Armed Services Discharge Review Procedure Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Armed Services.
Armed Services Discharge Review Procedure Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide for the establishment of regional boards of review throughout the United States to review the discharge or dismissal under specified conditions of any former member of an armed force upon motion of any such board or upon request of the former member, or, if deceased, the surviving spouse or other specified persons. Provides for a procedure whereby a Judge Advocate may be appointed to represent a person requesting a review under this Act before a board established under the provisions of this Act. Provides that a person who requests a review under this Act shall be promptly advised in writing, upon filing his application, of his right to make a personal appearance before the board, and of his right to be represented by counsel, of his own choosing or appointed by the Judge Advocate or by an accredited representative. Directs that no information (in code or otherwise) shall be included on any discharge certificate by any military department if such information in any way indicates the attitude, opinion, or decision of the military department concerned with respect to whether the person to whom such certificate was issued should be accepted for reenlistment in the armed forces. Requires that all such information shall be treated as strictly confidential and may be released to another department or agency of the Government only on a need-to-know basis. Directs the Secretary of each military department and the Secretary of Transportation (with respect to the Coast Guard) to the maximum extent practicable, to issue new discharge certificates to all former members of such department whose last discharge certificate contains any information (in code or otherwise) described in this Act. Directs the Secretary of Defense to, within sixty days after the date of enactment of this Act, initiate and carry out a comprehensive nationwide program designed to contact and inform all former members of the armed forces who have been issued discharge certificates with the type of information thereon described in this Act and who have not been contacted and issued new discharge certificates as provided in this Act. Directs the Secretary to consult with the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs in carrying out such program, and the Administrator shall utilize the full services and facilities of the Veterans' Administration to assist in contacting such former members. Provides that any action taken by the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, action to be taken by the Secretary of Defense. Provides that not later than sixty days after the date of enactment of this Act the Secretary of Defense shall submit a written report to the Congress disclosing the plan to be carried out by him under this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 30, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 30, 1974: Referred to House Committee on Armed Services.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
ROBERT LEGGETT (D-CA) introduced it on May 30, 1974. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 30, 1974, 19096 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19096 days ago, on May 30, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers