A bill from U.S. Rep Don Bacon (R-NE), a bipartisan measure to expand Gold Star families’ access to military-installation services, passed the House by unanimous consent on Tuesday, while U.S. Sen. Deb. Fischer (R-NE) introduced a companion measure in the Senate.
H.R. 3897, the Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017, standardizes Gold Star Installation Access Card benefits. Under the legislation, widows and dependent children of deceased service members could have unescorted access to military installations to attend memorial events, visit gravesites, and avail themselves of benefits that are provided on site at the installation, such as grief counseling services, according to the bill text.
The benefits would be extended to remarried spouses of armed forces members killed during armed conflicts throughout the time that any dependent children of the deceased service member remain under the surviving parent’s guardianship.
“I introduced this legislation after meeting with Gold Star spouses and families in Nebraska, and learned of their personal challenges and the gaps in current law,” Bacon said. “I’m glad to see the House of Representatives support our Gold Star families by passing this bill,” he added. “I thank each of the many cosponsors for their support and eagerness to honor military families who have given so much for our freedom.”
The Air Force Association and the Military Officers Association of America both endorsed the bill, Bacon’s first bill to gain House approval.
“Our Gold Star Families want one thing: for their loved ones to be remembered,” Sen. Fischer said. “Through this important legislation, Congress can ensure these families have access to services and benefits as they grieve and honor America’s fallen heroes.”
At the discretion of the secretary of the given service branch, Gold Star access card benefits could also be extended to a deceased service member’s parents or other next of kin. The bill text points out that, “Surviving families of deceased members of the Armed Forces relocate to other parts of the country, often far away from the service installation where their loved one last served.”
While some services have taken steps to issue access cards to Gold Star families, there is still no consistent policy across service branches, Fischer’s office said.
“As a commander in the Air Force, I’ve seen firsthand the pain Gold Star families feel when they lose a loved one, and as a congressman, I’ve learned of the ways Gold Star families are disenfranchised,” Bacon said. Fischer added, “After all these families have lost, we have a solemn obligation to do more for them.”