I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2976 

To replace references to ‘‘wives’’ and ‘‘husbands’’ in Federal law with 

references to ‘‘spouses’’, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 8, 2015 

Mrs. CAPPS (for herself, Mr. BEYER, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. 

FARR, Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. LEE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, 

Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MURPHY of Florida, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SMITH of 

Washington, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 

THOMPSON of California, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. BERA, Mr. GRAYSON, Mr. 

DESAULNIER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. ENGEL, and Mr. 

HONDA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To replace references to ‘‘wives’’ and ‘‘husbands’’ in Federal 

law with references to ‘‘spouses’’, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Amend the Code for 

5 Marriage Equality Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS. 

2 (a) ACT OF AUGUST 16, 1941.—Section 2(b) of the 

3 Act of August 16, 1941, entitled ‘‘An Act to provide com4 pensation for disability or death to persons employed at 

5 military, air, and naval bases outside the United States.’’ 

6 (42 U.S.C. 1652(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘wife’’ each 

7 place such term appears and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

8 (b) ACT OF AUGUST 4, 1955.—Section 43(a) of the 

9 Act of August 4, 1955, entitled ‘‘An Act to direct the Sec10 retary of Agriculture to release on behalf of the United 

11 States conditions in two deeds conveying certain submar12 ginal lands to Clemson Agricultural College of South 

13 Carolina so as to permit such college, subject to certain 

14 conditions, to sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of such 

15 lands.’’ (42 U.S.C. 2333(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘hus16 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’. 

17 (c) ACT OF DECEMBER 2, 1942.—Section 101(c) of 

18 the Act of December 2, 1942, entitled ‘‘An Act to provide 

19 compensation for the injury, disability, death, or enemy 

20 detention of employees of contractors with the United 

21 States, and for other purposes.’’ (42 U.S.C. 1701(c)) is 

22 amended by striking ‘‘wife or husband’’ each place such 

23 term appears and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

24 (d) ACT OF FEBRUARY 28, 1891.—Section 5 of the 

25 Act of February 28, 1891 (25 U.S.C. 371), is amended 


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1 by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married 

2 couple’’. 

3 (e) ACT OF SEPTEMBER 2, 1960.—The Act of Sep4 tember 2, 1960, entitled ‘‘An Act to provide for continued 

5 delivery of water under the Federal reclamation laws to 

6 lands held by husband and wife upon the death of either’’ 

7 (43 U.S.C. 423h) is amended— 

8 (1) in the title, by striking ‘‘husband and wife 

9 upon the death of either’’ and inserting ‘‘a married 

10 couple upon the death of either spouse’’; and 

11 (2) by striking ‘‘husband or wife’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘married person’’. 

13 (f) CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ACT OF

14 1949.—The Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 (50 

15 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) is amended— 

16 (1) in the heading of section 16(c), by striking 

17 ‘‘Wives or Husbands’’ and inserting ‘‘Spouses’’; and 

18 (2) in section 19(b)(4), by striking ‘‘widow or 

19 widower, former spouse, and/or a child or children as 

20 defined in section 204 and section 232 of the Cen21 tral Intelligence Agency Retirement Act of 1964 for 

22 Certain Employees’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse, 

23 former spouse, or child as defined in section 102 of 

24 the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement Act’’. 


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1 (g) CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY RETIREMENT

2 ACT.—The Central Intelligence Agency Retirement Act 

3 (50 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (1) in section 221(d)(5), by striking ‘‘former 

5 wife or husband of’’ and inserting ‘‘person who has 

6 been, but is no longer, married to’’; 

7 (2) in section 232(c)(3), by striking ‘‘former 

8 wife or husband of’’ and inserting ‘‘person who has 

9 been, but is no longer, married to’’; 

10 (3) in section 241— 

11 (A) in subsection (b)— 

12 (i) in paragraph (2), by inserting after 

13 ‘‘former spouse’’ the following: ‘‘(as de14 fined under section 102)’’; 

15 (ii) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (I) in the heading, by striking 

17 ‘‘wife or husband’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘spouse other than as defined under 

19 section 102’’; and 

20 (II) by striking ‘‘former wife or 

21 husband of the former participant’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘person who has been, 

23 but is no longer, married to the 

24 former participant, but who is not a 


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1 former spouse as defined under suc2 tion 102’’; and 

3 (iii) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking 

4 ‘‘former wife or husband’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘person’’; 

6 (B) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ‘‘sur7 viving wife or husband of such participant’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘person who was married to such par9 ticipant at the participant’s death’’; and 

10 (C) in paragraph (d)(2)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘surviving former 

12 spouse or surviving former wife or husband 

13 of such participant’’ and inserting ‘‘per14 son’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘to such former spouse 

16 or former wife or husband’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘under such paragraph’’; and 

18 (4) in section 304(d)(2), by striking ‘‘widow or 

19 widower’’ each place such term appears and insert20 ing ‘‘surviving spouse’’. 

21 (h) ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS

22 COMPENSATION PROGRAM ACT OF 2000.—The Energy 

23 Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program 

24 Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 7384 et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 3628(e)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘wife 

2 or husband of that individual’’ and inserting ‘‘per3 son’’; and 

4 (2) in section 3630(e)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘wife 

5 or husband of that individual’’ and inserting ‘‘per6 son’’. 

7 (i) ETHICS IN GOVERNMENT ACT OF 1978.—Section 

8 109(16) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 

9 U.S.C. App. 109(16)) is amended by striking ‘‘husband, 

10 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

11 (j) FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT OF 1993.— 

12 Section 102(f) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 

13 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2612(f)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘husband and 

15 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; and 

16 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘that 

18 husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘such 

19 spouses’’; and 

20 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘hus21 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’. 

