Crime of Stolen Valor (H 7411, H 7811, & S 2425A)

Though we appreciated the intent behind a piece of legislation which makes it a crime for an individual to knowingly and fraudulently represent oneself as a member of the military to obtain “money, property, or another tangible benefit,” we urged amendment to the bill.

Though we appreciated the intent behind a piece of legislation which makes it a crime for an individual to knowingly and fraudulently represent oneself as a member of the military to obtain “money, property, or another tangible benefit,” we urged the deletion of the phrase “tangible benefit” from the bill as we were concerned that such broad language could have unintentional First Amendment implications. S 2425A, the version of the bill which ultimately signed into law, did not contain this language.