FederalDaily - August 7, 2006

Military Personnel Win in Multimillion-Dollar Settlement

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Aug. 3 that it has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with a Texas-based insurance company and its affiliates for the use of misleading business practices in the sale of insurance to members of the U.S. armed forces. Waco-based American-Amicable has agreed to settle the action by paying $10 million to about 57,000 military personnel who invested in Horizon Life insurance between Jan. 1, 2000, through this year. According to the Attorney’s Office, companies trained their agents to market Horizon Life as a savings plan, which it was not. Also under the settlement, about 53,000 current policyholders will see an increase in the value of their American-Amicable policies totaling around $60 million. For more information, go to: www.usdoj.gov/usao/pae/News/Pr/2006/aug/AmericanAmicablepress.pdf.

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Legislation Targets Intel Leaks

Those who leak classified information would be easier to prosecute under a new bill proposed Aug. 2 by Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. The bill would crack down on intelligence leaks by federal employees, contractors or anyone who has signed a non-disclosure agreement with the government. According to a release from Bond’s office, the bill “seeks to unify current law and ease the government’s burden in prosecuting and punishing leakers by eliminating the need to prove that damage to national security has or will result from a disclosure.” The bill’s measures would not apply to the media, businesses or private citizens. If the bill were passed into law, individuals convicted of improper disclosure would face a fine and up to three years imprisonment.

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Iowa Senators Introduce Bill to Prevent Veteran Suicides

Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced legislation Aug. 3 that would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a comprehensive program to prevent suicide among veterans. The Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act of 2006 is named for a 22-year-old Iraq war veteran who, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, committed suicide at his Iowa home in December 2005. The program detailed in the bill stresses social support, readjustment services and research to prevent suicide among veterans. It also calls for the creation of a VA National Mental Health Campaign to increase awareness, and would ensure 24-hour access to mental health care for at-risk vets -- including those in rural and remote locations. A similar bill was introduced in the House in July.

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