{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-schatz-ernst-young-reintroduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-restore-honor-to-service-members-unfairly-discharged-due-to-sexual-orientation", "Schatz, Ernst, Young Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation To Restore Honor To Service Members Unfairly Discharged Due To Sexual Orientation", "2021-09-20", "2021", "2021-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "HI", "Brian Schatz", "S001194", "www.schatz.senate.gov", "schatz", "https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, on the 10-year anniversary of the Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell policy repeal, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai\u2018i), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Todd Young (R-Ind.) reintroduced the Restore Honor to Service Members Act. The bipartisan legislation corrects the military records of service members discharged solely due to their sexual orientation to reflect their honorable service and reinstate the benefits they earned, building on Senator Schatz\u2019s 2020 National Defense Authorization Act amendment which turned the Department of Defense\u2019s temporary process for service members to correct their records into permanent law.\n\n\u201cAs we mark 10 years since the repeal of Don\u2019t Ask Don\u2019t Tell, we must continue working to right the wrongs caused by past discriminatory policy,\u201d said Senator Schatz. \u201cTens of thousands of gay and lesbian veterans were unjustly discharged from the military, then denied the benefits and honorable service records that are rightfully theirs. This bill ensures every veteran receives what they deserve.\u201d\n\n\u201cVeterans who served our country honorably should receive the benefits they deserve. This bipartisan effort will help veterans correct their military records and ensure they are properly recognized for their sacrifice and service,\u201d said Senator Ernst.\n\n\u201cAddressing the injustices of the past is the right thing to do and will help to ensure all veterans are entitled to the privileges and benefits that they have earned. I\u2019m proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we work to restore honor to those who courageously served our nation in the armed forces,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\nSince World War II, more than 100,000 Americans are estimated to have been discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation. Those forced out of the military may have left with discharge statuses of \u201cother than honorable,\u201d \u201cgeneral discharge,\u201d or \u201cdishonorable,\u201d depending on the circumstances, and as a consequence may be disqualified from accessing benefits they are entitled to and unable to claim veteran status. A negative discharge may also prevent veterans from voting or make it more difficult for them to acquire civilian employment.\n\nMany veterans affected by discriminatory policies such as Don\u2019t Ask, Don\u2019t Tell are still unaware they can have their records corrected or initiate a review. In an effort to continue Congress\u2019s work to correct this historic wrong, the Schatz-Ernst-Young legislation would:\n\nRequire the Department of Defense to reach out to veterans who faced discrimination because of their sexual orientation about the process for correcting their records;\n\nAuthorize the Department of Veterans Affairs to use the date of a discharge characterization upgrade as the date by which it can determine a former member\u2019s eligibility for accessing time-limited benefits; and\n\nRequire each military branch to execute a historical review of its discriminatory policies, creating an official record that former members could draw on to seek a change in discharge characterization.\n\nThe Restore Honor to Service Members Act is supported by the Unitarian Universalist Association, VoteVets.org, and PFLAG.\n\nIn the U.S. House of Representatives, companion legislation was introduced by U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), and has more than 60 cosponsors.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:17:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.schatz.senate.gov/news/press-releases/news-schatz-ernst-young-reintroduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-restore-honor-to-service-members-unfairly-discharged-due-to-sexual-orientation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.597497146576643, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}