22 (k) FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN ACT OF 1971.— 

23 Section 313(c)(3)(B) of the Federal Election Campaign 

24 Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30114(c)(3)(B)) is amended by 

25 striking ‘‘husband, wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 


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1 (l) FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT OF

2 1977.—The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 

3 (30 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) is amended— 

4 (1) in section 402— 

5 (A) in subsection (a)(2)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘wife who is a member 

7 of the same household of the miner’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘spouse who is a member of the 

9 same household as the miner’’; 

10 (ii) by striking ‘‘miner for her sup11 port’’ and inserting ‘‘miner for his or her 

12 support’’; 

13 (iii) by striking ‘‘whose husband is a 

14 miner who has been ordered by a court to 

15 contribute to her support’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘for whose support the miner has been or17 dered by a court to contribute’’; 

18 (iv) by striking ‘‘216(b) (1) or (2)’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘216(b)(1) or (2)’’; 

20 (v) by striking ‘‘status as the ‘wife’ of 

21 a miner’’ and inserting ‘‘status as the 

22 ‘spouse’ of a miner’’; 

23 (vi) by striking ‘‘ ‘wife’ also includes a 

24 ‘divorced wife’ as defined in section 

25 216(d)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘ ‘spouse’ also inVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Jul 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2976.IH H2976

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1 cludes a ‘divorced spouse’ as defined in 

2 section 216(d)(9)’’; 

3 (vii) by striking ‘‘one-half of her sup4 port’’ and inserting ‘‘half of his or her sup5 port’’; and 

6 (viii) by inserting ‘‘his or’’ before ‘‘her 

7 support from such miner’’; and 

8 (B) in subsection (e)— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘widow includes the 

10 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse in11 cludes the spouse’’; 

12 (ii) by striking ‘‘individual’s status as 

13 the ‘widow’ ’’ and inserting ‘‘individual’s 

14 status as the ‘surviving spouse’ ’’; 

15 (iii) by striking ‘‘surviving divorced 

16 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving divorced 

17 spouse’’; and 

18 (iv) by inserting ‘‘his or’’ before ‘‘her’’ 

19 each place such term appears; 

20 (2) in section 411(c)(4)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘widow’s,’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘surviving spouse’s,’’; and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘wife’s’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

25 (3) in section 413(b)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘wife’s’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘widow,’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘surviving spouse,’’. 

5 (m) FOREIGN SERVICE ACT OF 1980.—The Foreign 

6 Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3901 et seq.) is amend7 ed— 

8 (1) in the item relating to the first section 830 

9 in the table of contents, by striking ‘‘wives and hus10 bands’’ and inserting ‘‘spouses’’; 

11 (2) in section 804— 

12 (A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘former 

13 wife or husband of a participant or former par14 ticipant’’ and inserting ‘‘person’’; and 

15 (B) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘‘sur16 viving wife or husband of a participant or annu17 itant who was married to the’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘person who was married to a’’; 

19 (3) in section 815(f)(2), by striking ‘‘wife or 

20 husband’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

21 (4) in the first section 830 (relating to qualified 

22 former wives and husbands)— 

23 (A) in the heading of such section, by 

24 striking ‘‘former wives and husbands’’ and in25 serting ‘‘spouses’’; 


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1 (B) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘quali2 fied former wife or husband’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘qualified former spouse’’; and 

4 (C) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘former 

5 wife or husband’’ each place such term occurs 

6 and inserting ‘‘former spouse’’. 

7 (n) IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT.—The Im8 migration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in section 101(a)(35) (8 U.S.C. 

11 1101(a)(35))— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘, ‘wife’, or ‘husband’ ’’; 

13 and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘, wife, or husband’’; 

15 (2) in section 202(b) (8 U.S.C. 1152(b)), by 

16 striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘spouses’’; 

18 (3) in section 278 (8 U.S.C. 1328), by striking 

19 ‘‘a husband or wife shall be admissible and com20 petent evidence against each other’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘an individual shall be admissible and competent 

22 evidence against such individual’s spouse’’; and 

23 (4) in section 283 (8 U.S.C. 1353), by striking 

24 ‘‘wives’’ and inserting ‘‘spouses’’. 


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1 (o) INDIAN LAND CONSOLIDATION ACT.—Section 

2 207(j)(3)(A)(ii) of the Indian Land Consolidation Act (25 

3 U.S.C. 2206) is amended by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘the participants as spouses’’. 

5 (p) INTERNAL REVENUE CODE.—The Internal Rev6 enue Code of 1986 is amended— 

7 (1) in the matter following section 21(d)(2)(B), 

8 by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘mar9 ried couple’’; 

10 (2) in section 22(e)(1), by striking ‘‘husband 

11 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

12 (3) in section 38(c)(6)(A), by striking ‘‘husband 

13 or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

14 (4) in section 42(j)(5)(C)— 

15 (A) in the heading of clause (i), by striking 

16 ‘‘Husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘Married 

17 couple’’; and 

18 (B) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘a husband 

19 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married couple’’; 

20 (5) in section 62(b)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘hus21 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

22 (6) in section 121— 

23 (A) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘hus24 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

25 and 


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1 (B) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘hus2 band and wife make’’ and inserting ‘‘married 

3 couple makes’’; 

4 (7) in section 165(h)(4)(B), by striking ‘‘hus5 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

6 (8) in section 179(b)(4), by striking ‘‘husband 

7 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

8 (9) in section 213(d)(8), by striking ‘‘husband 

9 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married couple’’; 

10 (10) in section 219(g)(4), by striking ‘‘A hus11 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘Spouses’’; 

12 (11) in section 274(b)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘hus13 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

14 (12) in the matter following section 643(f)(2), 

15 by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘mar16 ried couple’’; 

17 (13) in section 682— 

18 (A) in subsection (a)— 

19 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘wife’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘recipient’’; 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘gross income of a 

22 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘gross income of an in23 dividual’’; 


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1 (iii) by striking ‘‘separated from her 

2 husband’’ and inserting ‘‘separated from 

3 his or her spouse’’; 

4 (iv) by striking ‘‘such wife is entitled 

5 to receive’’ and inserting ‘‘such person is 

6 entitled to receive’’; 

7 (v) by striking ‘‘gross income of her 

8 husband’’ and inserting ‘‘gross income of 

9 his or her spouse’’; 

10 (vi) by striking ‘‘gross income of such 

11 husband’’ and inserting ‘‘gross income of 

12 such spouse’’; and 

13 (vii) by striking ‘‘minor children of 

14 such husband’’ and inserting ‘‘minor chil15 dren of such spouse’’; and 

16 (B) in subsection (b)— 

17 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘Wife’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘Recipient’’; 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘a wife to whom sub20 section (a) applies’’ and inserting ‘‘an indi21 vidual who receives income from a trust to 

22 which subsection (a) applies’’; and 

23 (iii) by striking ‘‘such wife’’ and in24 serting ‘‘such individual’’; 


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1 (14) in section 761(f), by striking ‘‘husband 

2 and wife’’ each place such term appears and insert3 ing ‘‘married couple’’; 

4 (15) in section 911— 

5 (A) in subsection (b)(2)(C)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘husband or wife’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘member of a married couple’’; 

8 and 

9 (ii) by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ 

10 and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; and 

11 (B) in subsection (d)(9), by striking ‘‘a 

12 husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘the members 

13 of a married couple’’; 

14 (16) in section 1244(b)(2), by striking ‘‘hus15 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

16 (17) in section 1272(a)(2)(E)(iii)— 

17 (A) in the heading of such clause, by strik18 ing ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married 

19 couple’’; and 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

22 (18) in section 1313(c)(1), by striking ‘‘hus23 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

