Americans must come together to support one another by directing our attention to those who truly need our help.

It was heartwarming to me to learn in our local newspapers that many people who have lost their jobs are devoting themselves to volunteerism, putting their talents to work.

President Obama has called on Congress to create new opportunities for Americans, to build a stronger country, stronger communities and calling for a new era of service.

This bill, the GIVE Act, is an answer to that call, a call to all Americans to help give back to their communities and to offer help to those of us in greatest need.

Again, I can testify from my experience as a VISTA volunteer and being inspired by the young people in City Year, we see people helping people, helping themselves. We see young people becoming role models for other young people, and we see these young volunteers, themselves, learning and developing their own leadership skills.

I support the GIVE Act. It helps people of all ages, from our schools and our school children to our seniors and encourages others to invest their time and passion in their communities.

I urge support of this bill, which will signal a new era of social responsibility.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to address those comments. Nobody is more outraged by the actions of AIG than myself.

If the gentlelady will yield, there have been votes on record in this House, including a vote prior to the last allocation of TARP funds, in which I am on record as asking for restrictions on executive compensation.

It appears the gentlelady from North Carolina does not like the answers that she has been receiving.

I am on record as being against excessive compensation, restrictions on bonuses paid to those recipients of the TARP fund.

I think there should be a time and a place for this debate, and it is unfortunate that a debate on volunteerism and service has been turned into a debate on another issue.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Rep. Todd Russell PlattsR-PA-19 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I would just quickly say I support the amendment,…

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I would just quickly say I support the amendment, commend the maker of the amendment, the gentlelady from Ohio, for ensuring that through the GIVE Act we are looking out for our Nation's youth and our elderly, especially when it comes to their health and nutrition, and especially in the area of physical fitness. As we know, many schools are struggling to be able to provide physical education classes.

I have a fourth grader and sixth grader and know how important those classes are to them, both from a health standpoint and from just a release to be out of school now and then and burn off a little energy. I think that probably makes them all the more focused in the classroom and maybe a little less antsy in the classroom, which benefits their teachers as well.

I support the amendment.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. Chairman, I again rise in support of the amendment, and thank the maker of the amendment for offering it and urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I rise to claim time in opposition, but I rise in support of the amendment.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As I said, I rise in support of the amendment in strong recognition of the National Service Corporation's request for this additional ability to ensure they can recruit needed personnel.

So I urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of the amendment. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for offering this amendment.

Having had the privilege to visit our courageous troops eight times in Iraq and five times in Afghanistan, I know how much these care packages from home really mean to the troops, and how they look forward to them and what a morale boost it is.

I think recognizing this type of service, especially to those who are serving us in harm's way, is a wonderful amendment, a change to the legislation, and urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just rise in support of the amendment. I want to commend the gentlemen from both New Mexico and Florida for offering this amendment, a great addition to the bill, and, as with the previous amendment, ensuring we do right by those who are serving our Nation, past and present, and that we recognize the sacrifices they have made in defense of our Nation, along with their families, and that we now keep our commitment as a Nation to them. I urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of the amendment, and commend the gentlelady from Nevada and the gentleman from Virginia for their amendment and urge a ``yes'' vote.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Thomas S.P. PerrielloD-VA-5 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this great national service bill, and specifically the Reserve Corps amendment. I rise also as a proud member of the community service generation. My…

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this great national service bill, and specifically the Reserve Corps amendment. I rise also as a proud member of the community service generation. My generation, which was often given a hard time for not voting, was always volunteering in record numbers. We did believe in the idea of civic duty and community service that we had learned from our grandparents in the greatest generation, and we saw through the original AmericaCorps programs and others what a great idea service was. Not only was it a chance to help out those struggling in our community, but it was a chance to build our own character and our own sense of commitment to community and to country.

I come from the nonprofit sector. I spent most of the last decade before Congress in the nonprofit sector, and I have not had a day of that experience go by that I did not feel that I had benefited as much as I had helped. I have worked in West Africa, in Darfur, and in the communities with at-risk kids back here at home, and always enjoyed and celebrated that time.

There are a few things that I have learned from that time in the nonprofit sector that I believe have gone into this Reserve Corps amendment. First and foremost is the idea that once you get someone to volunteer for a little piece of time, you have turned them into a volunteer for life. Volunteering is a wonderful program, and where we can reach out and help people become volunteers we will see that continue to come back to our communities time and time again.

And this cannot be something that is only affordable to those with wealth. We have so many displaced workers who want to volunteer, senior citizens who want to volunteer, community and high school students. And we need to be celebrating and fostering that spirit of service.

