HOUSE BILL No. 5485

 

February 5, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Garfield, Nofs, Drolet, Pastor, Milosch, Taub, Stahl, Brandenburg, Elkins, LaJoy and DeRossett 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 or merchant           

                                                                                

7   marines of the United States during a period of war or who                  

                                                                                

8   received the armed forces expeditionary or other campaign service           

                                                                                

9   medal during an emergency condition and who was discharged or               

                                                                                

10  released  therefrom  from that service under honorable                      

                                                                                

11  conditions.  "Veteran" also includes a person who died in active            


                                                                                

1   military forces  service of the armed forces or merchant marines           

                                                                                

2   of the United States.                                                       

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

10  1917  ,  and ending  on  November 11, 1918  ,  and, in the case             

                                                                                

11  of a veteran who served with the United States military forces in           

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

13  ending  on  April 1, 1920.                                                  

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

15  7, 1941  , and ending  through December 31, 1946.  , both dates             

                                                                                

16  inclusive.                                                                  

                                                                                

17      (e) "Korean conflict" means the period between June 27, 1950                

                                                                                

18  , to  and January 31, 1955.                                                

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

24  whether a person  shall be considered as having  rendered                   

                                                                                

25  military service during these wars will be carefully considered             

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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


                                                                                

1       (h) "Mexican  wars.  Since there were several skirmishes                    

                                                                                

2   involving the Mexican border, such as  war period veteran" means            

                                                                                

3   a veteran who served in any of the following skirmishes:                    

                                                                                

4                                                                                (i) The Mexican border troubles of 1911-1916.  ;                                    

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

6   November 26, 1914.  ;                                                       

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

8   1916  ,  to February 5, 1917.  ; therefore the persons rendering            

                                                                                

9   military service in any of these skirmishes shall be considered             

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

11      (i) Future dates.  The period beginning on the date of any                  

                                                                                

12  future declaration of war by the congress or the beginning of an            

                                                                                

13  emergency condition recognized by the issuance of a presidential            

                                                                                

14  proclamation or a presidential executive order and in which the             

                                                                                

15  armed forces expeditionary medal or other campaign service medals           

                                                                                

16  are awarded according to presidential executive order and ending            

                                                                                

17  on a date prescribed by presidential proclamation or concurrent             

                                                                                

18  resolution of the congress.                                                 

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

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

                                                                                

21  for which an armed forces expeditionary or Vietnam service medal            

                                                                                

22  was received or veterans having served in the Vietnam era, which            

                                                                                

23  is that period beginning February 28, 1961  ,  and ending on May            

                                                                                

24  7, 1975.                                                                    

                                                                                

25      Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take                      

                                                                                

26  effect unless Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 5486                  

                                                                                

27  (request no. 06101'04 a) of the 92nd Legislature is enacted into            


                                                                                

1   law.