24 (19) in section 1361(c)(1)(A)(i), by striking 

25 ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 


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1 (20) in the heading of section 2040(b), by strik2 ing ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouses’’; 

3 (21) in the item relating to section 2513 in the 

4 table of contents for subchapter B of chapter 12 of 

5 subtitle B, by striking ‘‘husband or wife’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘spouse’’; 

7 (22) in the heading of section 2513, by striking 

8 ‘‘husband or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

9 (23) in section 2516, by striking ‘‘a husband 

10 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘the members of a married 

11 couple’’; 

12 (24) in section 5733(d)(2), by striking ‘‘a hus13 band or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘an individual’’; 

14 (25) in the item relating to section 6013 in the 

15 table of contents for subpart B of part II of sub16 chapter A of chapter 61 of subtitle F, by striking 

17 ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

18 (26) in section 6013— 

19 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘husband 

20 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

21 (B) in subsection (a)— 

22 (i) in the matter preceding paragraph 

23 (1), by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 


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1 (ii) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘the 

2 husband or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

3 and 

4 (iii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

5 ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘spouses’’; 

7 (C) in subsection (b)(1)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘filed by the husband 

9 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘filed by the mar10 ried couple’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking ‘‘the return of the hus12 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘the return 

13 of both spouses’’; 

14 (D) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘the hus15 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘the spouses’’; 

16 and 

17 (E) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘hus18 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married cou19 ple’’; 

20 (27) in the matter following section 6014(b)(4), 

21 by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a 

22 married couple’’; 

23 (28) in section 6017, by striking ‘‘husband and 

24 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 


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1 (29) in section 6096(a), by striking ‘‘husband 

2 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married couple’’; 

3 (30) in section 6166(b)(2)(B)— 

4 (A) in the heading of such subparagraph, 

5 by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘a married couple’’; 

7 (B) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘husband and 

8 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; and 

9 (C) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘husband and 

10 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

11 (31) in section 6212(b)(2), by striking ‘‘hus12 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married couple’’; 

13 (32) in section 6231(a)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘a 

15 husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘a married 

16 couple’’; and 

17 (B) in paragraph (12)— 

18 (i) by amending the heading to read 

19 as follows: 

20 ‘‘(12) SPOUSES.—’’; and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘a husband and wife’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘spouses’’; 

23 (33) in section 7428(c)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘hus24 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 


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1 (34) in section 7701(a), by amending para2 graph (17) to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(17) DIVORCED SPOUSES.—As used in sec4 tions 682 and 2516, if the married couple therein 

5 referred to are divorced, wherever appropriate to the 

6 meaning of such sections the term ‘spouse’ shall be 

7 read ‘former spouse’ and the term ‘married couple’ 

8 shall be read ‘former married couple’.’’; and 

9 (35) in section 7872(f)(7)— 

10 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘Husband 

11 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘Married couple’’; and 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘married couple’’. 

14 (q) LONGSHORE AND HARBOR WORKERS’ COM15 PENSATION ACT.—The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ 

16 Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended— 

17 (1) in section 2(16), by striking ‘‘wife or hus18 band’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

19 (2) in section 5(a), by striking ‘‘husband or 

20 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

21 (3) in section 8(d)(1)(D), by striking ‘‘wife, 

22 husband,’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

23 (4) in section 9— 


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1 (A) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘wife or 

2 husband’’ each place such term appears and in3 serting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

4 (B) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘wife’’ 

5 each place such term appears and inserting 

6 ‘‘spouse’’. 

7 (r) NATIONAL HOUSING ACT.—Section 527(a) of the 

8 National Housing Act (8 U.S.C. 1735f–5(a)) is amended 

9 by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouses’’. 

10 (s) ACT OF SEPTEMBER 5, 1962.—Section 3(c) of the 

11 Act of September 5, 1962, entitled ‘‘An Act to provide 

12 for the division of the tribal assets of the Ponca Tribe 

13 of Native Americans of Nebraska among the members of 

14 the tribe, and for other purposes.’’ (25 U.S.C. 973(c)) is 

15 amended by striking ‘‘wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

16 (t) RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACT OF 1974.—The 

17 Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C. 231 et seq.) 

18 is amended— 

19 (1) in section 2— 

20 (A) in subsection (c)— 

21 (i) in paragraph (1)(ii), by striking 

22 ‘‘(C), in the case of a wife, has in her care 

23 (individually or jointly with her husband)’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘(C) has in his or her care 


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1 (individually or jointly with his or her 

2 spouse)’’; 

3 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘di4 vorced wife’’ each place such term appears 

5 and inserting ‘‘divorced spouse’’; 

6 (iii) in paragraph (3)— 

7 (I) by striking ‘‘(i)’’; and 

8 (II) by striking ‘‘; and (ii) in the 

9 case of a husband, was receiving at 

10 least one-half of his support from his 

11 wife at the time his wife’s annuity 

12 under subsection (a)(1) began’’; 

13 (iv) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘di14 vorced wife’’ each place such term appears 

15 and inserting ‘‘divorced spouse’’; and 

16 (v) in the matter following paragraph 

17 (4), by striking ‘‘divorced wife’s annuity’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘divorced spouse’s annuity’’; 

19 (B) in subsection (d)— 

20 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (I) in clause (i)— 

22 (aa) by striking ‘‘a widow 

23 (as defined in section 216 (c) and 

24 (k) of the Social Security Act) or 

25 widower (as defined in section 


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1 216 (g) and (k) of the Social Se2 curity Act)’’ and inserting ‘‘a 

3 surviving spouse (as defined in 

4 section 216(a) of the Social Secu5 rity Act)’’; and 

6 (bb) by striking ‘‘, and who, 

7 in the case of a widower, was re8 ceiving at least one-half his sup9 port from the deceased employee 

10 at the time of her death or at the 

11 time her annuity under sub12 section (a)(1) began’’; 

13 (II) in clause (ii)— 

14 (aa) by striking ‘‘a widow 

15 (as defined in section 216 (c) and 

16 (k) of the Social Security Act)’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘a surviving spouse 

18 (as defined in section 216(a) of 

19 the Social Security Act)’’; and 

20 (bb) by inserting ‘‘his or’’ 

21 before ‘‘her’’; 

22 (III) in clause (iv), by striking 

23 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘surviving spouse’’; and 

25 (IV) in clause (v)— 


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1 (aa) by striking ‘‘The widow 

2 (as defined in section 216(c) of 

3 the Social Security Act)’’ and in4 serting ‘‘the surviving spouse (as 

5 defined in section 216(a) of the 

6 Social Security Act)’’; 

7 (bb) by striking ‘‘wife (as 

8 defined in section 216(d)’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘spouse (as defined in 

