Love Lives On Act of 2023

Bill: 118-hr-3651
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Phillips, Dean [D-MN-3]
Introduced: 2023-05-24
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Family relationships

Marriage and family status

Retail and wholesale trades

Student aid and college costs

Veterans' pensions and compensation
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-16
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-24
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Love Lives On Act of 2023</b></p> <p>This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans.</p> <p>First, the bill removes the expiration on a surviving spouses' entitlement to educational assistance through the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship (Fry Scholarship). </p> <p>The bill also provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation to such spouse.</p> <p>Next, the Department of Defense may not terminate the payment of an annuity for a surviving spouse under the Survivor Benefit Plan solely because the surviving spouse remarries.</p> <p>Additionally, the bill provides commissary store and MWR retail facility (e.g., exchange store) access to surviving spouses regardless of the martial status of the spouse. Such spouses must be entitled to use such stores and facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as surviving spouses who did not remarry. </p> <p>The bill expands the definition of a dependent under TRICARE to include a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended due to death, divorce, or annulment.</p> <p>Finally, the bill modifies the definition of a surviving spouse for purposes of veterans benefits to include same sex marriages.

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3651 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 24, 2023 Mr. Phillips (for himself, Mr. Hudson , Mr. Neguse , Mr. Mike Garcia of California , and Ms. Moore of Wisconsin ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services , and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs , for a period to be subsequently 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 improve benefits and services for surviving spouses, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Love Lives On Act of 2023 . 2. Removal of expiration on entitlement to Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship for surviving spouses Section 3311(f) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking paragraph (2); (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (5) as paragraphs (2) through (4), respectively; (3) in paragraph (2), as redesignated by paragraph (2) of this section, by striking in paragraph (4) and inserting in paragraph (3) ; and (4) in paragraph (3)(A), as redesignated by paragraph (2) of this section, by striking under paragraph (3) and inserting under paragraph (2) . 3. Modification of entitlement to veterans dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses who remarry (a) In general Section 103(d) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (2)(B)— (A) by inserting (i) before The remarriage ; (B) in clause (i), as designated by subparagraph (A), by striking Notwithstanding the previous sentence and inserting the following: (ii) Notwithstanding clause (i) ; and (C) by adding at the end the following new clause: (iii) Notwithstanding clause (ii), the remarriage of a surviving spouse shall not bar the furnishing of benefits under section 1311 of this title to the surviving spouse of a veteran. ; and (2) in paragraph (5)— (A) by striking subparagraph (A); and (B) by renumbering subparagraphs (B) through (E) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively. (b) Resumption of payments to certain individuals previously denied dependency and indemnity compensation Beginning on the first day of the first month after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall resume payment of dependency and indemnity compensation under section 1311 of such title to each living individual who— (1) is the surviving spouse of a veteran; and (2) remarried before— (A) reaching age 55; and (B) the date of the enactment of this Act. 4. 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 the following: (A) In general (A) Subject to subparagraph (B), an annuity ; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (B) Treatment of survivors of members who die on active duty 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 Love Lives On Act of 2023 , the Secretary shall resume payment of the annuity to that surviving spouse— (i) except as provided by clause (ii), for each month that begins on or after the date that is one year after such date of enactment; or (ii) on January 1, 2023, in the case of a surviving spouse who elected to transfer payment of that annuity to a surviving child or children under the provisions of section 1448(d)(2)(B) of title 10, United States Code, as in effect on December 31, 2019. . 5. Access to commissary and exchange privileges for remarried spouses (a) Benefits Section 1062 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking The Secretary of Defense and inserting the following: (a) Certain unremarried former spouses The Secretary of Defense ; (2) by striking commissary and exchange privileges and inserting use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities ; (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (b) Certain remarried surviving spouses The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary to provide that a surviving spouse of a deceased member of the armed forces, regardless of the marital status of the surviving spouse, is entitled to use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as an unremarried surviving spouse of a member of the uniformed services. ; and (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (c) MWR retail facilities defined In this section, the term MWR retail facilities has the meaning given that term in section 1063(e) of this title. . (b) Clerical amendments (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 relating to section 1062 and inserting the following new item: 1062. Certain former spouses and surviving spouses. . 6. Expansion of definition of dependent under TRICARE program to include a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended Section 1072(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ; and and inserting a semicolon; (2) in subparagraph (I)(v), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (J) a remarried widow or widower whose subsequent marriage has ended due to death, divorce, or annulment. . 7. Definition of surviving spouse for purposes of veterans benefits Paragraph (3) of section 101 of title 38, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: (3) The term surviving spouse means (except for purposes of chapter 19 of this title) a person who was the spouse of a veteran at the time of the veteran's death, and who lived with the veteran continuously from the date of marriage to the date of the veteran's death (except where there was a separation which was due to the misconduct of, or procured by, the veteran without the fault of the spouse) and who has not remarried. .