The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill that makes it a crime to lie about military service or to claim unearned military awards, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Jeff Landry for his signature.
Senate Bill 51 earned unanimous support in both chambers, clearing the state House of Representatives last Monday after passing the state Senate in March in a 35-0 vote. The bill was authored by State Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a Marine Corps veteran who served as an infantry rifleman in Iraq and Afghanistan before his honorable discharge in 2005 with the rank of sergeant.
Stolen valor has been a federal offense since President George W. Bush signed the original Stolen Valor Act of 2006. In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 6-3 ruling struck that law down in United States v. Alvarez on grounds of violating the First Amendment because it criminalized false claims, regardless of whether the speaker gained anything from the lie.
Congress responded in 2013 with a narrower version, signed by President Barack Obama, that requires prosecutors to prove the false claim was made with intent to obtain money, property or another tangible benefit.
That statute, 18 U.S.C. § 704, remains on the books but is difficult to enforce at the local level, Kleinpeter told the chamber, adding that veterans in his district pushed him to file the measure after encountering fraudulent military claims in their communities.
The legislation establishes a three-tier penalty...
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