10 section 216(a)’’; 

11 (cc) by striking ‘‘mother (as 

12 defined’’ and inserting ‘‘parent 

13 (as defined’’; 

14 (dd) by striking ‘‘widow, 

15 surviving divorced wife, or sur16 viving divorced mother’’ each 

17 place such term appears and in18 serting ‘‘surviving spouse, sur19 viving divorced spouse, or sur20 viving divorced parent’’; and 

21 (ee) by striking ‘‘202(f)’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘202(e)’’; 

23 (ii) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (I) by striking ‘‘, (B) in the case 

25 of a widow, the last month for which 


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1 she was entitled to an annuity under 

2 paragraph (ii) of subdivision (1) as 

3 the widow of the deceased employee,’’; 

4 and 

5 (II) by striking ‘‘widow or wid6 ower’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

7 spouse’’; 

8 (iii) in paragraph (3), by striking 

9 ‘‘widow, widower, or child’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘surviving spouse or child’’; and 

11 (iv) in paragraph (4)— 

12 (I) by striking ‘‘wife, husband, 

13 widow, widower’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘spouse, surviving spouse’’; 

15 (II) by striking ‘‘or (c)’’; 

16 (III) by striking ‘‘subsection, (e), 

17 (f), or (g)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

18 (e) or (g)’’; and 

19 (IV) by striking 

20 ‘‘202(d)(7)(c)(i)’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘202(d)(7)(C)(i)’’; 

22 (C) in subsection (e)(5), by striking ‘‘di23 vorced wife’’ and inserting ‘‘divorced spouse’’; 


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1 (D) in subsection (f)(2), by striking 

2 ‘‘wife’s’’ each place such term appears and in3 serting ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

4 (E) in subsection (h)(3), by striking ‘‘wife’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

6 (2) in section 3— 

7 (A) in subsection (f)— 

8 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking 

9 ‘‘wife’s or husband’s’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

11 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

12 ‘‘wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

13 (B) in subsection (h)— 

14 (i) by striking ‘‘wife, husband, widow, 

15 or widower’’ each place such term appears 

16 and inserting ‘‘spouse or surviving 

17 spouse’’; and 

18 (ii) by striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, 

19 widow’s, or widower’s’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘spouse’s or surviving spouse’s’’; 

21 (3) in section 4— 

22 (A) in subsection (a)— 

23 (i) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘divorced wife’’ 

2 each place such term appears and in3 serting ‘‘divorced spouse’’; and 

4 (II) by striking ‘‘wife’s insurance 

5 benefit or the husband’s insurance 

6 benefit’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’s in7 surance benefit’’; and 

8 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘sec9 tion 202(a), section 202(b), or section 

10 202(c)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 202(a) or 

11 section 202(c)’’; 

12 (B) in subsection (e)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘wife’s or husband’s in14 surance benefit’’ each place such term ap15 pears and inserting ‘‘spouse’s insurance 

16 benefit’’; and 

17 (ii) in paragraph (4), by striking 

18 ‘‘wife’s and husband’s’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘spouse’s’’; 

20 (C) in subsection (f)— 

21 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

22 (I) by striking ‘‘widow’s insur23 ance benefit, widower’s insurance ben24 efit, mother’s insurance benefits, par25 ent’s insurance benefit, or child’s inVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Jul 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2976.IH H2976

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1 surance benefit’’ and inserting ‘‘sur2 viving spouse’s insurance benefit, par3 ent’s insurance benefit, or child’s in4 surance benefit’’; 

5 (II) by striking ‘‘widow or wid6 ower’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

7 spouse’’; and 

8 (III) by striking ‘‘widow’s insur9 ance benefit or widower’s insurance 

10 benefit payable under section 202(e) 

11 or 202(f)’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

12 spouse’s insurance benefit payable 

13 under section 202(e)’’; 

14 (ii) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (I) by striking ‘‘widow or wid16 ower’’ each place such term appears 

17 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

18 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

19 ‘‘widow’s insurance benefit, a wid20 ower’s insurance benefit, or’’ and in21 serting ‘‘surviving spouse’s benefit 

22 or’’; and 

23 (III) in clause (iii), by striking 

24 ‘‘widow, surviving divorced wife, or 

25 surviving divorced mother’’ and insertVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:21 Jul 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2976.IH H2976

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1 ing ‘‘surviving spouse, surviving di2 vorced spouse, or surviving divorced 

3 parent’’; and 

4 (iii) in paragraph (3), by striking 

5 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur6 viving spouse’’; 

7 (D) in subsection (g)— 

8 (i) in paragraph (1)(i), by striking 

9 ‘‘widow or widower’’ each place such term 

10 appears and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

11 (ii) in paragraph (4)— 

12 (I) by striking ‘‘widow or wid13 ower’’ each place such term appears 

14 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; and 

15 (II) by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid16 ower’s’’ each place such term appears 

17 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

18 (iii) in paragraph (5), by striking 

19 ‘‘widow, surviving divorced wife, or sur20 viving divorced mother’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘surviving spouse, surviving divorced 

22 spouse, or surviving divorced parent’’; and 

23 (iv) in paragraph (10)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘widow or wid2 ower’’ each place such term appears 

3 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

4 (II) by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid5 ower’s’’ each place such term appears 

6 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

7 and 

8 (III) in clause (ii), by striking 

9 ‘‘widow or widower’s’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

11 (E) in subsection (h)— 

12 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (I) by striking ‘‘widow or wid14 ower’’ each place such term appears 

15 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

16 (II) by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid17 ower’s’’ each place such term appears 

18 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

19 and 

20 (III) by striking ‘‘or 202(f)’’; and 

21 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

22 ‘‘widow, surviving divorced wife, or sur23 viving divorced mother’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘surviving spouse, surviving divorced 

25 spouse, or surviving divorced parent’’; and 


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1 (F) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘spouse 

2 or divorced wife’’ each place such term appears 

3 and inserting ‘‘spouse or divorced spouse’’; 

4 (4) in section 5— 

5 (A) in subsection (a)— 

6 (i) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘wife, 

7 husband, widow, or widower’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘spouse or surviving spouse’’; and 

9 (ii) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘wife’s 

10 or husband’s’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’s’’; 

11 (B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘widow 

12 or widower’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

13 (C) in subsection (c)— 

14 (i) in paragraph (3)— 

15 (I) by striking ‘‘wife’’ each place 

16 such term appears and inserting 

17 ‘‘spouse’’; and 

18 (II) by inserting ‘‘his or’’ before 

19 ‘‘her’’; 

20 (ii) in paragraph (4), by striking 

21 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur22 viving spouse’’; 

