Skip to main content
H.R. 1598 114th Congress House

Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act

Official title: To amend title 38, United States Code, to amend the definition of the term "spouse" to recognize new State definitions of such term for the purpose of the laws… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To amend title 38, United States Code, 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 Affairs.

Introduced: March 25, 2015 Introduced by: Dina Titus Democratic · Nevada See on congress.gov
Armed Forces and National Security Marriage and family statusMilitary personnel and dependentsVeterans' pensions and compensation
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 7, 2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
Mar 25, 2015
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Mar 25, 2015
Introduced in House
Mar 24, 2015
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1858)
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action April 7, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act

This bill amends the definition of "spouse" for purposes of veterans' benefits to require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to recognize a marriage based on the law of the state where the marriage occurred.

When a marriage occurs outside a state, the VA shall recognize it if the marriage is lawful in the place where it occurs and could have been entered into under the laws of any state.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 22
All 22 Democratic 20
D
Adams, Alma S.
North Carolina · Sep 7, 2016
 D
Norcross, Donald
New Jersey · Mar 2, 2016
Dent, Charles
· Sep 18, 2015
 D
DeSaulnier, Mark
California · Jun 10, 2015
 D
McCollum, Betty
Minnesota · Jun 3, 2015
 D
Norton, Eleanor Holmes
District of Columbia · May 21, 2015
 D
Kelly, Robin L.
Illinois · May 19, 2015
 D
Lieu, Ted
California · Apr 30, 2015
 D
Ruiz, Raul
California · Apr 23, 2015
 D
DelBene, Suzan K.
Washington · Apr 16, 2015
 D
Beyer, Donald S.
Virginia · Apr 14, 2015
 D
McGovern, James P.
Massachusetts · Apr 14, 2015
 D
Peters, Scott H.
California · Apr 14, 2015
 D
Quigley, Mike
Illinois · Apr 14, 2015
 D
Veasey, Marc A.
Texas · Apr 14, 2015
 D
Brownley, Julia
California · Mar 25, 2015
 D
Clark, Katherine M.
Massachusetts · Mar 25, 2015
Curbelo, Carlos
· Mar 25, 2015
 D
Frankel, Lois
Florida · Mar 25, 2015
 D
Pingree, Chellie
Maine · Mar 25, 2015
 D
Smith, Adam
Washington · Mar 25, 2015
 D
Takano, Mark
California · Mar 25, 2015
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1598: Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1598/
MLA
"H.R. 1598: Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1598/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1598, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1598/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1598: Veteran Spouses Equal Treatment Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1598/)
Report a problem