,i  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #edfg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #aa1 #bjah    
,mr4 ,lipinski 7for himself1 ,mr4       
,jones1 ,ms4 ,bordallo1 ,mr4 ,bost1 ,ms4
 ,brownley of ,california1 ,mr4         
,capuano1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1   
,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,correa1 ,mrs4 ,davis 
of ,california1 ,mr4 ,de,fazio1 ,ms4    
,barragn1 ,mrs4 ,dingell1 ,mr4 ,donovan1
 ,mr4 ,fortenberry1 ,mr4 ,gaetz1 ,mr4   
,gallego1 ,mr4 ,gonzalez of ,texas1 ,mr4
 ,grijalva1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,jackson 
,lee1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,ms4   
,kaptur1 ,mr4 ,kilmer1 ,mr4 ,kinzinger1 
,ms4 ,kuster of ,new ,hampshire1 ,mr4   
,lynch1 ,mr4 ,sean ,patrick ,maloney of 
,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4       
,moolenaar1 ,mr4 ,moulton1 ,mr4 ,neal1  
,mr4 ,norman1 ,mr4 ,o',halleran1 ,mr4   
,payne1 ,mr4 ,peterson1 ,ms4 ,pingree1  
,mr4 ,poliquin1 ,mr4 ,raskin1 ,mrs4     
,radewagen1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,rush1    
,mr4 ,ryan of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,scott of     
,virginia1 ,ms4 ,shea-,porter1 ,ms4     

,sinema1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 ,mr4 ,soto1 ,mr4 
,thompson of ,california1 ,mr4 ,vela1   
,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 
and ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida7 introduced
 the following bill2 which was referred 
to the ,committee on ,armed ,services   
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #aj1 ,united 
,states ,code1 to extend certain morale1
 welfare1 and recreation privileges to  
certain veterans and their caregivers1  
to authorize the appropriation of funds 
for the purpose of improving the        
electronic physical access control      
system used by military commissaries and
 exchanges1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,purple ,heart and ,disabled       
,veterans ,equal ,access ,act of #bjah4 
#b4 ,findings ,congress finds the       
following3  7#a7 ,in #bjag1 the         
,secretary of ,defense determined that  
the addition of new patron categories to
 the commissary and exchange systems    
would support the growth of a robust    
customer base and help ensure the       

ability of both systems to provide      
benefits to members of the ,armed       
,forces and their families4  7#b7 ,the  
,secretary previously opposed extending 
commissary and exchange privileges to   
large patron groups such as disabled    
veterans4  7#c7 ,in ,january #bjag1 the 
,secretary of ,defense approved limited 
online exchange shopping privileges for 
all veterans1 effective ,november #aa1  
#bjag4  7#d7 ,the ,secretary determined 
that current patrons of exchanges did   
not perceive the extension of such      
privileges as diluting the benefit for  
members of the ,armed ,forces4  7#e7    
,the ,purple ,heart is the oldest       
military decoration1 awarded to members 
of the ,armed ,forces who have been     
wounded or died in combat1 fighting for 
the ,united ,states4 ,since the modern  
incarnation of the award was established
 in #aicb1 approximately #a1hjj1jjj     
members of the ,armed ,forces have been 
awarded the ,purple ,heart4  #c4        
,commissary stores and ,,mwr facilities 

privileges for certain veterans and     
veteran caregivers  7a7 ,extension of   
privileges ,chapter #ed of title #aj1   
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
adding at the end the following new     
section3  #ajfe4 ,use of commissary     
stores and ,,mwr facilities3 certain    
veterans and caregivers for veterans    
7a7 ,eligibility of veterans awarded the
 ,purple ,heart ,a veteran who was      
awarded the ,purple ,heart shall be     
permitted to use commissary stores and  
,,mwr facilities on the same basis as a 
member of the armed forces entitled to  
retired or retainer pay4  7b7           
,eligibility of veterans who are ,medal 
of ,honor recipients ,a veteran who is a
 ,medal of ,honor recipient shall be    
permitted to use commissary stores and  
,,mwr facilities on the same basis as a 
member of the armed forces entitled to  
retired or retainer pay4  7c7           
,eligibility of veterans who are former 
prisoners of war ,a veteran who is a    
former prisoner of war shall be         

permitted to use commissary stores and  
,,mwr facilities on the same basis as a 
member of the armed forces entitled to  
retired or retainer pay4  7d7           
,eligibility of veterans with           
service-,connected disabilities ,a      
veteran with a service-connected        
disability shall be permitted to use    
commissary stores and ,,mwr facilities  
on the same basis as a member of the    
armed forces entitled to retired or     
retainer pay4  7e7 ,eligibility of      
caregivers for veterans ,a caregiver or 
family caregiver shall be permitted to  
use commissary stores and ,,mwr         
facilities on the same basis as a member
 of the armed forces entitled to retired
 or retainer pay4  7f7 ,definitions ,in 
this section3  7#a7 ,the term ,,mwr     
facilities includes-- 7,a7 ,,mwr retail 
facilities1 as that term is defined in  
section #ajfc7;e7 of this title2 and    
7,b7 military lodging operated by the   
,department of ,defense for the morale1 
welfare1 and recreation of members of   

the armed forces4  7#b7 ,the term ,medal
 of ,honor recipient has the meaning    
given that term in section #ajgd;h7c7 of
 this title4  7#c7 ,the terms veteran1  
former prisoner of war1 and             
service-connected have the meanings     
given those terms in section #aja of    
title #ch4  7#d7 ,the terms caregiver   
and family caregiver have the meanings  
given those terms in section in section 
#agbj;,g7d7 of title #ch4  4  7b7       
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections at the beginning of chapter #ed
 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is
 amended by adding at the end the       
following new item3  #ajfe4 ,use of     
commissary stores and ,,mwr facilities3 
certain veterans and caregivers for     
veterans4  4  7c7 ,effective date       
,section #ajfe of title #aj1 ,united    
,states ,code1 as added by subsection   
7a71 shall take effect at the end of the
 #ij-;day period beginning on the date  
of the enactment of this ,act4  #d4     
,authorization of appropriation for     

updating e,p,a,c,s for military         
commissaries ,there is hereby authorized
 to be appropriated1 out of any funds in
 the ,treasury not otherwise            
appropriated1 #ejj1jjj to the ,secretary
 of ,defense for the purpose of updating
 the electronic physical access control 
system used by military commissaries and
 exchanges so that the system may       
recognize and accept veteran health     
identification cards4  #e4 ,sense of    
,congress regarding individuals awarded 
the ,purple ,heart ,it is the sense of  
,congress that the ,secretary of        
,defense1 in coordination with the      
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 should
 maintain a list of all individuals     
awarded the ,purple ,heart4