II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2088 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the issuance of 

the Gold Star Installation Access Card to the surviving spouse, dependent 

children, and other next of kin of a member of the Armed Forces 

who dies while serving on certain active or reserve duty, to ensure 

that a remarried surviving spouse with dependent children of the deceased member remains eligible for installation benefits to which the 

surviving spouse was previously eligible, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 7, 2017 

Mrs. FISCHER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for the 

issuance of the Gold Star Installation Access Card to 

the surviving spouse, dependent children, and other next 

of kin of a member of the Armed Forces who dies 

while serving on certain active or reserve duty, to ensure 

that a remarried surviving spouse with dependent children of the deceased member remains eligible for installation benefits to which the surviving spouse was previously eligible, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Gold Star Family Sup3 port and Installation Access Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) Since World War I, the gold star symbol 

7 has been used by American families to honor mem8 bers of the Armed Forces who have given their lives 

9 in service to the Nation. 

10 (2) Surviving families of deceased members of 

11 the Armed Forces confront many challenges, often 

12 made worse by policies that fail to compassionately 

13 honor the memory of their loved one’s service and 

14 sacrifice to the Nation. 

15 (3) There is an obligation to ensure that the 

16 Gold Star family connections to the military commu17 nity remain an eternal bond providing strength and 

18 comfort to surviving family members and to those 

19 still serving. 

20 (4) Individual military services have recognized 

21 the need to provide installation access to Gold Star 

22 families to attend memorial events, visit gravesites, 

23 and access other benefits for which family members 

24 are eligible and entitled. 

25 (5) Surviving families of deceased members of 

26 the Armed Forces relocate to other parts of the 


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1 country, often far away from the service installation 

2 where their loved one last served. 

3 (6) Current Department of Defense policy re4 scinds on-base benefits to surviving spouses of de5 ceased service members who remarry, even when de6 pendent children under the guardianship of the sur7 viving spouse remain eligible for benefits, effectively 

8 rendering these benefits inaccessible by the children 

9 of the deceased member. 

10 SEC. 3. ISSUANCE OF GOLD STAR INSTALLATION ACCESS 

11 CARDS. 

12 (a) ISSUANCE AND CONDITIONS ON USE.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 57 of title 10, 

14 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

15 section 1126 the following new section: 

16 ‘‘§ 1126a. Gold Star Installation Access Card: issuance 

17 and protections 

18 ‘‘(a) ISSUANCE TO GOLD STAR SURVIVING SPOUSE

19 AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF DECEASED MEMBER RE20 QUIRED.—The Secretary concerned shall provide for the 

21 issuance of a standardized Gold Star Installation Access 

22 Card to the widow and dependent children of a deceased 

23 member of the armed forces described in section 1126(a) 

24 of this title to facilitate their ability to gain unescorted 

25 access to military installations for the purpose of attendVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 Nov 08, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2088.IS S2088

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1 ing memorial events, visiting gravesites, and obtaining the 

2 on-installation services and benefits to which they are enti3 tled or eligible. 

4 ‘‘(b) ISSUANCE TO OTHER NEXT OF KIN AUTHOR5 IZED.—At the discretion of the Secretary concerned, the 

6 Secretary concerned may provide the Gold Star Installa7 tion Access Card to the parents and other next of kin of 

8 a deceased member of the armed forces described in sec9 tion 1126(a) of this title. 

10 ‘‘(c) SERVICE-WIDE ACCEPTANCE OF ACCESS

11 CARD.—The Secretaries concerned shall work together to 

12 ensure that a Gold Star Installation Access Card issued 

13 by one armed force is accepted for access to military in14 stallations under the jurisdiction of another armed force. 

15 ‘‘(d) PROTECTION OF INSTALLATION SECURITY.—In 

16 developing, issuing, and accepting the Gold Star Installa17 tion Access Card, the Secretary concerned may take such 

18 measures as the Secretary concerned considers nec19 essary— 

20 ‘‘(1) to prevent fraud in the procurement or use 

21 of the Gold Star Installation Access Card; 

22 ‘‘(2) to limit installation access to those areas 

23 of the installation that provide the services and ben24 efits for which the recipient of the Gold Star Instal25 lation Access Card is entitled or eligible; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) to ensure that the availability and use of 

2 the Gold Star Installation Access Card does not ad3 versely affect military installation security. 

4 ‘‘(e) TERMINATION.—The Gold Star Installation Ac5 cess Card for the widow and dependent children of a de6 ceased member of the armed forces shall remain valid for 

7 the life of the widow or child, regardless of subsequent 

8 marital status of the widow, subject to periodic renewal 

9 as determined by the Secretary concerned to ensure mili10 tary installation security.’’. 

11 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec12 tions at the beginning of chapter 57 of title 10, 

13 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

14 the item relating to section 1126 the following new 

15 item: 

‘‘1126a. Gold Star Installation Access Card: issuance and protections.’’. 

16 (b) APPLICABILITY OF CURRENT DEFINITIONS.— 

17 Section 1126(d) of title 10, United States Code is amend18 ed by striking the matter preceding paragraph (1) and in19 serting the following: ‘‘In this section and section 1126a 

20 of this title:’’. 

21 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF COMMISSARY AND EXCHANGE BEN22 EFITS FOR REMARRIED SPOUSES WITH DE23 PENDENT CHILDREN. 

24 (a) BENEFITS.—Section 1062 of title 10, United 

25 States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary of Defense’’ and 

2 inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) CERTAIN UNREMARRIED FORMER SPOUSES.— 

4 The Secretary of Defense’’; and 

5 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub6 section: 

7 ‘‘(b) CERTAIN REMARRIED SURVIVING SPOUSES.— 

8 The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe such regulations 

9 as may be necessary to provide that a surviving spouse 

10 of a deceased member of the armed forces, regardless of 

11 the marital status of the surviving spouse, who has guard12 ianship of dependent children of the deceased member is 

13 entitled to use commissary stores and MWR retail facili14 ties to the same extent and on the same basis as the 

15 unremarried surviving spouse of a member of the uni16 formed services.’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 1062 of 

18 title 10, United States Code, is further amended— 

19 (1) by striking ‘‘commissary and exchange 

20 privileges’’ and inserting ‘‘use commissary stores 

21 and MWR retail facilities’’; and 

22 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub23 section: 


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1 ‘‘(c) MWR RETAIL FACILITIES.—The term ‘MWR 

2 retail facilities’ has the meaning given that term in section 

3 1063(e) of this title.’’. 

4 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 

5 (1) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of section 

6 1062 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to 

7 read as follows: 

8 ‘‘§ 1062. Certain former spouses and surviving 

9 spouses’’. 

10 (2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 

11 at the beginning of chapter 54 of title 10, United 

12 States Code, is amended by striking the item relat13 ing to section 1062 and inserting the following new 

14 item: 

‘‘1062. Certain former spouses and surviving spouses.’’. 

Æ 


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