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 fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and 
in addition to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, for a period to be sub-
sequently 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘SFC Brian Woods 
Gold Star and Military Survivors Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF COMMISSARY AND EXCHANGE BEN-
EFITS FOR REMARRIED SPOUSES WITH DE-
PENDENT CHILDREN. 
(a) BENEFITS.—Section 1062 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and all that 
follows through ‘‘an’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) CERTAIN 
UNREMARRIED FORMER SPOUSES.—An’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘commissary and exchange 
privileges’’ and inserting ‘‘use commissary stores 
and MWR retail facilities’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections: 
‘‘(b) CERTAIN REMARRIED SURVIVING SPOUSES.—A 
surviving spouse of a deceased member of the armed 
forces, regardless of the marital status of the surviving 
spouse, who has guardianship of dependent children of the 
deceased member, is entitled to use commissary stores and 
MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same 
basis as the unremarried surviving spouse of a member 
of the uniformed services. 
‘‘(c) MWR RETAIL FACILITIES.—The term ‘MWR 
retail facilities’ has the meaning given that term in section 
1063(e) of this title.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.— 
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(1) SECTION HEADING.—The heading of section 
1062 of title 10, United States Code, is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘§ 1062. 
Certain 
former 
spouses 
and 
surviving 
spouses’’. 
(2) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 54 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by striking the item relat-
ing to section 1062 and inserting the following new 
item: 
‘‘1062. Certain former spouses and surviving spouses.’’. 
SEC. 3. CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY FOR SURVIVOR BENEFIT 
PLAN FOR CERTAIN SURVIVING SPOUSES 
WHO REMARRY. 
Section 1450(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘An annuity’’ and inserting 
‘‘(A) Subject to subparagraph (B), an annuity’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(B) The Secretary may not terminate payment 
of an annuity for a surviving spouse described in 
subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 1448(d)(1) solely 
because that surviving spouse remarries. In the case 
of a surviving spouse who remarried before reaching 
age 55 and before the date of the enactment of the 
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