HOUSE BILL No. 5490

February 5, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Law, Hopgood, Bieda, Gleason, Spade, Tobocman, Sak, Murphy, Elkins, Pappageorge, Gillard, Meisner, Smith, Hunter, Hood, Zelenko, Gieleghem, Phillips, Vagnozzi, Dennis, Sheltrown, Vander Veen, Nofs, Woodward, Condino, Wojno, Accavitti, O'Neil, Brown, Adamini, Plakas, Farrah, Kolb, Lipsey, Cheeks, McConico, Jamnick, Reeves, Minore, Williams, Clack, Ruth Johnson, Palmer, Voorhees, Hager, Hardman, Richardville, Ehardt, Pumford, Woronchak, Gaffney, Rocca and Meyer and referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1965 PA 190, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "An act to provide for a system of uniformity of service for                

    veterans,"                                                                  

                                                                                

    by amending section 1 (MCL 35.61), as amended by 1997 PA 131.               

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 1.   In order to  To provide for the uniformity of                     

                                                                                

2   service dates for veterans, the following dates and terms  shall            

                                                                                

3   be applicable  apply to all acts of the state relative to                   

                                                                                

4   veterans:                                                                   

                                                                                

5       (a) "Veteran" means a person  ,  who  served  was in the                    

                                                                                

6   active  military forces,  service of the armed forces during a              

                                                                                

7   period of war or who received the armed forces expeditionary or             

                                                                                

8   other campaign service medal during an emergency condition and              

                                                                                

9   who was discharged or released  therefrom  from that service                

                                                                                

10  under honorable conditions.  "Veteran" also includes  a  both of            

                                                                                

11  the following:                                                              


                                                                                

1                                                                                (i) A person who died while in active  military  service of                         

                                                                                

2   the armed forces.                                                           

                                                                                

3       (ii) A person who was in the active service of the merchant                  

                                                                                

4   marines during World War II or who died while in the active                 

                                                                                

5   service of the merchant marines in World War II.                            

                                                                                

6       (b) "Spanish-American war" means the period beginning on                    

                                                                                

7   April 21, 1898  ,  and ending on July 4, 1902, includes the                 

                                                                                

8   Philippine insurrection and the Boxer rebellion, and, in the case           

                                                                                

9   of a veteran who served with the United States military forces              

                                                                                

10  engaged in hostilities in the Moro province, means the period               

                                                                                

11  beginning on April 21, 1898  ,  and ending on July 15, 1903.                

                                                                                

12      (c) "World War I" means the period beginning on April 6,                    

                                                                                

13  1917  ,  and ending on November 11, 1918  ,  and, in the case of            

                                                                                

14  a veteran who served with the United States military forces in              

                                                                                

15  Russia, means the period beginning on April 6, 1917  ,  and                 

                                                                                

16  ending on April 1, 1920.                                                    

                                                                                

17      (d) "World War II" means the period  beginning  from                        

                                                                                

18  December 7, 1941  , and ending  through December 31, 1946.  ,               

                                                                                

19  both dates inclusive.                                                       

                                                                                

20      (e) "Korean conflict" means the period  between  from June                  

                                                                                

21  27, 1950  ,  to January 31, 1955.                                           

                                                                                

22      (f) "Civil war and confederate veterans" means veterans who                 

                                                                                

23  served between April 12, 1861  ,  and May 26, 1865.                         

                                                                                

24      (g) "Indian  wars  war period" means January 1, 1817 through                

                                                                                

25  December 31, 1898.  Since the Indian wars were fought                       

                                                                                

26  intermittently over a period of years, the determination as to              

                                                                                

27  whether a person  shall be considered as having  rendered                   


                                                                                

1   military service during these wars will be carefully considered             

                                                                                

2   by the state veterans' trust fund.   January 1, 1817, through               

                                                                                

3   December 31, 1898, is considered Indian war period.                         

                                                                                

4       (h)  Mexican wars.  Since there were several skirmishes                     

                                                                                

5   involving the Mexican border, such as Mexican border troubles               

                                                                                

6   1911-1916; Veracruz expedition April 21, 1914, to November 26,              

                                                                                

7   1914; punitive expedition into Mexico, March 15, 1916, to                   

                                                                                

8   February 5, 1917; therefore the persons rendering military                  

                                                                                

9   service in any of these skirmishes shall be considered veterans             

                                                                                

10  of the Mexican wars between 1911 and February 5, 1917.  "Mexican            

                                                                                

11  war period veteran" means a person who served in any of the                 

                                                                                

12  following skirmishes:                                                       

                                                                                

13                                                                               (i) The Mexican border troubles of 1911 to 1916.                                    

                                                                                

14      (ii) The Veracruz expedition of April 21, 1914 to November                   

                                                                                

15  26, 1914.                                                                   

                                                                                

16      (iii) The punitive expedition into Mexico of March 15, 1916                  

                                                                                

17  to February 5, 1917.                                                        

                                                                                

18      (i) "Future dates"  .  The  means any period beginning on                   

                                                                                

19  the date of any future declaration of war by the congress or the            

                                                                                

20  beginning of an emergency condition recognized by the issuance of           

                                                                                

21  a presidential proclamation or a presidential executive order and           

                                                                                

22  in which the armed forces expeditionary medal or other campaign             

                                                                                

23  service medals are awarded according to presidential executive              

                                                                                

24  order and ending on a date prescribed by presidential                       

                                                                                

25  proclamation or concurrent resolution of the congress.                      

                                                                                

26      (j) Veterans of the Korean conflict and veterans having                     

                                                                                

27  served after January 31, 1955, in an area of hazardous duty for             


                                                                                

1   which an armed forces expeditionary or Vietnam service medal was            

                                                                                

2   received or veterans having served in the Vietnam era, which is             

                                                                                

3   that period beginning February 28, 1961  ,  and ending on May 7,            

                                                                                

4   1975.                                                                       

                                                                                

5       Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take                      

                                                                                

6   effect unless Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 5489                  

                                                                                

7   (request no. 05884'03 a *) of the 92nd Legislature is enacted               

                                                                                

8   into law.