Finally, we need to respect and understand the level of professionalism in our nonprofit and volunteer sector. People learn skills here that are incredibly valuable to our community, and this Reserve Corps is based on the idea that once we have made that investment in giving someone the skills to be a great high-level professional in their community, let's keep them on as a Reserve Corps so that we can call them up in times of great national emergency, like Hurricane Katrina, to help them rebuild levees, to help build low- income homes. Let's make volunteerism not something just to do for a summer, but something to do for a lifetime.

I believe this amendment reaches into the best of the American tradition of service and the best of our sense of this being not something that happens for one generation, but across generations, particularly at this time of economic crisis when we must all come together.

Rep. Dina TitusD-NV-3 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of this amendment, which will create a National Service Reserve Corps.…

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of this amendment, which will create a National Service Reserve Corps.

In recent years, we have watched with broken hearts when the aftermath of some natural disaster has left people homeless, jobless, and helpless. But we have also felt, as we witnessed our fellow citizens rise to the occasion with perseverance and selflessness to assist those in need, a real hope for the future.

Many wonderful Americans, including Members of this body, have reached into their hearts and their pockets to help, to serve, to work, and to give. The creation of a National Service Reserve Corps will make sure that those who are most eager to serve and already have the training that communities need can be deployed quickly and effectively.

Our amendment will create a National Service Reserve Corps composed of alumni of AmericaCorps and Senior Corps programs. These wonderful volunteers can be identified and called upon in time of natural disasters and emergencies to start the relief and rebuilding process post haste. The corps members will not only have the valuable training and experience from their year of service, but they will also receive annual training sessions in emergency response.

Our Nation is facing numerous economic challenges, and Nevada, my State, is one of the hardest hit. We have endured record foreclosures and an unemployment rate that is approaching double digits. Nevada AmeriCorps volunteers have been invaluable to our communities in need. Over 2,000 AmericaCorps members have

served in 15 different programs; they have provided more than 2.5 million hours of service, and have earned over $4.7 million in education credits. In 2007, AmericaCorps programs contributed over 25,000 hours of service to Nevada, and members recruited over 3,300 community volunteers who then gave more than 23,000 hours of service.

With public need rising all across the country, we must do all we can to shore up volunteer programs and provide opportunities to those who want to be of service. By creating a National Service Reserve Corps, we will create an organized deployment system for those citizens who are ready to serve and are trained to do so.

We will also show volunteers and anyone who is considering a year of national service that we value their contributions and we will continue to honor it in the years to come. So I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment as well as final passage of the GIVE Act.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Perriello).

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Rep. Betsy MarkeyD-CO-4 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I'd like to thank Chairman Miller, Congresswoman McCarthy, and the entire committee for their…

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I'd like to thank Chairman Miller, Congresswoman McCarthy, and the entire committee for their diligent work on this important legislation.

I rise today to urge my colleagues to support my amendment to H.R. 1388. My amendment would increase the amount of funds that go to organizations to support national servicemembers. AmeriCorps is one such organization, and its members are making a difference in communities across the United States.

Each year, AmeriCorps offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups, including nine in my home State of Colorado.

These projects have helped to coordinate such days as Martin Luther King Day of Service and Colorado Cares Day.

Within my congressional district, the Weld County Youth Conservation Corps contracts with the city of Greeley and does everything from working in museums to making buildings handicapped-accessible to eradicating weeds in our State parks. The Corps maintains the Poudre River Trail Corridor, works at the Wray Fish Hatchery, and supports the forest service. In my rural district, VISTA members address poverty needs and disaster relief.

Additionally, one of my constituents, Justin Horn, won ``Corps Member of the Year'' for the State of Colorado in 2008. Constituents in my district contribute to the great work being done around Colorado, along with 75,000 AmeriCorps programs across the country.

To help our men and women do this admirable work, Congress established the Education Award Program in 1998 in order to address concerns about costs organizations incurred from hosting national servicemembers.

Currently, organizations receive only $600 to support the individuals who are enrolled in full-time national service positions. This small amount helps to pay for operational and member support costs, including a living allowance. My amendment proposes an increase to that amount. In today's economy, these organizations are struggling.

My amendment is not only an investment that will boost these organizations and their noble work but, at the same time, improve these communities throughout the United States.

I urge all Members to support my amendment to H.R. 1388.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Yes, I yield.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Show 8 more

Rep. Baron P. HillD-IN-9 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. I am happy that we are taking up this important piece of legislation today. I think it's the right thing to do. The President and the First Lady have, of…

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

I am happy that we are taking up this important piece of legislation today. I think it's the right thing to do. The President and the First Lady have, of course, been strong advocates for national service programs.

