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 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]
[H.R. 5467 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5467

   To amend title 10, United States Code, to extend certain morale, 
   welfare, and recreation privileges to certain veterans and their 
caregivers, to authorize the appropriation of funds for the purpose of 
    improving the electronic physical access control system used by 
      military commissaries and exchanges, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 11, 2018

   Mr. Lipinski (for himself, Mr. Jones, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Bost, Ms. 
Brownley of California, Mr. Capuano, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cohen, 
 Mr. Correa, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. 
  Dingell, Mr. Donovan, Mr. Fortenberry, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Gallego, Mr. 
   Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. 
 Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Kinzinger, Ms. Kuster 
of New Hampshire, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr. 
    McGovern, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Neal, Mr. Norman, Mr. 
  O'Halleran, Mr. Payne, Mr. Peterson, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Poliquin, Mr. 
  Raskin, Mrs. Radewagen, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rush, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. 
 Scott of Virginia, Ms. Shea-Porter, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Soto, 
   Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Vela, Ms. Velazquez, Mrs. Watson 
  Coleman, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced the following bill; 
         which was 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, to authorize the appropriation of funds for the purpose of 
    improving the electronic physical access control system used by 
      military commissaries and exchanges, 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. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (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.

SEC. 3. COMMISSARY STORES AND MWR FACILITIES PRIVILEGES FOR CERTAIN 
              VETERANS AND VETERAN CAREGIVERS.

    (a) 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 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.
    ``(b) 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.
    ``(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) 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 in section 1720G(d) of 
        title 38.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 54 of title 10, United States Code, 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.''.
    (c) Effective Date.--Section 1065 of title 10, United States Code, 
as added by subsection (a), shall take effect at the end of the 90-day 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION FOR UPDATING EPACS FOR MILITARY 
              COMMISSARIES.

    There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in 
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $500,000 to the Secretary of 
Defense for the purpose of 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.

SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING 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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