23 (iii) in paragraph (5), by striking 

24 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur25 viving spouse’’; 


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1 (iv) in paragraph (6)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘widow’’ and in3 serting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

4 (II) by striking ‘‘she dies’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘such surviving spouse 

6 dies’’; 

7 (III) by striking ‘‘she remarries’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘such surviving spouse 

9 remarries’’; and 

10 (IV) by striking ‘‘she no longer’’ 

11 and inserting ‘‘such surviving spouse 

12 no longer’’; and 

13 (v) in paragraph (9)(B), by striking 

14 ‘‘widow’s or widower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘sur15 viving spouse’s’’; 

16 (5) in section 6— 

17 (A) in subsection (a)— 

18 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking 

19 ‘‘widow or widower’’ each place such term 

20 appears and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

21 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

22 ‘‘widow or widower’’ each place such term 

23 appears and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

24 (iii) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘wife’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘spouse’’; and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘wife’s’’ and in4 serting ‘‘spouse’s’’; 

5 (iv) in paragraph (6), by striking 

6 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur7 viving spouse’’; and 

8 (v) in paragraph (7), by striking 

9 ‘‘widow, widower’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

10 spouse’’; 

11 (B) in subsection (b)— 

12 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking 

13 ‘‘wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

14 (ii) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (I) by striking ‘‘widow surviving 

16 divorced wife, widower’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘no surviving spouse, surviving di18 vorced spouse’’; and 

19 (II) by striking ‘‘widow or wid20 ower’’ each place such term appears 

21 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

22 (C) in subsection (c)— 

23 (i) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘widow, widower, 

2 or parent’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

3 spouse or parent’’; 

4 (II) in clause (i), by striking 

5 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

7 (III) in clause (ii), by striking 

8 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

10 (IV) in clause (iii), by striking 

11 ‘‘widow, widower, or child’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘surviving spouse or child’’; 

13 (V) in clause (iv), by striking 

14 ‘‘widow, widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur15 viving spouse’’; 

16 (VI) in clause (v), by striking 

17 ‘‘widow, widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur18 viving spouse’’; 

19 (VII) in clause (vi), by striking 

20 ‘‘widow, widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur21 viving spouse’’; and 

22 (VIII) in the matter following 

23 clause (vi), by striking ‘‘widow, wid24 ower, or parent’’ each place such term 


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1 appears and inserting ‘‘surviving 

2 spouse or parent’’; and 

3 (ii) in paragraph (3)— 

4 (I) in subparagraph (A), by strik5 ing ‘‘divorced wife’’ and inserting 

6 ‘‘surviving divorced spouse’’; 

7 (II) in subparagraph (B), by 

8 striking ‘‘widow’’ and inserting ‘‘sur9 viving spouse’’; and 

10 (III) in the matter following sub11 paragraph (B), by striking ‘‘divorced 

12 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘survivor’’; 

13 (D) in subsection (d)(1), by striking 

14 ‘‘widow or widower’’ each place such term ap15 pears and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; and 

16 (E) in subsection (e)(1), by striking 

17 ‘‘widow or widower’’ each place such term ap18 pears and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

19 (6) in section 7— 

20 (A) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by striking 

21 ‘‘wife or divorced wife or husband’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘spouse or divorced spouse’’; and 

23 (B) in subsection (d)(2)(i), by striking ‘‘in 

24 the case of a spouse or divorced wife, had such 

25 spouse’s husband or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘in the 


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1 case of a spouse or divorced spouse, had such 

2 person’s spouse’’; and 

3 (7) in section 19(a)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘wife’s insurance benefits 

5 payable to a wife, husband’s insurance benefits’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘spouse’s insurance benefits’’; 

7 and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘widow’s insurance benefits 

9 payable to a widow, widower’s insurance bene10 fits, mother’s insurance benefits payable to a 

11 widow’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s bene12 fits payable to a surviving spouse, parent’s in13 surance benefits payable to a surviving spouse’’. 

14 (u) SMALL BUSINESS INVESTMENT ACT OF 1958.— 

15 Section 503(a)(2) of the Small Business Investment Act 

16 of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 697(a)(2)) is amended by striking 

17 ‘‘wife, husband’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

18 (v) SOCIAL SECURITY ACT.—The Social Security Act 

19 (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) is amended— 

20 (1) in section 202— 

21 (A) in subsection (b)— 

22 (i) in the heading, by striking 

23 ‘‘Wife’s’’ and inserting ‘‘Spouse’s’’; 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘wife’’ each place such 

25 term appears and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 


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1 (iii) in paragraph (1)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘(as defined in 

3 section 216(b))’’; 

4 (II) by striking ‘‘(as defined in 

5 section 216(d))’’; 

6 (III) in subparagraph (B), by 

7 striking ‘‘her’’ and inserting ‘‘such 

8 spouse’s’’; 

9 (IV) in subparagraph (D)(i), by 

10 striking ‘‘she’’ and inserting ‘‘such 

11 spouse or divorced spouse’’; 

12 (V) in the matter following sub13 paragraph (D)(ii)(II), by inserting be14 fore ‘‘she’’ each place such word ap15 pears the following: ‘‘he or’’; 

16 (VI) in subparagraph (E), by 

17 striking ‘‘she’’ and inserting ‘‘such 

18 spouse’’; 

19 (VII) in subparagraph (G), by 

20 striking ‘‘she’’ each place such term 

21 appears and inserting ‘‘such spouse’’; 

22 (VIII) in subparagraph (H), by 

23 inserting ‘‘he or’’ before ‘‘she’’; and 


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1 (IX) in subparagraph (J), by 

2 striking ‘‘she’’ and inserting ‘‘such 

3 spouse’’; and 

4 (iv) in paragraph (2)— 

5 (I) by inserting before ‘‘her’’ 

6 each place such term appears ‘‘his 

7 or’’; and 

8 (II) by striking ‘‘husband’’ each 

9 place such term appears and inserting 

10 ‘‘spouse’’; 

11 (B) by striking subsection (c); 

12 (C) in subsection (e)— 

13 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘Wid14 ow’s’’ and inserting ‘‘Surviving spouse’s’’; 

15 (ii) in paragraph (1)— 

16 (I) in the matter preceding sub17 paragraph (A)— 

18 (aa) by striking ‘‘widow (as 

19 defined in section 216(c))’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

21 (bb) by striking ‘‘wife (as 

22 defined in section 216(d))’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

24 (cc) by striking ‘‘widow or 

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1 serting ‘‘surviving spouse or sur2 viving divorced spouse’’; 

