Hubbard Act
Public Law 110-317 · H.R. 6580 · 110th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Aug 29, 2008 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI-3)
Cosponsors (7): Rep. Devin Nunes, Rep. Jim Costa,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
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.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Sep 4, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
- Aug 29, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-317.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 25, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Aug 1, 2008FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Jul 30, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Jul 29, 2008FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6580.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Kind moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 23, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs, Ways and Means, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within t…
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.