Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act

Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act - Amends the definition of "spouse" for purposes of veterans' benefits provisions to require an individual to be considered a spouse if the marriage of the individual is valid in the state in which the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place in which the marriage was entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Includes as a state the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. territories and possessions.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2529 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2529

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to amend the definition of the 
term ``spouse'' to recognize new State definitions of such term for the 
 purpose of the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2013

  Ms. Titus (for herself and Mr. Smith of Washington) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to amend the definition of the 
term ``spouse'' to recognize new State definitions of such term for the 
 purpose of the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    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 ``Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF SPOUSE FOR PURPOSES OF VETERAN BENEFITS TO 
              REFLECT NEW STATE DEFINITIONS OF SPOUSE.

    Section 101 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``of the opposite sex''; 
        and
            (2) by striking paragraph (31) and inserting the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(31) Notwithstanding section 7 of title 1, an individual 
        shall be considered a `spouse' if the marriage of the 
        individual is valid in the State in which the marriage was 
        entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside 
        any State, if the marriage is valid in the place in which the 
        marriage was entered into and the marriage could have been 
        entered into in a State. In this paragraph, the term `State' 
        has the meaning given that term in paragraph (20), except that 
        the term also includes the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands.''.
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