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HR 4602 118th Congress House Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues

Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023

Introduced: May 16, 2024 Introduced by: Brownley, Julia Democratic · California See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 118th Congress ended
It never became law before the 118th Congress (2023–2024) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 13, 2023
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Jul 13, 2023
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, the Social Security Act (SSA), and other federal laws to replace (1) references to wife or husband with references to spouse, and (2) references to husband and wife or husband or wife with references to married couple or married person.

For purposes of federal laws or regulations, marriage is defined as a legal union between two people as spouses. The bill eliminates a definition of spouse that refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.

Requirements concerning compensation to a surviving wife after the disability or death of a person employed at a military, air, or naval base outside the United States are revised to make surviving spouses eligible for such compensation.

The bill makes similar revisions to the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, and other federal statutes.

The bill revises title II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) of the SSA to consolidate separate provisions for a wife's insurance benefits and a husband's insurance benefits into a single standard for a spouse's insurance benefits.

What's happening now July 13, 2023

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4602: Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023. 118th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4602/
MLA
"H.R. 4602: Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023." 118th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4602/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4602, 118th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4602/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4602: Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act of 2023](https://openamerica.io/bill/118-HR-4602/)
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