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HR 6580110th CongressSigned into LawHouse

Hubbard Act

Policy Area: Armed Forces and National Security
View on Congress.gov
Origin Chamber
House
Last Updated
Jan 10, 2026
Latest Action Date
Sep 4, 2008

Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

Official Summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Hubbard Act - Amends federal employment, armed forces, military pay, and veterans' benefits law to authorize the provision of the following benefits to a member of the Armed Forces who is discharged at the member's request pursuant to a Department of Defense (DOD) policy permitting the early discharge of a member who is the only surviving child in a family in which the father or mother, or one or more siblings, served in the Armed Forces and, incident to such service, was killed, died as a result of wounds, accident, or disease, is in a captured or missing in action status, or is permanently disabled: (1) continued payment, through the original agreed-upon service period, of any bonus, incentive, or similar benefit to which the member was entitled during service; (2) separation pay, even though the member has completed less than six years of active service before discharge; (3) transitional health care, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for 180 days after discharge; (4) transitional commissary and exchange benefits, on the same basis as an active-duty member, for two years after discharge; (5) veterans' housing loan, employment and training, and basic educational assistance; (6) federal unemployment compensation; and (7) veteran's preference for federal employment purposes. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the limitation on contributions to funeral trusts. Makes this Act effective with respect to any such discharge granted after September 11, 2001.

GovScope Watchdog™

AI Government Intelligence™
Executive Summary

The Hubbard Act amends federal laws related to employment, armed forces, military pay, and veterans' benefits to provide specific benefits to members of the Armed Forces who are discharged early under a Department of Defense policy for being the only surviving child in a family with deceased or disabled military members. It authorizes continued payment of bonuses, separation pay, transitional health care, commissary and exchange benefits, veterans' housing loans, employment and training assistance, educational benefits, federal unemployment compensation, and veteran's preference for federal employment. The Act also repeals the limitation on contributions to funeral trusts and applies retroactively to discharges after September 11, 2001.

Bottom Line

This bill provides enhanced benefits and protections to certain military members discharged early due to family military losses, impacting military personnel and veterans' support systems.

Policy Risk Level
🟡 Medium
Neutral Risk Assessment
Key Points
  • Authorizes continued payment of bonuses and separation pay to early-discharged service members under specific family loss conditions.
  • Provides transitional health care and commissary/exchange benefits for a defined period after discharge.
  • Extends veterans' benefits including housing loans, employment assistance, education, unemployment compensation, and federal employment preference.
Who Benefits?

Members of the Armed Forces discharged early under the specified Department of Defense policy, their families, veterans receiving related benefits, and federal agencies administering these benefits.

Potential Concerns

Implementation may require coordination across multiple federal agencies to administer extended benefits; costs associated with continued payments and expanded benefits could impact budgets. The full bill text is not provided, limiting detailed assessment of provisions and administrative requirements.

Political Context

The bill, titled Hubbard Act, falls under the policy area of Armed Forces and National Security. It originated in the House during the 110th Congress and was referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. The status indicates it was signed into law, with the latest recorded action in 2008.

Hidden Impact Review

No hidden impact flags detected

GovScope reviewed 11 policy-risk categories. Hover for a quick definition. Click detected flags for bill-specific details.

Clear Review
Categories Reviewed — Not Detected
Broad agency authority
New regulatory authority
Privacy concerns
Spending increases
Criminal penalties
Civil liability
Unfunded mandates
Executive discretion
Missing sunset provisions
Cross references
Hidden implementation costs
Indirect Effects

The bill may increase demand on veterans' services and federal employment systems due to expanded eligibility and benefits, potentially affecting administrative workloads and resource allocation.

GovScope Watchdog Notes

The full bill text is not available, limiting detailed analysis. Citizens may want to review how the extended benefits are funded and administered, and monitor the impact on military and veterans' programs. The retroactive application to discharges after September 11, 2001, may affect benefit claims from earlier periods.

Passage Likelihood: UnknownConfidence: 75%Model: gpt-4.1-mini

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