Heller named Senate sponsor for ‘Stolen Valor Act’ bill

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has taken over as the Senate sponsor of a bill to punish individuals who lie about receiving military awards.

Republican Scott Brown of Massachusetts, who had been the chief Senate supporter of the "Stolen Valor Act," was defeated in November.

"Congress must do all that it can to preserve the integrity of the decorations and medals awarded to those who have served our country," Heller said in reintroducing the bill Monday in the new Congress along with Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

The bill would make it a crime to make false claims about receiving certain medals in order to obtain things of value, such as a veterans-reserved job or better service benefits.

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., is the House sponsor of the bill. It was approved in the House last year but failed to get final passage.