I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4043 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to recognize the spouses of members 

of the Armed Forces who are serving in combat or have served in 

combat through the presentation of an official lapel button. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 6, 2009 

Ms. SHEA-PORTER (for herself and Mr. JONES) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to recognize the 

spouses of members of the Armed Forces who are serving 

in combat or have served in combat through the presentation of an official lapel button. 

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 ‘‘Military Spouse Pin 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RECOGNITION OF 

2 SPOUSES OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 

3 FORCES SERVING IN COMBAT. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PRESENTATION OF LAPEL

5 BUTTON.—Chapter 57 of title 10, United States Code, is 

6 amended by inserting after section 1126 the following new 

7 section: 

8 ‘‘§ 1126a. Spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel button: 

9 eligibility and presentation 

10 ‘‘(a) DESIGN AND ELIGIBILITY.—A lapel button, to 

11 be known as the spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel button, 

12 shall be designed, as approved by the Secretary of De13 fense, to identify and recognize the spouse of a member 

14 of the armed forces who is serving in a combat zone for 

15 a period of more than 30 days. 

16 ‘‘(b) PRESENTATION.—Under regulations to be pre17 scribed by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary con18 cerned shall present one spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel 

19 button without cost to the spouse of a member described 

20 in subsection (a) as soon as practicable after the member 

21 completes 30 days of service in a combat zone. 

22 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF BUTTONS.—(1) 

23 Not more than one spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel but24 ton may be presented to the spouse of a member, regard25 less of the number of times the member serves in a combat 

26 zone. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if subsequent 

2 service by a member in a combat zone occurs while the 

3 member is married to a different spouse, a spouse-of-a4 combat-veteran lapel button shall be presented to the cur5 rent spouse under this section. 

6 ‘‘(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if a spouse-of7 a-combat-veteran lapel button presented under this section 

8 has been lost, destroyed, or rendered unfit for use without 

9 fault or neglect on the part of the spouse to whom it was 

10 furnished, the Secretary concerned may replace the lapel 

11 button upon application and payment of an amount suffi12 cient to cover the cost of manufacture and presentation. 

13 ‘‘(d) EXCEPTION TO TIME PERIOD REQUIREMENT.— 

14 The 30-day periods specified in subsections (a) and (b) 

15 do not apply if the member is killed or wounded in the 

16 combat zone before the expiration the period. 

17 ‘‘(e) COMBAT ZONE DEFINED.—The term ‘combat 

18 zone’ has the meaning given that term in section 112(c)(2) 

19 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.’’. 

20 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

21 at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting 

22 after the item relating to section 1126 the following new 

23 item: 

‘‘1126a. Spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel button: eligibility and presentation.’’. 

24 (c) PRESENTATION TO SPOUSES OF VETERANS OF

25 EARLIER CONFLICTS.— 


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1 (1) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of Defense 

2 shall make the spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel but3 ton authorized by section 1126a of title 10, United 

4 States Code, as added by subsection (a), available to 

5 the spouse (including a surviving spouse) of any 

6 member of the Armed Forces who served in a com7 bat zone for a period of more than 30 days during 

8 World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam 

9 Conflict, or any other period of armed hostilities in 

10 which the United States was engaged before the 

11 date of the enactment of this Act. The Secretary 

12 shall provide a mechanism by which a spouse or sur13 viving spouse of a combat veteran, or a person act14 ing on behalf of a spouse or surviving spouse of a 

15 combat veteran, to apply to the Secretary of Defense 

16 for a spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel button. 

17 (2) NOTIFICATION OF CERTAIN MEMBERS.— 

18 Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact19 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall no20 tify members of the Armed Forces who served in a 

21 combat zone for a period of more than 30 days since 

22 September 11, 2001, of the availability of the 

23 spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel button under this 

24 subsection. 


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1 (3) LIMITATIONS AND EXCEPTIONS.—Sub2 sections (c) and (d) of section 1126a of title 10, 

3 United States Code, shall apply with respect to the 

4 presentation of the spouse-of-a-combat-veteran lapel 

5 button under this subsection. 

Æ 


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