H.R. 3897: Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-10-02 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-10-02 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017

Plain summary

Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017 This bill directs the appropriate military department to issue a standardized Gold Star Installation Access Card to the widow and dependent children of a deceased member of the Armed Forces to allow them to gain unescorted access to military installations to attend memorial events, visit gravesites, and obtain on-installation services and benefits. The Department of Defense shall prescribe regulations to provide that a surviving spouse of a deceased member, regardless of martial status, who has guardianship of dependent children of the deceased member, is entitled to use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as the unremarried spouse of a member of the uniformed services.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] · 89 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Brian J. Mast (R-FL), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Neal P. Dunn (R-FL), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Darren Soto (D-FL), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Andy Barr (R-KY), Robert J. Wittman (R-VA), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Mike Johnson (R-LA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), Jim Banks (R-IN), David Kustoff (R-TN), John Garamendi (D-CA), Austin Scott (R-GA), Sam Graves (R-MO), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), David P. Joyce (R-OH), Mike Rogers (R-AL) and 29 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Bacon, Don [R-NE-2] reported raising $1.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr3897.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr3897 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115