S-0371.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5119

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senator Hargrove

Read first time 01/13/1999.  Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Changing the service period for defining American merchant marine veterans.

    AN ACT Relating to American merchant marine veterans; and amending RCW 41.04.005.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 41.04.005 and 1996 c 300 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) As used in RCW 41.04.005, 41.16.220, and 41.20.050 "veteran" includes every person, who at the time he or she seeks the benefits of RCW 41.04.005, 41.04.010, 41.16.220, 41.20.050, 41.40.170, 73.04.110, or 73.08.080 has received an honorable discharge or received a discharge for physical reasons with an honorable record and who meets at least one of the following criteria:

    (a) The person has served between World War I and World War II or during any period of war, as defined in subsection (2) of this section, as either:

    (i) A member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States;

    (ii) A member of the women's air forces service pilots;

    (iii) A U.S. documented merchant mariner with service aboard an oceangoing vessel operated by the war shipping administration, the office of defense transportation, or their agents, during the period of armed conflict, December 7, 1941, to ((August 15, 1945)) December 31, 1946; or

    (iv) A civil service crewmember with service aboard a U.S. army transport service or U.S. naval transportation service vessel in oceangoing service during the period of armed conflict, December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945; or

    (b) The person has received the armed forces expeditionary medal, or marine corps and navy expeditionary medal, for opposed action on foreign soil, for service:

    (i) In any branch of the armed forces of the United States; or

    (ii) As a member of the women's air forces service pilots.

    (2) A "period of war" includes:

    (a) World War I;

    (b) World War II;

    (c) The Korean conflict;

    (d) The Vietnam era, which was the period beginning August 5, 1964, and ending on May 7, 1975;

    (e) The Persian Gulf War, which was the period beginning August 2, 1990, and ending on the date prescribed by presidential proclamation or law;

    (f) The period beginning on the date of any future declaration of war by the congress and ending on the date prescribed by presidential proclamation or concurrent resolution of the congress; and

    (g) The following armed conflicts, if the participant was awarded the respective campaign badge or medal:  The crisis in Lebanon; the invasion of Grenada; Panama, Operation Just Cause; Somalia, Operation Restore Hope; Haiti, Operation Uphold Democracy; and Bosnia, Operation Joint Endeavor.

                            --- END ---