I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1911 

To amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to expand certain benefits 

for survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die in line of duty, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 27, 2019 

Mr. WALTZ (for himself, Mr. MOULTON, and Mr. BACON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and 

in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to expand 

certain benefits for survivors of members of the Armed 

Forces who die in line of duty, 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 ‘‘SFC Brian Woods 

5 Gold Star and Military Survivors Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF COMMISSARY AND EXCHANGE BEN2 EFITS FOR REMARRIED SPOUSES WITH DE3 PENDENT CHILDREN. 

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

5 States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and all that 

7 follows through ‘‘an’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) CERTAIN

8 UNREMARRIED FORMER SPOUSES.—An’’; 

9 (2) by striking ‘‘commissary and exchange 

10 privileges’’ and inserting ‘‘use commissary stores 

11 and MWR retail facilities’’; and 

12 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub13 sections: 

14 ‘‘(b) CERTAIN REMARRIED SURVIVING SPOUSES.—A 

15 surviving spouse of a deceased member of the armed 

16 forces, regardless of the marital status of the surviving 

17 spouse, who has guardianship of dependent children of the 

18 deceased member, is entitled to use commissary stores and 

19 MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same 

20 basis as the unremarried surviving spouse of a member 

21 of the uniformed services. 

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

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

24 1063(e) of this title.’’. 

25 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 


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

2 1062 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to 

3 read as follows: 

4 ‘‘§ 1062. Certain former spouses and surviving 

5 spouses’’. 

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

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

8 States Code, is amended by striking the item relat9 ing to section 1062 and inserting the following new 

10 item: 

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

11 SEC. 3. CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY FOR SURVIVOR BENEFIT 

12 PLAN FOR CERTAIN SURVIVING SPOUSES 

13 WHO REMARRY. 

14 Section 1450(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, 

15 is amended— 

16 (1) by striking ‘‘An annuity’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), an annuity’’; and 

18 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub19 paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(B) The Secretary may not terminate payment 

21 of an annuity for a surviving spouse described in 

22 subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 1448(d)(1) solely 

23 because that surviving spouse remarries. In the case 

24 of a surviving spouse who remarried before reaching 

25 age 55 and before the date of the enactment of the 


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1 SFC Brian Woods Gold Star and Military Survivors 

2 Act, the Secretary shall resume payment of the an3 nuity to that surviving spouse for each month after 

4 the date of the enactment of that Act.’’. 

5 SEC. 4. AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY CONCERNED TO 

6 TRANSPORT REMAINS OF A COVERED DECE7 DENT TO NO MORE THAN TWO LOCATIONS 

8 SELECTED BY THE PERSON DESIGNATED TO 

9 DIRECT DISPOSITION OF THE REMAINS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1482(a)(8) of title 10, 

11 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(8)(A) Transportation of the remains, and 

13 travel and transportation allowances as specified in 

14 regulations prescribed under section 464 of title 37 

15 for an escort of one person, to the place, subject to 

16 subparagraph (B), selected by the person designated 

17 to direct disposition of the remains or, if such a se18 lection is not made, to a national or other cemetery 

19 which is selected by the Secretary and in which bur20 ial of the decedent is authorized. 

21 ‘‘(B) The person designated to direct disposi22 tion of the remains may select two locations under 

23 subparagraph (A) if the second location is a national 

24 cemetery. 


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1 ‘‘(C) When transportation of the remains in2 cludes transportation by aircraft under section 562 

3 of the John Warner National Defense Authorization 

4 Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Public Law 109–364; 10 

5 U.S.C. 1482 note), the Secretary concerned shall 

6 provide, to the maximum extent practicable, for de7 livery of the remains by air to the commercial, gen8 eral aviation, or military airport nearest to the place 

9 selected by the designee.’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 562(d) of 

11 the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for 

12 Fiscal Year 2007 (Public Law 109–364; 10 U.S.C. 1482 

13 note) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Except as 

15 provided in paragraph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject 

16 to paragraphs (2) and (3)’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

18 paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(3) SECOND LOCATION.—If the person des20 ignated to direct disposition of the remains selects 

21 two locations under section 1482(a)(8)(B) of title 

22 10, United States Code, the Secretary concerned 

23 shall ensure that remains transported under this 

24 section are continuously escorted from Dover Air 

25 Force Base to the first selected location and from 


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1 the first selected location to the selected national 

2 cemetery for final disposition. The Secretary con3 cerned is not required to provide an escort under 

4 this paragraph during the period between the arrival 

5 of the remains at the first location and the depar6 ture of the remains from that first location to the 

7 selected national cemetery.’’. 

8 SEC. 5. EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FINANCIAL 

9 ASSISTANCE TO CIVILIAN PROVIDERS OF 

10 CHILD CARE SERVICES OR YOUTH PROGRAM 

11 SERVICES WHO PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES TO 

12 SURVIVORS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARMED 

13 FORCES WHO DIE IN LINE OF DUTY. 

14 Section 1798(a) of title 10, United States Code, is 

15 amended by inserting ‘‘, survivors of members of the 

16 armed forces who die in line of duty while on active duty, 

17 active duty for training, or inactive duty for training,’’ 

18 after ‘‘armed forces’’. 

19 SEC. 6. CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY FOR DEPENDENCY AND 

20 INDEMNITY COMPENSATION FOR SURVIVING 

21 SPOUSES WHO REMARRY. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 103(d) of title 38, United 

23 States Code, is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (2)(B), by adding at the end 

25 the following: ‘‘Subject to sections 1450(c) and 


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1 1451(c)(2) of title 10, the remarriage of a surviving 

2 spouse shall not bar the furnishing of benefits under 

3 section 1311 of this title to the surviving spouse of 

4 a veteran.’’; and 

5 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking subparagraph 

6 (A) and renumbering subparagraphs (B), (C), and 

7 (D) as subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C), respec8 tively. 

9 (b) RESUMPTION OF PAYMENTS TO CERTAIN INDI10 VIDUALS PREVIOUSLY DENIED DEPENDENCY AND IN11 DEMNITY COMPENSATION.—Beginning on the first day of 

12 the first month after the date of the enactment of this 

13 Act, the Secretary shall resume payment of dependency 

14 and indemnity compensation under section 1311 of such 

15 title to each living individual who— 

16 (1) is the surviving spouse of a veteran; and 

17 (2) remarried before— 

18 (A) reaching age 57; and 

19 (B) the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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