3 (II) in subparagraph (C)— 

4 (aa) in clause (i), by striking 

5 ‘‘widow’s’’ and inserting ‘‘sur6 viving spouse’s’’; 

7 (bb) in clause (ii)— 

8 (AA) in the matter pre9 ceding subclause (I), by 

10 striking ‘‘wife’s’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

12 (BB) in subclause (III), 

13 by inserting ‘‘he or’’ before 

14 ‘‘she’’ and by inserting ‘‘him 

15 or’’ before ‘‘her’’; and 

16 (cc) in clause (iii), by insert17 ing ‘‘father’s or’’ before ‘‘moth18 er’s’’; 

19 (III) in the matter preceding sub20 paragraph (E), by striking ‘‘widow’s’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

22 (IV) in subparagraph (E), by in23 serting before ‘‘she’’ each place such 

24 word appears the following: ‘‘he or’’; 


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1 (V) in subparagraph (F), by in2 serting before ‘‘she’’ each place such 

3 word appears the following: ‘‘he or’’; 

4 and 

5 (VI) in the matter following sub6 paragraph (F)(ii) by inserting before 

7 ‘‘she’’ each place such word appears 

8 the following: ‘‘he or’’; 

9 (iii) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (I) by striking ‘‘widow’s insur11 ance’’ each place such term appears 

12 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s in13 surance’’; 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘surviving di15 vorced wife’’ each place such term ap16 pears and inserting ‘‘surviving di17 vorced spouse’’; and 

18 (III) by striking ‘‘widow’’ each 

19 place such term appears and inserting 

20 ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

21 (iv) in paragraph (3)— 

22 (I) by striking ‘‘widow’’ each 

23 place such term appears and inserting 

24 ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 


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1 (II) by striking ‘‘surviving di2 vorced wife’’ each place such term ap3 pears and inserting ‘‘surviving di4 vorced spouse’’; and 

5 (III) by inserting ‘‘he or’’ before 

6 ‘‘she’’; 

7 (v) in paragraph (4)— 

8 (I) by inserting before ‘‘her’’ 

9 each place such term appears the fol10 lowing: ‘‘his or’’; 

11 (II) by inserting before ‘‘she’’ 

12 each place such term appears the fol13 lowing ‘‘he or’’; 

14 (III) by striking ‘‘widow or sur15 viving divorced wife’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘surviving spouse or surviving di17 vorced spouse’’; and 

18 (IV) in subparagraph (B), by in19 serting ‘‘or father’s’’ before ‘‘insur20 ance’’; 

21 (vi) in paragraph (5)— 

22 (I) by striking ‘‘widow or sur23 viving divorced wife’’ each place such 

24 term appears and inserting ‘‘surviving 


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1 spouse or surviving divorced spouse’’; 

2 and 

3 (II) in subparagraph (A)— 

4 (aa) in clause (i), by insert5 ing ‘‘he or’’ before ‘‘she’’; and 

6 (bb) in clause (ii)(I), by in7 serting ‘‘his or’’ before ‘‘her’’; 

8 and 

9 (vii) in the matter following para10 graph (7)(B), by striking ‘‘she’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘such individual’’; 

12 (D) by striking subsection (f); 

13 (E) in the matter following subsection 

14 (i)(2), by striking ‘‘wife’s or husband’s’’ and in15 serting ‘‘spouse’s’’; 

16 (F) in subsection (j)(4)(B)(i)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘widow, surviving di18 vorced wife or widower’’ and inserting 

19 ‘‘surviving spouse or surviving divorced 

20 spouse’’; 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘widow or widower’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; and 

23 (iii) by striking ‘‘surviving divorced 

24 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving divorced 

25 spouse’’; 


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1 (G) in subsection (q)— 

2 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (I) by striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, 

4 widow’s, or widower’s’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘spouse’s, or surviving spouse’s’’; and 

6 (II) in subparagraph (A)— 

7 (aa) by striking ‘‘wife’s or 

8 husband’s’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

10 (bb) by striking ‘‘widow’s or 

11 widower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘sur12 viving spouse’s’’; 

13 (ii) in paragraph (3)— 

14 (I) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (aa) by striking ‘‘wife’s, hus16 band’s, widow’s, or widower’s’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘spouse’s or sur18 viving spouse’s’’; 

19 (bb) by striking ‘‘wife’s or 

20 husband’s’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

22 (cc) by striking ‘‘widow’s or 

23 widower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘sur24 viving spouse’s’’; 


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1 (II) in the matter following sub2 paragraph (A)(ii), by striking ‘‘wife’s, 

3 husband’s, widow’s, or widower’s’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘spouse’s or surviving 

5 spouse’s’’; 

6 (III) in subparagraph (B), by 

7 striking ‘‘wife’s or husband’s’’ each 

8 place such term appears and inserting 

9 ‘‘spouse’s’’; 

10 (IV) in subparagraph (C), by 

11 striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, widow’s, 

12 or widower’s’’ each place such term 

13 appears and inserting ‘‘spouse’s or 

14 surviving spouse’s’’; 

15 (V) in subparagraph (D), by 

16 striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, widow’s, 

17 or widower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’s 

18 or surviving spouse’s’’; and 

19 (VI) in subparagraph (E), by 

20 striking ‘‘widow’s or widower’s’’ each 

21 place such term appears and inserting 

22 ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

23 (iii) in paragraph (5)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘wife’s or hus2 band’s’’ each place such word appears 

3 and inserting ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

4 (II) in subparagraph (D), by 

5 striking ‘‘widow’s or widower’s’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

7 (iv) in paragraph (6)— 

8 (I) by striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, 

9 widow’s, or widower’s’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘spouse’s, or surviving spouse’s’’; and 

11 (II) in subparagraph (A)— 

12 (aa) in clause (ii), by strik13 ing ‘‘wife’s or husband’s’’ and in14 serting ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

15 (bb) in clause (iii), by strik16 ing ‘‘widow’s or widower’s’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

18 (v) in paragraph (7)— 

19 (I) by striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, 

20 widow’s, or widower’s’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘spouse’s, or surviving spouse’s’’; 

22 (II) by striking ‘‘wife’s or hus23 band’s’’ each place such term appears 

24 and inserting ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 


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1 (III) as amended by subclause 

2 (I), by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid3 ower’s’’ each place such term appears 

4 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

5 (vi) in paragraph (9)— 

6 (I) in subparagraph (A), by strik7 ing ‘‘old-age insurance benefits, wife’s 

8 insurance benefits, and husband’s in9 surance benefits’’ and inserting ‘‘old10 age insurance benefits and spouse’s 

11 insurance benefits’’; and 

12 (II) in subparagraph (B), by 

13 striking ‘‘widow’s insurance benefits 

14 and widower’s insurance benefits’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s insur16 ance benefits’’; and 

