Gold Star Families Equality Act

Summary: Gold Star Families Equality Act - Requires a lapel button to be designed to identify widows, parents, and next of kin of members of the Armed Forces who die, under circumstances not already prescribed for under existing eligibility standards for a gold star lapel button, while serving on active duty or while assigned to a reserve component in a drill status. Makes such next of kin button available retroactively to survivors of members of the Armed Forces who have died since September 10, 2001. Directs the Secretary of each military department and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to provide for the issuance of a Gold Star Installation Access Card to family members with gold or next of kin buttons to expedite their ability to gain unescorted access to military installations for the purpose of obtaining on-base services and benefits. Requires regulations to be prescribed to permit parents (including stepparents, parents though adoption, or foster parents who stood in loco parentis) with such buttons to use commissary stores and other military retail facilities on the same basis as surviving spouses or children.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Gold Star Families Equality Act''.

SEC. 2. LAPEL BUTTON FOR NEXT OF KIN OF DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 
              FORCES.

    (a) Service-Wide Adoption of Next of Kin Lapel Button.--Section 
1126 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (b);
            (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections 
        (d) and (e), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new 
        subsections:
    ``(b) A lapel button, to be known as the lapel button for next of 
kin of deceased members of the armed forces, shall be designed, as 
approved by the Secretary of Defense, to identify widows, parents, and 
next of kin of members of the armed forces who die, under circumstances 
not prescribed by subsection (a), while serving on active duty or while 
assigned to a reserve component in a drill status.
    ``(c) Under regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of 
Defense, the Secretary concerned, upon application to the Secretary, 
shall furnish--
            ``(1) one gold star lapel button without cost to the widow 
        and to each parent and next of kin of a member who lost or 
        loses his or her life under any circumstances prescribed in 
        subsection (a); and
            ``(2) one lapel button for next of kin of deceased members 
        to the widow and to each parent and next of kin of a member who 
        lost or loses his or her life under the circumstances 
        prescribed in subsection (b).''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Subsection (d) of section 1126 of title 
10, United States Code, as redesignated by subsection (a)(2), is 
amended by inserting ``or lapel button for next of kin of deceased 
members'' after ``gold star lapel button'' both places it appears.
    (c) Use of Existing Design.--The design of the lapel button for the 
next of kin of deceased members of the Armed Forces required by 
subsection (b) of section 1126 of title 10, United States Code, as 
added by subsection (a)(3), shall be based on the design of such a 
lapel button provided by the Secretary of the Army to certain survivors 
of deceased members of the Army, including the Army Reserve and the 
Army National Guard, pursuant to Army regulation 600-6-18, as in effect 
on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (d) Retroactive Availability.--The lapel button for the next of kin 
of deceased members of the Armed Forces required by subsection (b) of 
section 1126 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection 
(a)(3), shall be available to provide appropriate recognition for the 
survivors of members of the Armed Forces who have died since September 
10, 2001.

SEC. 3. GOLD STAR INSTALLATION ACCESS CARD.

    (a) Service-Wide Adoption of Access Card.--The Secretary of each 
military department and the Secretary of the Department in which the 
Coast Guard is operating (in this section referred to as the 
``Secretary concerned'') shall provide for the issuance of a Gold Star 
Installation Access Card to Gold Star family members who are the 
survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces under the 
jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned to expedite the ability of a 
Gold Star family member to gain unescorted access to military 
installations for the purpose of obtaining the on-base services and 
benefits for which the Gold Star family member is entitled or eligible.
    (b) Service-Wide Acceptance of Access Card.--The Secretaries 
concerned shall work jointly to ensure that a Gold Star Installation 
Access Card issued to a Gold Star family member by one Armed Force is 
accepted for access to military installations of another Armed Force.
    (c) Protection of Installation Security.--In developing, issuing, 
and accepting the Gold Star Installation Access Card, the Secretary 
concerned may take such measures as the Secretary concerned considers 
necessary--
            (1) to prevent fraud in the procurement or use of the Gold 
        Star Installation Access Card;
            (2) to limit installation access to those areas that 
        provide the services and benefits for which the Gold Star 
        family member is entitled or eligible; and
            (3) to ensure that the availability and use of the Gold 
        Star Installation Access Card does not adversely affect 
        military installation security.
    (d) Implementation.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretaries concerned shall complete 
implementation of this section.
    (e) Gold Star Family Member Defined.--In this section, the term 
``Gold Star family member'' means a person who has received a Gold Star 
Lapel Button or a Lapel Button for the Next of Kin of Deceased Members 
of the Armed Forces under section 1126 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 4. USE OF COMMISSARY STORES AND MWR RETAIL FACILITIES BY PARENTS 
              OF DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Use Authorized.--The Secretary of each military department and 
the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating 
shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to ensure that a 
parent of a deceased member of the Armed Forces who receives a Gold 
Star Lapel Button or a Lapel Button for the Next of Kin of Deceased 
Members of the Armed Forces under section 1126 of title 10, United 
States Code, is permitted to use commissary stores and MWR retail 
facilities on the same basis as any surviving spouse or child of the 
member.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``MWR retail facilities'' means exchange 
        stores and other revenue generating facilities operated by 
        nonappropriated fund activities of the Department of Defense or 
        the department in which the Coast Guard is operating for the 
        morale, welfare, and recreation of members of the Armed Forces.
            (2) The term ``parent'' includes mother, father, 
        stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through 
        adoption, or foster parent who stood in loco parentis.