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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Rawson		DATE TYPED:	3/14/03		HB
SHORT TITLE:		Honor Bataan Death March Survivors				SB	SJM 26/aSPAC
					ANALYST:		Wilson

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact		Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY03	FY04	FY03	FY04
			NFI

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of SPAC Amendment

The Senate Public Affairs Committee amendment enlarges the scope of SJM 26 to honor all prisoners of war from the New Mexico military forces who suffered captivity and notes the New Mexico forces were the last to be captured at the fall of Bataan and Corregidor in April 1942.

The amendment asks the New Mexico congressional delegation to recommend that the United States Congress honor and recognize all prisoners of war of the “Bataan Death March” by presenting them with the recognition keeping with military tradition and commensurate with their sacrifice and devotion to duty by awarding either a bronze star or a combat infantry badge.

Synopsis of Original Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 26 requests the New Mexico congressional delegation to recommend that the United States Congress honor and recognize the survivors of the "Bataan Death March" by presenting them with the medal of honor.

Significant Issues

The members of the 200th coast artillery regiment of the New Mexico national guard were among the first American forces to engage the Japanese imperial army during the invasion of the Philippine Islands;

They were force-marched sixty-five miles in the infamous "Bataan Death March";

They were held as prisoners of war and transported to Japan, Manchuria and other locations, and most of them were used as slave labor and denied proper nutrition and medical care;

Nine hundred of the one thousand eight hundred New Mexicans deployed survived captivity and subsequently became known as "the battling bastards of Bataan".

DW/yr