Military Death Gratuity bill
Official title A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve the benefits provided for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
Latest action · Jan 24, 2005 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (text of measure as introduced: CR S311-313)
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJan 24, 2005
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Increases from $12,000 to $100,000 the death gratuity payable to survivors of members of the Armed Forces who die while on active duty or inactive duty training. Provides an additional gratuity of $25,000 to any child of such member under 18 years old at the time of the member's death, payable when such child attains 21.
Continues TRICARE (a Department of Defense managed health care program) eligibility for the dependents of a member who dies while serving on active duty of more than 30 days for a three-year period after the member's death, with a further conditional extension in the case of a dependent child.
Terminates a 45-month limit on the use of survivors' and dependents' educational assistance.
Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide special restorative training to certain individuals.
Increases the amount of basic educational assistance for veterans' survivors and dependents pursuing certain types of institutional education. Authorizes the provision of tutorial assistance to such individuals without charge to their educational assistance entitlement.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 24, 2005 to Jul 13, 2006; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IL | Barack Obama | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| R-NE | Chuck Hagel | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| R-VA | George Allen | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| R-MN | Norm Coleman | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-SD | Tim Johnson | Original | Jan 24, 2005 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Feb 2, 2005 | |
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Mar 1, 2005 | |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Mar 1, 2005 | |
| D-AR | Mark L. Pryor | Jul 13, 2006 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Armed Services Committee | Referred Jan 24, 2005 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jan 24, 2005Introduced in Senate
- Jan 24, 2005Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S310-311)
- Jan 24, 2005Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (text of measure as introduced: CR S311-313)
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S685 | Richard J. Durbin D-IL | Feb 1, 2005 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S310Text printed S311–S313 | Mike DeWine R-OH (text) | Jan 24, 2005 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 109-296 | DEATH BENEFITS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE TO SURVIVORS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL AND LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS TO ENHANCE THESE BENEFITS128 pages | Armed Services Committee | Feb 1, 2005 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve the benefits provided for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces, and for other purposes.
- Popular Titles
- Military Death Gratuity bill
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.
- Armed Forces and National Security
- East Asia
- Education
- Families
- Health
- Health insurance continuation
- Higher education
- Labor and Employment
- Managed care
- Marriage
- Military dependents
- Military pensions
- Philippines
- Survivors' benefits
- Veterans' education
- Veterans' pensions
- Veterans' rehabilitation
- War casualties
- Widowers
- Widows
- Women
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jan 24, 2005Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.