Texas Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Reclassify Fort Hood Shooting As Terrorist Act

Lawmakers have introduced a bill that would classify the Nov. 5, 2009 Fort Hood shooting as an act of terrorism and award honors and benefits to victims and their families.

At a Monday news conference held at the Killeen Civic and Conference Center, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Reps. Roger Williams and John Carter discussed the bill that would give combat-related compensation to families, including retroactive benefits.

Cornyn said the bill would acknowledge the attack as an act of terrorism that could have been prevented, allowing for awarding Purple Hearts to service members slain and the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom to civilians who were killed in the shooting.

Families and surviving victims would receive combat-related compensation and injury rehabilitation, $400,000 of life insurance coverage from the Department of Veterans Affairs, special tax breaks and pay for exposure to fire or imminent danger.

The attack is currently classified as “workplace violence”.