The amendment that I am offering today evolved as a result of a bill that I introduced in this session. It's House Resolution 1090, called the Homefront Heroes Tax Relief Act. It's a bill that gives support to our troops and our military families who are serving our country.

This legislation actually came about because of a constituent of mine in Bloomington, Indiana--Indiana University Professor Catherine Dalton--who came up with the idea. She had been sending care packages to Iraq and incurring a lot of expense. These care packages were sent to families and to soldiers in Iraq that were not related to her own family.

Everybody wants to help our troops, and this fine young woman was doing just that. She was helping our troops, on her own. But she was also incurring a lot of expense. So she came to me and said, ``Congressman Hill, I think it would be a good idea to help people like myself who are trying to help our troops, and that is the expenses that we incur are tax deductible on our income taxes.''

So I filed the bill, the Homefront Heroes Tax Relief Act, to allow people like Professor Dalton to do just that.

So my amendment simply ensures that sending care packages to members of the armed services deployed in combat are also included in the eligible national service program.

Currently, people like Professor Dalton have to just absorb these expenses. If this amendment is passed, it would allow volunteer programs that send care packages to members of the armed services to be eligible for grant funding under the GIVE Act.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I will yield.

I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for this bipartisan support. This is a bipartisan bill and amendment, and I am sure it will gain a lot of Democrat and Republican votes.

This is the right thing to do. This is how democracy is supposed to work. We are supposed to listen to our constituents who have good ideas and come here to Washington to pass good legislation. So I am happy that we have this bipartisan support.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Ron KleinD-FL-22 · Mar 18, 2009

I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, Members, I rise in strong support of this amendment and the underlying bill. Congressman Teague and I introduced this amendment in order to clarify the services…

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, Members, I rise in strong support of this amendment and the underlying bill. Congressman Teague and I introduced this amendment in order to clarify the services that could be formed by Veterans' Corps volunteers anywhere.

I represent Palm Beach and Broward Counties in south Florida, home to many of our Nation's veterans. We all agree that when Americans who wear the military uniform return from service, they deserve to be treated with the highest level of respect and dignity that they have earned. This includes making sure they receive the benefits they are entitled to, and I know we all share that commitment.

While the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and military staff work hard to ensure that every veteran gets full advantage of the benefits they have earned, some veterans still have difficulty navigating the system and coming up with all the necessary documents. By allowing trained Veterans' Corps volunteers to guide them through this process, we can ensure more veterans obtain the benefits they were promised.

With thousands of new servicemembers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, the job of the Veterans' Corps is more critical than ever. As of September 2008, 330,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans have filed disability claims with the VA; yet, 54,000 are still waiting for confirmation that the VA even received their claims. The average wait for a disability claim is more than 6 months. This amendment could help these veterans access the services they need.

I can think of few priorities greater or more urgent than providing basic services such as these to our brave men and women who serve to protect our country, secure our peace, and safeguard our way of life.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Teague, for working with me on this amendment, and particularly Chairman Miller for introducing this important piece of legislation, which will enable hundreds of thousands of Americans to dedicate their time to a cause that is bigger than themselves through volunteerism and community service. I urge adoption of

this amendment and a ``yes'' vote on the underlying legislation for the betterment of our community and our country as a whole.

Rep. George MillerD-CA-7 · Mar 18, 2009

Would the gentlewoman from Colorado yield? I want to thank the gentlewoman for introducing this amendment. It's an important amendment so that we can preserve the quality of these programs, and we…

Would the gentlewoman from Colorado yield?

I want to thank the gentlewoman for introducing this amendment. It's an important amendment so that we can preserve the quality of these programs, and we can make sure that they remain accessible to all those who want to participate.

This will help such grantees as the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Student Conservation Association, and so many other organizations that are responsible for covering this cost. This will help them out in that effort.

They clearly are putting their own resources into this program. This is the Federal Government providing up as a good partner to increase the opportunities that the gentlewoman from Colorado has supported and spoken to the committee about.

We support the amendment. Thank you.

Will the gentleman yield for 30 seconds?

I just want to commend him for offering this amendment, for all of his work on behalf of not only our veterans, but service people on active duty and in support of his constituent from Indiana that came up with this idea to start sending care packages to our troops in service in the theaters of battle.

We clearly think this is a consistent use and allowable use under the National Service Act, and we welcome the amendment and support it.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank him for bringing this to the committee and offering this amendment.