17 (vii) in paragraph (10)— 

18 (I) in subparagraph (A), by strik19 ing ‘‘old-age, wife’s, and husband’s’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘old-age and spouse’s’’; 

21 and 

22 (II) by striking ‘‘widow’s and 

23 widower’s’’ each place such term ap24 pears and inserting ‘‘surviving 

25 spouse’s’’; 


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1 (H) in subsection (r)— 

2 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘Wife’s 

3 or Husband’s’’ and inserting ‘‘Spouse’s’’; 

4 (ii) in paragraph (1), by striking 

5 ‘‘wife’s or husband’s’’ each place such term 

6 appears and inserting ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

7 (iii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

8 ‘‘wife’s or husband’s’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘spouse’s’’; and 

10 (I) in subsection (t)(11)(B), by striking ‘‘a 

11 wife, a husband, a widow, a widower, a divorced 

12 wife, a divorced husband, a surviving divorced 

13 wife, a surviving divorced husband’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘a spouse, a surviving spouse, a surviving 

15 divorced spouse’’; 

16 (2) in section 203— 

17 (A) in subsection (c)— 

18 (i) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (I) by striking ‘‘wife or husband’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

21 (II) by striking ‘‘wife’s or hus22 band’s’’ each place such term appears 

23 and inserting ‘‘spouse’s’’; 


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1 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking 

2 ‘‘widow or widower’’ and inserting ‘‘sur3 viving divorced spouse’’; and 

4 (iii) in the matter following subpara5 graph (4)— 

6 (I) by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid7 ower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

8 spouse’s’’; and 

9 (II) by striking ‘‘widow, surviving 

10 divorced wife, widower, or surviving 

11 divorced husband’’ and inserting ‘‘sur12 viving spouse or surviving divorced 

13 spouse’’; 

14 (B) in subsection (d)— 

15 (i) by striking ‘‘wife’s, husband’s, or 

16 child’s’’ each place such term appears and 

17 inserting ‘‘spouse’s or child’s’’; and 

18 (ii) by striking ‘‘wife, divorced wife, 

19 husband, divorced husband’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘spouse or divorced spouse’’; and 

21 (C) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ‘‘wid22 ow’s or widower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

23 spouse’s’’; 

24 (3) in section 205— 

25 (A) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking 

2 ‘‘wife, divorced wife, widow, surviving di3 vorced wife, surviving divorced mother, 

4 surviving divorced father, husband, di5 vorced husband, widower, surviving di6 vorced husband’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse, di7 vorced spouse, surviving spouse, surviving 

8 divorced spouse, surviving mother, sur9 viving father’’; and 

10 (ii) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking 

11 ‘‘child’s, widow’s, or widower’s’’ and insert12 ing ‘‘child’s or surviving spouse’s’’; 

13 (B) in subsection (c)(1)(C), by striking 

14 ‘‘spouse, surviving divorced wife, surviving di15 vorced husband’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse, sur16 viving divorced spouse’’; 

17 (C) in subsection (i), by striking ‘‘wife or 

18 husband’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

19 (D) in subsection (j)(8), by striking 

20 ‘‘child’s, widow’s, or widower’s’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘child’s or surviving spouse’s’’; and 

22 (E) in subsection (q)(5)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘wife, husband or 

24 child’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse or child’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘widow or widower’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’’; 

3 (4) in section 215(h)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘him, his 

5 wife, and his children, or, if he has died, to his 

6 widow and children’’ and inserting ‘‘him, his 

7 spouse, and his children, or, if he has died, to 

8 his surviving spouse and children’’; and 

9 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘himself, his wife, and 

11 his children’’ and inserting ‘‘himself, his 

12 spouse, and his children’’; and 

13 (ii) by striking ‘‘his widow, if any’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘his surviving spouse, if 

15 any’’; 

16 (5) in section 216— 

17 (A) in subsection (a), by adding at the end 

18 the following new paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(3) The term ‘surviving divorced spouse’ 

20 means a surviving divorced wife or a surviving di21 vorced husband.’’; 

22 (B) in subsection (d), by adding at the end 

23 the following new paragraph: 

24 ‘‘(9) The term ‘divorced spouse’ means a di25 vorced wife or a divorced husband.’’; and 


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1 (C) in subsection (l)(2)— 

2 (i) by striking ‘‘old-age, wife’s, or hus3 band’s’’ and inserting ‘‘old-age or 

4 spouse’s’’; and 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid6 ower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

7 (6) in section 222— 

8 (A) in subsection (c)(1), by striking 

9 ‘‘202(d), 202(e), or 202(f)’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘202(d), or 202(e)’’; and 

11 (B) in subsection (d)(1)— 

12 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

13 ‘‘widow’s’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

14 spouse’s’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking subparagraph (D); 

16 (7) in section 225(a), by striking ‘‘or that a 

17 widow or surviving divorced wife who has not at18 tained age 60 and is entitled to benefits under sec19 tion 202(e), or that a widower or surviving divorced 

20 husband who has not attained age 60 and is entitled 

21 to benefits under section 202(f)’’ and inserting ‘‘or 

22 that a surviving spouse or surviving divorced spouse 

23 who has not attained age 60 and is entitled to bene24 fits under section 202(e)’’; 

25 (8) in section 226— 


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1 (A) in subsection (b)(2)(A)(iii), by striking 

2 ‘‘widow’s insurance benefits under section 

3 202(e) or widower’s insurance benefits under 

4 section 202(f)’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

5 spouse’s insurance benefits under section 

6 202(e)’’; 

7 (B) in the matter following subsection 

8 (b)(2)(C)(ii)(II), by striking ‘‘in the last sen9 tence of section 202(e)(1), and in the last sen10 tence of section 202(f)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘and 

11 in the last sentence of section 202(e)(1)’’; and 

12 (C) in subsection (e)— 

13 (i) in paragraph (1)— 

14 (I) in subparagraph (A)— 

15 (aa) by striking ‘‘widows 

16 and widowers’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘surviving spouses’’; 

18 (bb) in clause (i), by striking 

19 ‘‘sections 202(e)(1)(B)(ii), 

20 202(e)(4), 202(f)(1)(B)(ii), and 

21 202(f)(4)’’ and inserting ‘‘sec22 tions 202(e)(1)(B)(ii) and 

23 202(e)(4)’’; and 

24 (cc) in clause (ii), by strik25 ing ‘‘and the phrase ‘before he 


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1 attained age 60’ in the matter 

2 following subparagraph (F) of 

3 section 202(f)(1) shall each’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘shall’’; and 

