I 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4688 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide appropriate recognition 

for the survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die while serving 

on certain active or reserve duty, to expand the availability of the Gold 

Star Installation Access Card for survivors of deceased members of 

the Armed Forces, and to extend commissary store and exchange store 

and other MWR retail facility benefits to the parents of such members. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 20, 2014 

Mr. KEATING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To amend title 10, United States Code, to provide appropriate recognition for the survivors of members of the 

Armed Forces who die while serving on certain active 

or reserve duty, to expand the availability of the Gold 

Star Installation Access Card for survivors of deceased 

members of the Armed Forces, and to extend commissary 

store and exchange store and other MWR retail facility 

benefits to the parents of such members. 

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 Families 

3 Equality Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. LAPEL BUTTON FOR NEXT OF KIN OF DECEASED 

5 MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

6 (a) SERVICE-WIDE ADOPTION OF NEXT OF KIN

7 LAPEL BUTTON.—Section 1126 of title 10, United States 

8 Code, is amended— 

9 (1) by striking subsection (b); 

10 (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

11 subsections (d) and (e), respectively; and 

12 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol13 lowing new subsections: 

14 ‘‘(b) A lapel button, to be known as the lapel button 

15 for next of kin of deceased members of the armed forces, 

16 shall be designed, as approved by the Secretary of De17 fense, to identify widows, parents, and next of kin of mem18 bers of the armed forces who die, under circumstances not 

19 prescribed by subsection (a), while serving on active duty 

20 or while assigned to a reserve component in a drill status. 

21 ‘‘(c) Under regulations to be prescribed by the Sec22 retary of Defense, the Secretary concerned, upon applica23 tion to the Secretary, shall furnish— 

24 ‘‘(1) one gold star lapel button without cost to 

25 the widow and to each parent and next of kin of a 


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1 member who lost or loses his or her life under any 

2 circumstances prescribed in subsection (a); and 

3 ‘‘(2) one lapel button for next of kin of de4 ceased members to the widow and to each parent 

5 and next of kin of a member who lost or loses his 

6 or her life under the circumstances prescribed in 

7 subsection (b).’’. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Subsection (d) of 

9 section 1126 of title 10, United States Code, as redesig10 nated by subsection (a)(2), is amended by inserting ‘‘or 

11 lapel button for next of kin of deceased members’’ after 

12 ‘‘gold star lapel button’’ both places it appears. 

13 (c) USE OF EXISTING DESIGN.—The design of the 

14 lapel button for the next of kin of deceased members of 

15 the Armed Forces required by subsection (b) of section 

16 1126 of title 10, United States Code, as added by sub17 section (a)(3), shall be based on the design of such a lapel 

18 button provided by the Secretary of the Army to certain 

19 survivors of deceased members of the Army, including the 

20 Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, pursuant 

21 to Army regulation 600–6–18, as in effect on the date of 

22 the enactment of this Act. 

23 (d) RETROACTIVE AVAILABILITY.—The lapel button 

24 for the next of kin of deceased members of the Armed 

25 Forces required by subsection (b) of section 1126 of title 


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1 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(3), 

2 shall be available to provide appropriate recognition for 

3 the survivors of members of the Armed Forces who have 

4 died since September 10, 2001. 

5 SEC. 3. GOLD STAR INSTALLATION ACCESS CARD. 

6 (a) SERVICE-WIDE ADOPTION OF ACCESS CARD.— 

7 The Secretary of each military department and the Sec8 retary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is op9 erating (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary con10 cerned’’) shall provide for the issuance of a Gold Star In11 stallation Access Card to Gold Star family members who 

12 are the survivors of deceased members of the Armed 

13 Forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary concerned 

14 to expedite the ability of a Gold Star family member to 

15 gain unescorted access to military installations for the 

16 purpose of obtaining the on-base services and benefits for 

17 which the Gold Star family member is entitled or eligible. 

18 (b) SERVICE-WIDE ACCEPTANCE OF ACCESS

19 CARD.—The Secretaries concerned shall work jointly to 

20 ensure that a Gold Star Installation Access Card issued 

21 to a Gold Star family member by one Armed Force is ac22 cepted for access to military installations of another 

23 Armed Force. 

24 (c) PROTECTION OF INSTALLATION SECURITY.—In 

25 developing, issuing, and accepting the Gold Star InstallaVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:18 May 28, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4688.IH H4688

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1 tion Access Card, the Secretary concerned may take such 

2 measures as the Secretary concerned considers nec3 essary— 

4 (1) to prevent fraud in the procurement or use 

5 of the Gold Star Installation Access Card; 

6 (2) to limit installation access to those areas 

7 that provide the services and benefits for which the 

8 Gold Star family member is entitled or eligible; and 

9 (3) to ensure that the availability and use of 

10 the Gold Star Installation Access Card does not ad11 versely affect military installation security. 

12 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretaries 

14 concerned shall complete implementation of this section. 

15 (e) GOLD STAR FAMILY MEMBER DEFINED.—In this 

16 section, the term ‘‘Gold Star family member’’ means a 

17 person who has received a Gold Star Lapel Button or a 

18 Lapel Button for the Next of Kin of Deceased Members 

19 of the Armed Forces under section 1126 of title 10, 

20 United States Code. 

21 SEC. 4. USE OF COMMISSARY STORES AND MWR RETAIL FA22 CILITIES BY PARENTS OF DECEASED MEM23 BERS OF THE ARMED FORCES. 

24 (a) USE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of each mili25 tary department and the Secretary of the Department in 


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1 which the Coast Guard is operating shall prescribe such 

2 regulations as may be necessary to ensure that a parent 

3 of a deceased member of the Armed Forces who receives 

4 a Gold Star Lapel Button or a Lapel Button for the Next 

5 of Kin of Deceased Members of the Armed Forces under 

6 section 1126 of title 10, United States Code, is permitted 

7 to use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities on the 

8 same basis as any surviving spouse or child of the member. 

9 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) The term ‘‘MWR retail facilities’’ means ex11 change stores and other revenue generating facilities 

12 operated by nonappropriated fund activities of the 

13 Department of Defense or the department in which 

14 the Coast Guard is operating for the morale, wel15 fare, and recreation of members of the Armed 

16 Forces. 

17 (2) The term ‘‘parent’’ includes mother, father, 

18 stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, fa19 ther through adoption, or foster parent who stood in 

20 loco parentis. 

Æ 


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