Title: Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Families of Fallen Servicemembers First Act
This bill provides a permanent appropriation for the payment of death gratuities and related benefits to survivors of deceased members of the uniformed services during a period of lapsed appropriations.
The bill provides the appropriations at the rate and under the conditions provided for the most recent fiscal year for which an Act making appropriations for the uniformed services has been enacted.
The appropriations are provided during a period of lapsed appropriations, in which appropriations are unavailable due to the absence of the timely enactment of an Act or joint resolution providing appropriations or continuing appropriations for the death gratuity and related benefits.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2430 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2430

To provide a permanent appropriation of funds for the payment of death 
 gratuities and related benefits for survivors of deceased members of 
the uniformed services in event of any period of lapsed appropriations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2018

   Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Moran, Mr. Donnelly, Mr. 
Manchin, Mrs. Ernst, Mrs. Capito, and Ms. Cortez Masto) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide a permanent appropriation of funds for the payment of death 
 gratuities and related benefits for survivors of deceased members of 
the uniformed services in event of any period of lapsed appropriations.

    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 ``Families of Fallen Servicemembers 
First Act''.

SEC. 2. PERMANENT APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS FOR PAYMENT OF DEATH 
              GRATUITIES AND RELATED BENEFITS FOR SURVIVORS OF DECEASED 
              MILITARY SERVICEMEMBERS IN EVENT OF A PERIOD OF LAPSED 
              APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Appropriation.--Funds are hereby appropriated during any period 
of lapsed appropriations during a fiscal year, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for ``Operation and Maintenance'' 
and ``Military Personnel'' accounts related to members of the uniformed 
services (as defined in section 101(5) of title 37, United States Code) 
for the payment of death gratuities and the provision of related 
benefits described in subsection (c) to survivors of deceased members 
of the uniformed services during the period of lapsed appropriations.
    (b) Rate of Appropriation.--Funds appropriated pursuant to 
subsection (a) are appropriated at a rate for operations as provided 
for the most recent fiscal year for which an Act making appropriations 
for the uniformed services has been enacted and under the authority and 
conditions provided in such Act.
    (c) Covered Benefits.--Funds appropriated pursuant to subsection 
(a) are available for the following purposes during the period of 
lapsed appropriations:
            (1) The payment of a death gratuity under sections 1475-
        1477 and 1489 of title 10, United States Code.
            (2) The payment or reimbursement for funeral and burial 
        expenses authorized under sections 1481 and 1482 of title 10, 
        United States Code.
            (3) The payment or reimbursement of authorized funeral 
        travel and travel related to the dignified transfer of remains 
        and unit memorial services under section 481f of title 37, 
        United States Code.
            (4) The temporary continuation of a basic allowance of 
        housing for dependents of members dying on active duty, as 
        authorized by section 403(l) of title 37, United States Code.
    (d) Duration.--Funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) and 
authority granted pursuant to this Act shall be available whenever 
there is a period of lapsed appropriations for the duration of the 
period of lapsed appropriations.
    (e) Treatment of Expenditures.--Expenditures made pursuant to this 
Act shall be charged to the applicable appropriation, fund, or 
authorization whenever a bill in which such applicable appropriation, 
fund, or authorization is contained is enacted into law.
    (f) Rule of Implementation.--This Act shall be implemented so that 
only the most limited funding action of that permitted in this Act 
shall be taken in order to provide for continuation of the benefits 
described in subsection (c).
    (g) Period of Lapsed Appropriations Defined.--In this Act, the term 
``period of lapsed appropriations'' means any period during which 
appropriations are not available due to the absence of the timely 
enactment of any Act or joint resolution (including any Act or joint 
resolution making continuing appropriations) appropriating funds for 
the payment of the benefits described in subsection (c).
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