5 (II) in subparagraph (B), by 

6 striking ‘‘widow’s or widower’s’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘surviving spouse’s’’; 

8 (ii) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (I) by striking ‘‘widow’s insur10 ance benefits or widower’s insurance 

11 benefits’’ each place such term ap12 pears and inserting ‘‘surviving 

13 spouse’s insurance benefits’’; and 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘widow’s or wid15 ower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘surviving 

16 spouse’s’’; 

17 (iii) in paragraph (3)— 

18 (I) by striking ‘‘any disabled 

19 widow aged 50 or older who is entitled 

20 to mother’s insurance benefits (and 

21 who would have been entitled to wid22 ow’s insurance benefits by reason of 

23 disability if she had filed for such wid24 ow’s benefits), and any disabled wid25 ower aged 50 or older who is entitled 


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1 to father’s insurance benefits (and 

2 who would have been entitled to wid3 ower’s insurance benefits by reason of 

4 disability if he had filed for such wid5 ower’s benefits)’’ and inserting ‘‘any 

6 disabled surviving spouse aged 50 or 

7 older who is entitled to mother’s or fa8 ther’s insurance benefits (and who 

9 would have been entitled to surviving 

10 spouse’s insurance benefits by reason 

11 of disability if he or she had filed for 

12 such surviving spouse’s benefits)’’; 

13 and 

14 (II) by striking ‘‘such widow’s or 

15 widower’s’’ and inserting ‘‘such sur16 viving spouse’s’’; and 

17 (iv) in paragraph (4), by striking 

18 ‘‘widow’s or widower’s insurance benefits 

19 under section 202(e) or (f)’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘surviving spouse’s benefits under section 

21 202(e)’’; 

22 (9) in section 227— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘section 202(e) or section 

24 202(f)’’ each place such term appears and in25 serting ‘‘section 202(e)’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘section 202(b) or section 

2 202(c)’’ each place such term appears and in3 serting ‘‘section 202(b)’’; 

4 (10) in section 228— 

5 (A) in subsection (c)— 

6 (i) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘hus7 band and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married 

8 couple’’; 

9 (ii) in paragraph (3), by striking 

10 ‘‘husband or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married 

11 couple’’; 

12 (iii) in paragraph (6), by striking 

13 ‘‘husband and wife both of whom’’ and in14 serting ‘‘married couple of which both 

15 spouses’’; and 

16 (iv) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘of 

17 a husband and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘of a 

18 married couple’’; and 

19 (B) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘husband 

20 or wife’’ each place such term appears and in21 serting ‘‘spouse’’; 

22 (11) in section 1107, by striking ‘‘wife, hus23 band, widow, widower, divorced wife, divorced hus24 band, surviving divorced wife, surviving divorced 

25 husband’’ each place such term appears and insertVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:55 Jul 10, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2976.IH H2976

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1 ing ‘‘spouse, surviving spouse, divorced spouse, sur2 viving divorced spouse’’; 

3 (12) in section 1128(j)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘hus4 band or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

5 (13) in section 1611(e)(3)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘husband and wife are’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘married couple is’’; and 

8 (B) as amended by subparagraph (A), by 

9 striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ each place such 

10 term appears and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; 

11 (14) in subsection 1614(b)— 

12 (A) by striking ‘‘husband or wife’’ and in13 serting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

14 (B) by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘a married couple’’; and 

16 (15) in section 1631(b)(1)(A)(i), by striking 

17 ‘‘husband or wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

18 (w) TITLE 1.—Section 7 of title 1, United States 

19 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘one man and one woman 

20 as husband and wife, and the word ‘spouse’ refers only 

21 to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘two people as spouses’’. 

23 (x) TITLE 5.—Title 5, United States Code, is amend24 ed— 

25 (1) in section 2108(3)— 


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1 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘wife 

2 or husband’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

3 (B) by amending subparagraph (F) to read 

4 as follows: 

5 ‘‘(F) the parent of an individual who lost 

6 his life under honorable conditions while serving 

7 in the armed forces during a period named by 

8 paragraph (1)(A) of this section;’’; and 

9 (C) by amending subparagraph (G) to read 

10 as follows: 

11 ‘‘(G) the parent of a service-connected per12 manently and totally disabled veteran; and’’; 

13 (2) in section 3110(a)(3), by striking ‘‘husband, 

14 wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

15 (3) in section 5561(3)(A), by striking ‘‘wife’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

17 (4) in section 8110(a)— 

18 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) in the matter before subparagraph 

20 (A), by striking ‘‘wife’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘spouse’’; 

22 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

23 ‘‘she’’ and inserting ‘‘the spouse’’; 

24 (iii) in subparagraph (B)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘she’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘the spouse’’; and 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘her’’ and insert4 ing ‘‘the spouse’s’’; and 

5 (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

6 ‘‘her’’ and inserting ‘‘the spouse’s’’; 

7 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

8 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

9 (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively; and 

10 (D) as amended by subparagraph (C), in 

11 the matter following paragraph (3), by striking 

12 ‘‘paragraph (3)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

13 (2)’’; 

14 (5) in section 8133, in the matter following 

15 subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘husband or wife’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘spouse’’; and 

17 (6) in the matter following section 

18 8443(b)(3)(E), by striking ‘‘wife or husband’’ each 

19 place such term appears and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

20 (y) TITLE 10.—Section 701(j)(1) of title 10, United 

21 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘wife’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘spouse’’. 

23 (z) TITLE 11.—Section 522(b)(1) of title 11, United 

24 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘married to one another’’. 


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1 (aa) TITLE 18.—Section 879(b)(1)(A) of title 18, 

2 United States Code, is amended— 

3 (1) by striking ‘‘wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’; 

4 (2) by inserting after ‘‘during his’’ the fol5 lowing: ‘‘or her’’; 

6 (3) by striking ‘‘widow’’ and inserting ‘‘sur7 viving spouse’’; and 

8 (4) by inserting before ‘‘her death’’ the fol9 lowing: ‘‘his or’’. 

10 (bb) TITLE 28.—Section 3014(a) of title 28, United 

11 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘husband and wife’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘married to one another’’. 

13 (cc) TITLE 38.—Section 101 of title 38, United 

14 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘of the opposite sex’’ 

15 each place such term appears. 

16 (dd) TRADING WITH THE ENEMY ACT.—Section 31 

17 of the Trading With the Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. App. 31) 

18 is amended by striking ‘‘wife’’ and inserting ‘‘spouse’’. 

19 (ee) WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT OF 1998.—Sec20 tion 101(15) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

21 U.S.C. 2801(15)) is amended— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘husband, 

23 wife,’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’; and 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘husband 

2 and wife’’ and inserting ‘‘married couple’’. 

Æ 


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