,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bgei  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #bj1
 #bjba,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself1 ,ms4   
,ernst1 and ,mr4 ,young7 introduced the 
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,armed   
,services  ,a ,,bill  ,to restore honor 
to certain previously discharged members
 of the ,armed ,forces4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,restore ,honor to ,service ,members    
,act of #bjba4  #b4 ,tiger ,team for    
outreach to former members  7a7 ,sense  
of ,congress ,it is the sense of        
,congress that-- 7#a7 the mission of the
 ,department of ,defense is to provide  
the military forces needed to deter war 
and to protect the security of the      
,united ,states2  7#b7 expanding        
outreach to veterans impacted by ,don't 
,ask1 ,don't ,tell or a similar policy  
prior to the enactment of ,don't ,ask1  
,don't ,tell is important to closing a  
period of history harmful to the creed  

of integrity1 respect1 and honor of the 
military2  7#c7 the ,department is      
responsible for providing for the review
 of a veteran's military record before  
the appropriate discharge review board  
or1 when more than #ae years has passed1
 board of correction for military or    
naval records2 and  7#d7 the ,secretary 
of ,defense should1 wherever possible1  
coordinate and conduct outreach to      
impacted veterans through the veterans  
community and networks1 including       
through the ,department of ,veterans    
,affairs and veterans service           
organizations1 to ensure that veterans  
understand the review processes that are
 available to them for upgrading        
military records4  7b7 ,establishment of
 ,tiger ,team  7#a7 ,in general ,not    
later than #fj days after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,defense shall establish a
 team 7commonly known as a tiger team   
and referred to in this section as the  
,tiger ,team7 responsible for conducting

 outreach to build awareness among      
former members of the ,armed ,forces of 
the process established pursuant to     
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-ib2 #aj        
,u4,s4,c4 #aeeb note7 for the review of 
discharge characterizations by          
appropriate discharge boards4 ,the      
,tiger ,team shall consist of           
appropriate personnel of the ,department
 of ,defense assigned to the ,tiger     
,team by the ,secretary for purposes of 
this section4  7#b7 ,tiger ,team leader 
,one of the persons assigned to the     
,tiger ,team under paragraph 7#a7 shall 
be a senior-level officer or employee of
 the ,department who shall serve as the 
lead official of the ,tiger ,team 7in   
this section referred to as the ,tiger  
,team ,leader7 and who shall be         
accountable for the activities of the   
,tiger ,team under this section4  7#c7  
,report on composition ,not later than  
#ij days after the date of the enactment

 of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall     
submit to ,congress a report setting    
forth the names of the personnel of the 
,department assigned to the ,tiger ,team
 pursuant to this subsection1 including 
the positions to which assigned4 ,the   
report shall specify the name of the    
individual assigned as ,tiger ,team     
,leader4  7c7 ,duties  7#a7 ,in general 
,the ,tiger ,team shall conduct outreach
 to build awareness among veterans of   
the process established pursuant to     
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj for the review of discharge       
characterizations by appropriate        
discharge boards4  7#b7 ,collaboration  
,in conducting activities under this    
subsection1 the ,tiger ,team ,leader    
shall identify appropriate external     
stakeholders with whom the ,tiger ,team 
shall work to carry out such activities4
 ,such stakeholders shall include the   
following3 7,a7 ,the ,secretary of      
,veterans ,affairs4  7,b7 ,the          

,archivist of the ,united ,states4  7,c7
 ,representatives of veterans service   
organizations4  7,d7 ,such other        
stakeholders as the ,tiger ,team ,leader
 considers appropriate4  7#c7 ,initial  
report ,not later than #baj days after  
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit 
to ,congress the following3 7,a7 ,a plan
 setting forth the following3 7i7 ,a    
description of the manner in which the  
,secretary1 working through the ,tiger  
,team and in collaboration with external
 stakeholders described in paragraph    
7#b71 shall identify individuals who    
meet the criteria in section #ebg7;b7 of
 the ,national ,defense ,authorization  
,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj for review 
of discharge characterization4  7ii7 ,a 
description of the manner in which the  
,secretary1 working through the ,tiger  
,team and in collaboration with the     
external stakeholders1 shall improve    
outreach to individuals who meet the    
criteria in section #ebg7;b7 of the     

,national ,defense ,authorization ,act  
for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj for review of   
discharge characterization1 including   
through-- 7,i7 obtaining contact        
information on such individuals2 and    
7,,ii7 contacting such individuals on   
the process established pursuant to     
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj for the review of discharge       
characterizations4  7,b7 ,a description 
of the manner in which the work         
described in clauses 7i7 and 7ii7 of    
subparagraph 7,a7 will be carried out1  
including an allocation of the work     
among the ,tiger ,team and the external 
stakeholders4  7,c7 ,a schedule for the 
implementation1 carrying out1 and       
completion of the plan required under   
subparagraph 7,a74  7,d7 ,a description 
of the additional funding1 personnel1 or
 other resources of the ,department     
required to carry out the plan required 
under subparagraph 7,a71 including any  
modification of applicable statutory or 

administrative authorities4  7#d7       
,implementation of plan  7,a7 ,in       
general ,the ,secretary shall implement 
and carry out the plan submitted under  
subparagraph 7,a7 of paragraph 7#c7 in  
accordance with the schedule submitted  
under subparagraph 7,c7 of that         
paragraph4  7,b7 ,updates ,not less     
frequently than once every #ij days     
after the submittal of the report under 
paragraph 7#c71 the ,tiger ,team shall  
submit to ,congress an update on the    
carrying out of the plan submitted under
 subparagraph 7,a7 of that paragraph4   
7#e7 ,final report ,not later than #c   
years after the date of the enactment of
 this ,act1 the ,tiger ,team shall      
submit to the ,committees on ,armed     
,services of the ,senate and the ,house 
of ,representatives a final report on   
the activities of the ,tiger ,team under
 this subsection4 ,the report shall set 
forth the following3 7,a7 ,the number of
 individuals discharged under ,don't    
,ask1 ,don't ,tell or a similar policy  

