,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bebi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,june #bg1 #bjac ,ms4
 ,titus 7for herself and ,mr4 ,smith of 
,washington7 introduced the following   
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a   
,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united    
,states ,code1 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 ,affairs4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,veteran ,spouses ,equal ,treatment 
,act4  #b4 ,definition of spouse for    
purposes of veteran benefits to reflect 
new state definitions of spouse ,section
 #aja of title #ch1 ,united ,states     
,code1 is amended--  7#a7 in paragraph  
7#c71 by striking of the opposite sex2  
and  7#b7 by striking paragraph 7#ca7   
and inserting the following new         
paragraph3  7#ca7 ,notwithstanding      
section #g of title #a1 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 or1 in the case of a       
marriage entered into outside any       
,state1 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 ,state4 ,in this      
paragraph1 the term ,state has the      
meaning given that term in paragraph    
7#bj71 except that the term also        
includes the ,commonwealth of the       
,northern ,mariana ,islands4  4