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118th Congress Armed Forces and National Security

H.R. 3651: Love Lives On Act of 2023

Introduced

  1. Introduced (completed)May 24, 2023
  2. Passed House (not reached)
  3. Passed Senate (not reached)
  4. To the President (not reached)
  5. Became law (not reached)

Summary

Introduced in House, May 24, 2023

This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans.

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).

The bill also provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation to such spouse.

Read the full summary

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.

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.

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.

Finally, the bill modifies the definition of a surviving spouse for purposes of veterans benefits to include same sex marriages.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Roll calls

0 votes on this bill

No roll call votes have been held on this bill.

Amendments

0 offered

No amendments were offered to this bill.

Cosponsors

84

Bipartisan support.

Who scored on this bill

18 points earned
  1. 1Dean Phillips D-MN SponsorDrew cross-party cosponsors, introduced, reached a cosponsor milestone4 events+18
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Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.

Other bills by Dean Phillips

History

  1. May 24, 2023Introduced in the House by Dean Phillips.
Show the full action history (6 actions)
  1. Apr 16, 2024Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  2. Apr 16, 2024Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
  3. Apr 10, 2024Subcommittee Hearings Held
  4. Jun 29, 2023Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
  5. May 24, 2023Introduced in House
  6. May 24, 2023Referred 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.