To amend the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 to improve reviews of characterizations of discharges of members of the Armed Forces on the basis of sexual orientation.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · February 20, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
This bill directs the Department of Defense to systematically upgrade military discharges that were based solely on sexual orientation to honorable status, addressing discharges that occurred under the now-repealed policy that banned openly gay service members. The legislation establishes a new outreach unit within the Department of Defense, led by a senior officer, that must contact eligible veterans and inform them of their right to request discharge reviews, with the unit required to submit progress reports every 90 days and cease operations three years after the law takes effect. Rather than requiring veterans to submit documentation or requests themselves, the bill allows the military to proactively upgrade all sexual orientation-based discharges without requiring individual action from affected service members. The Defense Department must complete all upgrades within five years and provide Congress with annual progress reports on the effort. This legislation affects former military members discharged under the previous ban on openly gay service members, and it establishes reporting requirements for the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to track the outreach and upgrade process.
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