Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act

Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act - Directs: (1) the Secretary of the military department concerned to award the Purple Heart to members of the Armed Forces (members) who were killed or wounded in the attack at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009; and (2) the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom to civilian employees and contractors of DOD who were killed or wounded in such attack.

Deems, for purposes of all applicable federal benefit laws, regulations, and policies: (1) such members to have been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an enemy act; and (2) such employees to have been killed or wounded by hostile action while serving with the Armed Forces in a contingency operation and to have been killed or wounded in a terrorist attack. Excludes any member whose death or wound was the result of willful misconduct. Applies such provisions to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other psychological injuries that were a result of such attack.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1500 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1500

    To declare the November 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas, a 
  terrorist attack, and to ensure that the victims of the attack and 
their families receive the same honors and benefits as those Americans 
  who have been killed or wounded in a combat zone overseas and their 
                               families.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 12, 2013

  Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Moran, and Ms. 
    Ayotte) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To declare the November 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas, a 
  terrorist attack, and to ensure that the victims of the attack and 
their families receive the same honors and benefits as those Americans 
  who have been killed or wounded in a combat zone overseas and their 
                               families.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act''.

SEC. 2. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.

    Congress makes the following declarations of policy:
            (1) The November 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas 
        constituted an act of terrorism, not merely workplace violence.
            (2) The United States Government has a fundamental duty to 
        our military service members to safeguard them against 
        avoidable harm in the course of their service, and the attack 
        on Fort Hood could and should have been prevented.
            (3) Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of the attack, had become 
        radicalized while serving in the United States Army and was 
        principally motivated to carry out the attack by an ideology of 
        violent Islamist extremism.
            (4) Through his actions that day, Nidal Hasan proved 
        himself to be not just a terrorist, but also a traitor and an 
        enemy of the United States.

SEC. 3. AWARDS REQUIRED.

    (a) Purple Heart.--The Secretary of the military department 
concerned shall award the Purple Heart to the members of the Armed 
Forces who were killed or wounded in the attack that occurred at Fort 
Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009.
    (b) Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom.--The 
Secretary of Defense shall award the Secretary of Defense Medal for the 
Defense of Freedom to civilian employees of the Department of Defense 
and civilian contractors who were killed or wounded in the attack that 
occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009.

SEC. 4. BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES AND CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES 
              OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE WHO WERE KILLED OR WOUNDED 
              IN THE NOVEMBER 5, 2009, ATTACK AT FORT HOOD, TEXAS.

    (a) Treatment.--For purposes of all applicable Federal laws, 
regulations, and policies, a member of the Armed Forces or civilian 
employee of the Department of Defense who was killed or wounded in the 
attack that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009, shall be 
deemed, effective as of such date, as follows:
            (1) In the case of a member, to have been killed or wounded 
        in a combat zone as the result of an act of an enemy of the 
        United States.
            (2) In the case of a civilian employee of the Department of 
        Defense--
                    (A) to have been killed or wounded by hostile 
                action while serving with the Armed Forces in a 
                contingency operation; and
                    (B) to have been killed or wounded in a terrorist 
                attack.
    (b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to a member of the 
Armed Forces whose death or wound as described in that subsection is 
the result of the willful misconduct of the member.
    (c) Coverage of Psychological Injuries.--Subsection (a) applies to 
members of the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the Department of 
Defense suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other 
psychological injuries as a result of the attack that occurred at Fort 
Hood, Texas, on November 5, 2009.
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