All of us in our congressional offices know how thin the support services for the veterans as they seek out occupational opportunities, therapy opportunities, all of the needs that our returning veterans have. The gentleman is making a great contribution to this legislation, especially since this is the first time that we have fully integrated veterans into the national service corps of this Nation. These kinds of services are in desperate need in so many areas of the country. This is a very important amendment to making sure that our veterans are able to proceed with all of their needs when they return home.

I thank the gentleman for offering the amendment, and I urge passage of the amendment.

Rep. Harry TeagueD-NM-2 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an important amendment to an important piece of legislation, the GIVE Act. My amendment, which I am offering…

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an important amendment to an important piece of legislation, the GIVE Act. My amendment, which I am offering together with my friend, Congressman Klein of Florida, establishes that a Veterans Volunteer Corps would engage in activities that are important to veterans in my district and across the country.

Those activities include: Helping veterans pursue education and employment by coordinating with State and local agencies that administer education and job programs for veterans; helping veterans file benefit claims; and, aiding rural, disabled, and unemployed veterans with transportation needs.

This amendment is especially important for veterans in rural areas like the one I represent. Many veterans in my district have to travel 4 hours or more to reach a veterans hospital for doctor appointments. For folks who would require constant medical care, the burden of this travel weighs heavily on both the veteran and his or her family. Ensuring that a veteran can receive a helping hand for transportation through the GIVE Act will mean so much to men and women in Southern New Mexico and rural areas across the country.

Additionally, providing access to knowledgeable volunteers for veterans applying for their benefits can be a guiding light through the maze of the benefits application process. Veterans service organizations across the country already provide assistance like this at veterans benefits centers often on a volunteer basis. My amendment bolsters their critical service.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment invests in our veteran community, while also allowing our veterans to invest in themselves and their fellow vets.

I thank my chairman on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Congressman Filner, for his assistance and support of this amendment, and I thank Chairman Miller.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield to Chairman Miller 30 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, I yield the remaining time to the cosponsor of this amendment, Congressman Klein of Florida.

Rep. Virginia FoxxR-NC-5 · Mar 18, 2009

I want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for yielding the time. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kilroy) for her service in various governmental capacities and for her amendment.…

I want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for yielding the time.

I want to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kilroy) for her service in various governmental capacities and for her amendment. We all agree that service to this Nation is important. That's why all of us are here. We serve our constituents.

So I would like to ask the gentlewoman, Ms. Kilroy, why she voted to block consideration of a bill to require the Treasury Secretary to recoup the outrageous bonuses to AIG employees.

This week, $165 million was awarded to 73 AIG employees. Today's vote would have stopped the bonus payments on behalf of American taxpayers and prevented future abuses of bailout funds. All Americans, my constituents, your constituents, which we serve, are outraged over this because it is taxpayers who are keeping this country alive.

So I ask the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kilroy) why she didn't stand up and serve her constituents today. We all had a chance to do something today.

I would like to yield to the gentlewoman for a response.

Reclaiming my time, I would like to ask the gentlewoman to answer my question. Why did you not vote for that bill to stop these payments?

Reclaiming my time, I would like to ask the gentlelady to answer my question.

Mr. Chairman, I have asked the gentlewoman from Ohio for a simple answer and I am not getting that. I would like to ask her to please answer the question that I asked her: Why did she not vote to stop the bonuses to the AIG employees?

Does the gentlelady refuse to answer?

I yield to the gentlelady from OHio.

Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, the gentlewoman from Ohio says there is a time and place for this debate. She indicates this is not the time and place.

It is my belief that this is the time and place for that debate. It is a time and place for there to be accountability and responsibility. We have heard those words over and over and over from the other side and from the President. It's time that the other side decides to live up to their responsibility and their accountability.

Rep. Peter J. RoskamR-IL-6 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In a nutshell, this is an amendment that is meant to follow on some of the themes that President Obama articulated in his…

Rep. Robert E. AndrewsD-NJ-1 · Mar 18, 2009

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim time in opposition, although we do not oppose the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I thank you. We will support this amendment because we certainly want…

Rep. David P. RoeR-TN-1 · Mar 18, 2009

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in support of conducting a GAO study of whether the NCCC and PART programs are accomplishing their mission in a cost-effective manner. While reauthorizing…

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Introduced in HouseIssued February 22, 2010

111th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. RES. 1090

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 22, 2010

Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Ms. Speier, Mr. Farr, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Honda, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Pingree of Maine, Ms. Berkley, Ms. Watson, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, Ms. Chu, Mr. Filner, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Richardson, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Israel, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Berman, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Cummings, Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, Mr. Towns, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Michaud, and Mr. Polis of Colorado) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

RESOLUTION

Recognizing the hearing of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, and the testimony of Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Admiral Michael G. Mullen at the hearing, as an important first step in permitting gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the Armed Forces and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the policy should be repealed in 2010.

