To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets for the purpose of facilitating the travel of members of the Armed Forces who are deployed away from their permanent duty station and are granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave and certain other forms of leave and the travel of family members to be reunited with such a member, and for other purposes.

April 2, 2004

Mr. RUPPERSBERGER (for himself, Mr. LEWIS of California, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. HUNTER, and Mr. SKELTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

To amend title 10, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Defense to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets for the purpose of facilitating the travel of members of the Armed Forces who are deployed away from their permanent duty station and are granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave and certain other forms of leave and the travel of family members to be reunited with such a member, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Operation Hero Miles Act of 2004'.

SEC. 2. ACCEPTANCE OF FREQUENT TRAVELER MILES, CREDITS, AND TICKETS TO FACILITATE THE AIR OR SURFACE TRAVEL OF CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND THEIR FAMILIES.

Section 2608 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--

(1) by redesignating subsections (g) through (k) as subsections (h) through (l), respectively; and

(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new subsection:

`(g) Operation Hero Miles- (1) The Secretary of Defense may use the authority of subsection (a) to accept the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets for air or surface transportation issued by any air carrier or surface carrier that serves the public and that consents to such donation, and under such terms and conditions as the air or surface carrier may specify. The Secretary shall designate a single office in the Department of Defense to carry out this subsection, including the establishment of such rules and procedures as may be necessary to facilitate the acceptance of such frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets.

`(2) Frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets accepted under this subsection shall be used only in accordance with the rules established by the air carrier or surface carrier that is source of the miles, credits, or tickets and shall be used only for the purpose of--

`(A) facilitating the travel of a member of the armed forces who--

`(i) is deployed on active duty away from the permanent duty station of the member; and

`(ii) is granted, during such deployment, rest and recuperative leave, emergency leave, convalescent leave, or another form of leave authorized for the member; or

`(B) facilitating the travel of family members of the member to be reunited with the member.

`(3) The Secretary of Defense may enter into an agreement with a nonprofit organization to use the services of the organization--

`(A) to promote the donation of frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets under paragraph (1), except that amounts appropriated to the Department of Defense may not be expended for this purpose; and

`(B) to assist in administering the collection, distribution, and use of donated frequent traveler miles, credits, and tickets.

`(4) Members of the armed forces and family members who receive air or surface transportation using frequent traveler miles, credits, or tickets donated under this subsection are deemed to recognize no income from such use. Donors of frequent traveler miles, credits, or tickets under this subsection are deemed to obtain no tax benefit from such donation.

`(5) In this subsection, the term `family member' has the meaning given that term in section 411h(b)(1) of title 37.'.

SEC. 3. REIMBURSEMENT FOR TRAVEL COSTS INCURRED BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES UNDER DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REST AND RECUPERATION LEAVE PROGRAM.

The Secretary of Defense shall reimburse each member of the Armed Forces who participated in the Department of Defense Rest and Recuperation Leave program during the period beginning on September 15, 2003, and ending on December 18, 2003, for travel expenses incurred by the member, or by family members on behalf of the member, to travel to or from a designated embarkation point for the program before the program was expanded to include a domestic travel component.

END