Title: Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans Equal Access Act of 2018
This bill extends access to Department of Defense (DOD) commissaries and morale, welfare, and recreation (MWR) facilities to Purple Heart recipients, veterans with a service-connected disability, Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war, and veteran caregivers. (Commissaries are grocery/department stores on military installations that sell food and some household items. MWR facilities offer a range of services on bases including libraries, outdoor recreation, dining, golf courses, and sports and fitness centers.)

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3201 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3201

   To amend title 10, United States Code, to extend certain morale, 
   welfare, and recreation privileges to certain veterans and their 
                  caregivers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 12, 2018

Mr. Schatz (for himself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 10, United States Code, to extend certain morale, 
   welfare, and recreation privileges to certain veterans and their 
                  caregivers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Purple Heart and Disabled Veterans 
Equal Access Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF CERTAIN MORALE, WELFARE, AND RECREATION PRIVILEGES 
              TO CERTAIN VETERANS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In 2017, the Secretary of Defense determined that the 
        addition of new patron categories to the commissary and 
        exchange systems would support the growth of a robust customer 
        base and help ensure the ability of both systems to provide 
        benefits to members of the Armed Forces and their families.
            (2) The Secretary previously opposed extending commissary 
        and exchange privileges to large patron groups such as disabled 
        veterans.
            (3) In January 2017, the Secretary of Defense approved 
        limited online exchange shopping privileges for all veterans, 
        effective November 11, 2017.
            (4) The Secretary determined that current patrons of 
        exchanges did not perceive the extension of such privileges as 
        diluting the benefit for members of the Armed Forces.
            (5) The Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration, 
        awarded to members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded or 
        died in combat, fighting for the United States. Since the 
        modern incarnation of the award was established in 1932, 
        approximately 1,800,000 members of the Armed Forces have been 
        awarded the Purple Heart.
    (b) Commissary Stores and MWR Facilities Privileges for Certain 
Veterans and Veteran Caregivers.--
            (1) Extension of privileges.--Chapter 54 of title 10, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 1065. Use of commissary stores and MWR facilities: certain 
              veterans and caregivers for veterans
    ``(a) Eligibility of Veterans Who Are Medal of Honor Recipients.--A 
veteran who is a Medal of Honor recipient shall be permitted to use 
commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of 
the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
    ``(b) Eligibility of Veterans Awarded the Purple Heart.--A veteran 
who was awarded the Purple Heart shall be permitted to use commissary 
stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed 
forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
    ``(c) Eligibility of Veterans Who Are Former Prisoners of War.--A 
veteran who is a former prisoner of war shall be permitted to use 
commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis as a member of 
the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
    ``(d) Eligibility of Veterans With Service-Connected 
Disabilities.--A veteran with a service-connected disability shall be 
permitted to use commissary stores and MWR facilities on the same basis 
as a member of the armed forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
    ``(e) Eligibility of Caregivers for Veterans.--A caregiver or 
family caregiver shall be permitted to use commissary stores and MWR 
facilities on the same basis as a member of the armed forces entitled 
to retired or retainer pay.
    ``(f) User Fee Authority.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall 
prescribe regulations that impose a user fee on individuals who are 
eligible solely under this section to purchase merchandise at a 
commissary store or MWR retail facility.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall set the user fee under this subsection at 
a rate that the Secretary determines will offset any increase in 
expenses arising from this section borne by the Department of the 
Treasury on behalf of commissary stores associated with the use of 
credit or debit cards for customer purchases, including expenses 
related to card network use and related transaction processing fees.
    ``(3) The Secretary shall deposit funds collected pursuant to a 
user fee under this subsection in the General Fund of the Treasury.
    ``(4) Any fee under this subsection is in addition to the uniform 
surcharge under section 2484(d) of this title.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `MWR facilities' includes--
                    ``(A) MWR retail facilities, as that term is 
                defined in section 1063(e) of this title; and
                    ``(B) military lodging operated by the Department 
                of Defense for the morale, welfare, and recreation of 
                members of the armed forces.
            ``(2) The term `Medal of Honor recipient' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 1074h(c) of this title.
            ``(3) The terms `veteran', `former prisoner of war', and 
        `service-connected' have the meanings given those terms in 
        section 101 of title 38.
            ``(4) The terms `caregiver' and `family caregiver' have the 
        meanings given those terms in section 1720G(d) of title 38.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 54 of such title is amended by adding at 
        the end the following new item:

``1065. Use of commissary stores and MWR facilities: certain veterans 
                            and caregivers for veterans.''.
            (3) Effective date.--Section 1065 of title 10, United 
        States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall take effect at 
        the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations for Updating EPACS for Military 
Commissaries.--There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 
year 2019 for the Department of Defense, $500,000 for updating the 
electronic physical access control system used by military commissaries 
and exchanges so that the system may recognize and accept veteran 
health identification cards.
    (d) Sense of Congress on Individuals Awarded the Purple Heart.--It 
is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense, in coordination 
with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, should maintain a list of all 
individuals awarded the Purple Heart.
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