Whereas there are an estimated 66,000 members of the Armed Forces who are gay or lesbian and approximately one million veterans who are gay or lesbian;

Whereas these brave men and women serve in the Armed Forces as highly trained linguists, aviators, medics, and soldiers and are involved in valuable operations that have nothing to do with their sexual orientation and everything to do with protecting American lives and advancing the national security interests of the United States;

Whereas the current policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces, which is referred to as the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and is codified as section 654 of title 10, United States Code, continues to hurt members of the Armed Forces, runs counter to the values exemplified by the Armed Forces, and threatens national security;

Whereas in 2009, 428 members of the Armed Forces were discharged or released as a result of application of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, at the estimated cost of over $12 million;

Whereas since the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was implemented in 1994, more than 13,000 members have been discharged or released solely as a consequence of their sexual orientation;

Whereas President Obama called for the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy during his 2010 State of the Union address and pledged to work with military leaders this year to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are;

Whereas the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate held a hearing on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy on February 2, 2010, and heard testimony from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;

Whereas Secretary Gates declared his full support for the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don't Tell policy;

Whereas Admiral Mullen stated the following: My personal belief is that allowing homosexuals to serve openly would be the right thing to do. I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. For me, it comes down to integrity—theirs as individuals and ours as an institution.;

Whereas Admiral Mullen is the highest ranking military officer in American history to publically support permitting gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the Armed Forces;

Whereas Secretary Gates, working in close consultation with Admiral Mullen, has appointed a high-level working group within the Department of Defense, led by Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson and General Carter Ham, to review issues regarding the proper implementation of a repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don't Tell policy;

Whereas the mandate of this working group is to thoroughly, objectively, and methodically examine all aspects of these issues and report its findings and recommendations to Congress in the form of an implementation plan by the end of 2010;

Whereas the working group will reach out to the force to authoritatively understand their views and attitudes about the impacts of repeal, undertake a thorough examination of all the changes to the department’s regulations and policies that may have to be made, and examine the potential impacts of a change in law on military effectiveness;

Whereas Secretary Gates has directed the Department of Defense to quickly review the regulations used to implement the current Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and, within 45 days, present him with recommended changes to those regulations that would enforce the policy in a more human and fair manner within existing law;

Whereas the Department of Defense will ask the RAND Corporation to update its 1993 study on the impacts of allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the Armed Forces;

Whereas top leadership is critical to the successful implementation of a repeal plan, however, full and final repeal of section 654 of title 10, United States Code, remains up to Congress;

Whereas the 1993 RAND study recommended that changes to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy be decided upon and implemented as quickly as possible;

Whereas several studies suggest that the repeal of section 654 of title 10, United States Code, can be implemented more quickly than indicated by Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen;

Whereas the Subcommittee on Personnel Management of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives will hold a hearing regarding the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy on March 3, 2010, and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate intends to hold additional hearings regarding the policy;

Whereas in his testimony, Secretary Gates stated that the working group will need to engage men and women in uniform and their families in order to assess their views regarding the effects of repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and implementation of the repeal;

Whereas current members of the Armed Forces, regardless of their sexual orientation, have valuable insight to share with military leaders and Congress regarding the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy and any repeal implementation plan;

Whereas the discriminatory nature of section 654 of title 10, United States Code, prevents members of the Armed Forces from speaking openly, and both the Armed Forces and Congress will need a way to obtain information from members to move forward with implementing repeal; and

Whereas all avenues to allow members of the Armed Forces to participate in the upcoming Congressional hearings, and to protect them from retribution for doing so, need to be explored: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives—

(1)

recognizes the hearing of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate on the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, and the testimony of Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Admiral Michael G. Mullen at the hearing, as an important first step in bringing about the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy concerning homosexuality in the Armed Forces and in permitting gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the Armed Forces;

(2)

expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, as codified in section 654 of title 10, United States Code, should be repealed in 2010 and that repeal legislation should be promptly brought to a vote in the Senate and House of Representatives;

(3)

expresses the hope that President Obama will continue his leadership on this issue;

(4)

urges the Pentagon working group to deliver a repeal implementation plan to Congress as soon as possible while ensuring that the needs and concerns of members of the Armed Forces are taken into consideration;

(5)

pledges to do its part to move the repeal planning and implementation process forward on a timeline that is best for all members of the Armed Forces; and

(6)

strongly recommends that the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Subcommittee on Personnel Management of the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives include members of the Armed Forces, regardless of their sexual orientation, in the upcoming hearings regarding the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.