prior to the enactment of ,don't ,ask1  
,don't ,tell4  7,b7 ,the number of      
individuals described in subparagraph   
7,a7 who availed themselves of a review 
of discharge characterization 7whether  
through discharge review or correction  
of military records7 through a process  
established prior to the enactment of   
this ,act4  7,c7 ,the number of         
individuals contacted through outreach  
conducted pursuant to this section4     
7,d7 ,the number of individuals         
described in subparagraph 7,a7 who      
availed themselves of a review of       
discharge characterization through the  
process established pursuant to section 
#ebg of the ,national ,defense          
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj4  7,e7 ,the number of individuals 
described in subparagraph 7,d7 whose    
review of discharge characterization    
resulted in a change of characterization
 to honorable discharge4  7,f7 ,the     
total number of individuals described in
 subparagraph 7,a71 including           

individuals also covered by subparagraph
 7,e71 whose review of discharge        
characterization since ,september #bj1  
#bjaa 7the date of repeal of ,don't     
,ask1 ,don't ,tell71 resulted in a      
change of characterization to honorable 
discharge4  7#f7 ,termination ,on the   
date that is #fj days after the date on 
which the final report required by      
paragraph 7#e7 is submitted1 the        
,secretary shall terminate the ,tiger   
,team4  7d7 ,additional reports  7#a7   
,review ,the ,secretary of ,defense     
shall conduct a review of the           
consistency and uniformity of the       
reviews conducted pursuant to section   
#ebg of the ,national ,defense          
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj4  7#b7 ,reports ,not later than   
#bgj days after the date of the         
enactment of this ,act1 and each year   
thereafter for a four-year period1 the  
,secretary shall submit to ,congress a  
report on the reviews under paragraph   
7#a74 ,such reports shall include any   

comments or recommendations for         
continued actions4  7e7 ,don't ,ask1    
,don't ,tell defined ,in this section1  
the term ,don't ,ask1 ,don't ,tell means
 section #fed of title #aj1 ,united     
,states ,code1 as in effect before such 
section was repealed pursuant to the    
,don't ,ask1 ,don't ,tell ,repeal ,act  
of #bjaj 7,public ,law #aaa-cba74  #c4  
,relief for impacted former members  7a7
 ,review of discharge  7#a7 ,in general 
,the ,secretary of ,defense shall review
 and update existing guidance to ensure 
that the appropriate discharge board for
 the military departments concerned     
shall review a discharge                
characterization of the covered member  
as required under section #ebg of the   
,national ,defense ,authorization ,act  
for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj at the request  
of a covered member1 or their           
representative1 notwithstanding any     
requirements to provide documentation   
necessary to initiate a review of a     
discharge characterization4  7#b7       

,exception ,the appropriate discharge   
board for the military departments      
concerned shall not be required to      
initiate a request for a review of a    
discharge as described in paragraph 7#a7
 if there is evidence available to the  
discharge board that is unrelated to the
 material request of the covered member 
or their representative but that would  
have reasonably substantiated the       
military department's discharge         
decision4  7b7 ,veterans benefits  7#a7 
,effective date of change of            
characterization for veterans benefits  
,for purposes of the provision of       
benefits to which veterans are entitled 
under the laws administered by the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to a   
covered member whose discharge          
characterization is changed pursuant to 
section #ebg of the ,national ,defense  
,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year   
#bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-ib2 #aj        
,u4,s4,c4 #aeeb note71 the date of      
discharge of the member from the ,armed 

,forces shall be deemed to be the       
effective date of the change of         
discharge characterization under that   
section4  7#b7 ,rule of construction    
,nothing in this subsection shall be    
construed to authorize any benefit to a 
covered member in connection with the   
change of discharge characterization of 
the member under section #ebg of the    
,national ,defense ,authorization ,act  
for ,fiscal ,year #bjbj 7,public ,law   
#aaf-ib2 #aj ,u4,s4,c4 #aeeb note7 for  
any period before the effective date of 
the change of discharge                 
characterization4  #d4 ,historical      
reviews  7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary
 of each military department shall      
ensure that oral historians of the      
department1 in coordination with the    
chief of the personnel division for the 
military department concerned-- 7#a7    
review the facts and circumstances      
surrounding the estimated #ajj1jjj      
members of the ,armed ,forces discharged
 from the ,armed ,forces between ,world 

,war ,,ii and ,september #bjaa because  
of the sexual orientation of the member1
 including any use of ambiguous or      
misleading separation codes and         
characterizations intended to disguise  
the discriminatory basis of such        
members' discharge2 and  7#b7 receive   
oral testimony of individuals who       
personally experienced discrimination   
and discharge because of the actual or  
perceived sexual orientation of the     
individual so that such testimony may   
serve as an official record of these    
discriminatory policies and their impact
 on ,american lives4  7b7 ,deadline for 
completion ,each ,secretary of a        
military department shall ensure that   
the oral historians concerned complete  
the actions required by subsection 7a7  
by not later than two years after the   
date of the enactment of this ,act4  7c7
 ,uses of information ,information      
obtained through actions under          
subsection 7a7 shall be available to    
members described in that paragraph for 

pursuit by such members of a remedy     
under section #ebg of the ,national     
,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal
 ,year #bjbj in accordance with         
regulations prescribed for such purpose 
by the ,secretary of the military       
department concerned4