,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bdba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #aa1 #bjag,ms4  
,titus 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,cartwright1  
,mr4 ,curbelo of ,florida1 ,ms4         
,del,bene1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,ms4 ,kelly  
of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,ms4     
,norton1 ,mr4 ,o',rourke1 ,ms4          
,slaughter1 ,mr4 ,takano1 ,mr4 ,walz1   
,mr4 ,swalwell of ,california1 ,mr4     
,rush1 ,ms4 ,tsongas1 ,ms4 ,clark of    
,massachusetts1 ,ms4 ,pingree1 ,mr4     
,coffman1 ,mrs4 ,lowey1 ,mr4            
,perlmutter1 and ,mr4 ,peters7          
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 ,affairs1 and   
for other purposes4  #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  7a7 ,definitions 
,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 in paragraph    
7#ca71 by striking of the opposite sex  
who is a wife or husband and inserting  
in a marriage recognized under section  
#ajc of this title4  7b7 ,determination 
,subsection 7c7 of section #ajc of such 
title is amended to read as follows3    
7c7 7#a7 ,for the purposes of all laws  
administered by the ,secretary1 the     
,secretary shall recognize a marriage   
based on the law of the ,state where the
 marriage occurred4 ,in the case of a   
marriage that occurred outside a ,state1
 the ,secretary shall recognize the     
marriage if the marriage was lawful in  
the place where it occurred and could   
have been entered into under the laws of
 any ,state4 ,except in the case of a   

purported marriage deemed valid under   
subsection 7a71 the ,secretary may not  
recognize more than one marriage for any
 person at the same time4  7#b7 ,in this
 subsection1 the term ,state has the    
meaning given that the term in section  
#aja7bj7 of this title1 except that such
 term also includes the ,commonwealth of
 the ,northern ,mariana ,islands4  4