Congress·In Committee·H.R. 9595

Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto Medal of Honor Act

Medal of Honor for Vietnam Veteran Jorge Otero Barreto

Jul 6·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

This bill is currently in the House Committee on Armed Services where it was sent on July 5, 2026. The committee must review the proposal before it can move forward, but no further action has occurred since that date. It is not showing signs of active movement at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

Bills for individual military honors are usually non-controversial but can take a long time to move through the committee process.

Key Points

This bill would allow the government to give the Medal of Honor to Jorge Otero Barreto, a soldier from Puerto Rico who served in the Vietnam War. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 87.
Otero Barreto was one of the most decorated soldiers in history, earning 38 awards including two Silver Stars and five Purple Hearts during his five tours of duty in Vietnam.
The award specifically honors his bravery on May 1, 1968, when he destroyed an enemy machine gun nest and cleared several bunkers by himself to save his fellow soldiers.
Since the events happened decades ago, Congress must pass this law to skip the normal time limits for awarding the nation highest military honor.
After his military service, Otero Barreto spent decades working as a counselor to help other veterans deal with trauma and health issues.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 6, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Jul 6, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto Medal of Honor Act

Bill NumberHR 9595

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Armed Services.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.