Pappas, Shaheen Reintroduce Bipartisan Bring Our Heroes Home Act, Legislation to Address POW/MIA Backlog

Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee (HVAC), and Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01) re-introduced the Bring Our Heroes Home Act in the House of Representatives. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would expedite and coordinate the process of collecting, declassifying, and making public records of Prisoners of War (POW) and Missing in Action (MIA) service members, eliminating obstacles that prevent families and caseworkers from accessing records needed for recovery of America’s prisoners of war (POWs) and missing in action (MIA). Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Mike Crapo (ID) introduced companion legislation in the Senate earlier this year. Senator Maggie Hassan (NH) is a cosponsor of this legislation.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, approximately 80,930 Americans, including 316 Granite Staters, remain unaccounted for from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Gulf Wars and other conflicts.

“Loved ones of service members who are missing in action or unaccounted for have been forced to wait for far too long for the closure they deserve,” said Congressman Pappas. “In many cases, families wait years to decades long to learn any information about their loved ones due to the current failure to prioritize declassifying and making the necessary information public. This bipartisan legislation will expedite the process of identification and repatriation, provide information that could bring peace to these families in a timely manner, and help bring our service members home once and for all.”

“The families of America’s missing service members carry the heavy weight of uncertainty, waiting years and often decades for answers about their loved ones who served our nation with courage and conviction,” said Senator Shaheen. “We owe it to these families to make that wait as short as possible and free from unnecessary bureaucratic burden. Our bipartisan Bring Our Heroes Home Act takes meaningful steps to ensure that vital records are preserved, responsibly declassified and made accessible so that families can finally gain the clarity they deserve. Our nation has a solemn responsibility to honor every hero’s legacy and to ensure none are forgotten or left behind.” 

The Bring Our Heroes Home Act would:

• Create a collection of missing Armed Forces and civilian personnel records at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) for families and caseworkers to easily access;
• Require executive agencies to identify, locate and transmit any missing Armed Forces personnel records to the National Archives for placement in the collection; and
• Establish an independent Missing Armed Forces and Civilian Personnel Records Review Board to identify missing personnel records, facilitate the transmission and disclosure of these records, and review any decisions by federal agencies to postpone declassification for purposes of protecting sensitive classified material.

Pappas has been an advocate for New Hampshire’s veterans, service members, and service members who are missing in action or unaccounted for throughout his time in Congress. In 2019 Pappas secured the passage of The National POW/MIA Flag Act, which requires the POW/MIA flag to be displayed alongside the American flag at certain federal buildings and memorials to honor all POW/MIAs, and was signed into law by President Trump on November 7, 2019.