Govwatch

Introduced

In Committee

3

Passed One Chamber

4

Passed Both

5

Signed into Law

Sponsor

Richard Hudson

Republican · NC · Representative

Votes with party: 98.5% (546 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/H001067

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (171)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.

2026-03-26

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

Currently in

House Committee on Veterans' AffairsReferred To · 2025-02-05
House Committee on Armed ServicesReferred To · 2025-02-05

Previously

Armed Services CommitteeReferred To · 2025-02-05
Veterans' Affairs CommitteeReferred To · 2025-02-05

Plain-English Summary

Love Lives On Act of 2025 This bill extends entitlement for various benefit programs and services for surviving spouses of deceased members of the Armed Forces or veterans. The bill provides that the remarriage of a surviving spouse must not bar the furnishing of dependency and indemnity compensation or special pension benefits to such spouse. Additionally, 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. The bill also 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.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Armed Forces and National Security

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 1004 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1004 To amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, to improve benefits and services for surviving spouses, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 5, 2025 Mr. Hudson (for himself, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Van Orden, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Luttrell, and Mr. Khanna) 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. 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 ``Love Lives On Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF ENTITLEMENT TO VETERANS DEPENDENCY AND INDEMNITY COMPENSATION FOR SURVIVING SPOUSES WHO REMARRY. 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 or 1562 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. SEC. 3. 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 2025, 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 the first day of the first month beginning after such date of enactment, 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.''. SEC. 4. 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…

Show the remaining 6 words

to death, divorce, or annulment.''. <all>

Open clean-text view Read on Congress.gov →

Related legislation

Bills by the same sponsor or covering overlapping subjects.

HR2196National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act
Passed House · 2026-03-17
HR6505Next Generation 9–1–1 Act
Referred to Committee · 2026-01-15
HR5269RESULTS Act
Referred to Committee · 2025-09-10
HR3443When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act
Referred to Committee · 2025-05-15