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H.R. 846: Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act

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H.R. 846: Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act

115th Congress · introduced 2017-02-03 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2017-02-03 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act

Plain summary

Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act This bill: (1) repeals certain provisions that require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military retired pay or who would be entitled to retired pay except for being under 60 years of age, (2) prohibits requiring repayment of certain amounts previously paid to SBP recipients in the form of a retired pay refund, and (3) requires (current law authorizes) the Secretary of the military department concerned to pay an annuity to a member's dependent children when there is no eligible surviving spouse. The Secretary concerned shall restore annuity eligibility to a surviving spouse who earlier agreed to transfer such eligibility to the surviving child or children of a member.

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

Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] · 271 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Scott H. Peters (D-CA), Tom Cole (R-OK), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Michael R. Turner (R-OH), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Richard E. Neal (D-MA), Mark E. Amodei (R-NV), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Julia Brownley (D-CA), J. French Hill (R-AR), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Mike Rogers (R-AL), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Scott DesJarlais (R-TN) and 211 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] reported raising $1.0 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 (1)
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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr846 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115