Less than two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the "Stolen Valor" law, a lawmaker is pushing a revised version of the measure in Congress.
Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown held a news conference today to remind his colleagues about the Stolen Valor Act of 2011, introduced by Brown in November, according to the Boston Globe.
The Supreme Court ruled on June 28 that the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 violated the First Amendment's protection of free speech. The case centered around a California man, Xavier Alvarez, who falsely claimed to be a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
Brown's bill narrows the law ruled unconstitutional by declaring it would only be illegal to lie about having earned military medals if the goal was financial profit.
Brown said today of his measure:
“It is wrong and cowardly for people to make fraudulent statements in order to receive distinctions that they have not earned. We need to ensure that no one can benefit from making false claims and steal the true valor of the deserving few.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to consider the bill.
