,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dfcg  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bc1 #bjbe,ms4 
,brownley introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,veterans' ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to    
amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 
to expand eligibility for certain       
benefits under the laws administered by 
the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs for
 veterans rated totally disabled at     
death to certain surviving spouses4  #a4
 ,short title  ,this ,act may be cited  
as the ,veterans' ,surviving ,spouse    
,equity ,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,expansion  
of eligibility for certain benefits     
under laws administered by the          
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs for    
survivors of certain veterans rated     
totally disabled at time of death       
,subsection 7c7 of section #acah of     
title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a71 by    
striking 7or72  7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 
by striking the period at the end and   

inserting 2 or2 and  7#c7 by adding at  
the end the following new paragraph3    
7#c7 the surviving spouse-- 7,a7 was    
married to the veteran for a period of  
one year or more immediately preceding  
the veteran's death2 or  7,b7 lived with
 the veteran in the same household for  
at least one year immediately preceding 
the veteran's death and held themselves 
to the public as the spouse of the      
veteran during such period1 regardless  
of whether the veteran or the surviving 
spouse entered into another legal or    
religious marriage during such period4  
4