H.R. "1004, the “Love Lives on Act of 2025”

...veterans and their families. We have the incredible privilege of considering the types of reforms that would help VA better serve veterans, their families, and their survivors for their life after service. Offsets are an essential part of this process and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the chairman, and I'm sorry, the ranking member of this committee, both Republicans and Democrats can come together on this, I have no doubt. If we cannot find an offset for the bill, unfortunately, further discussions will have to take place. I look forward to working with Mr. McGarvey and other members in the future on this. I now recognize the distinguished ranking member for any opening remarks he may have.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Appreciate you, appreciate your leadership, appreciate you bringing us together today to work through legislation to support and help veterans, families, and survivors. I'm also grateful for the bipartisan work that got us here today, bipartisan work guided by the mission we have, which is to serve our veterans who served us. I look forward to continuing that through the remainder of this Congress. I'm glad to see some really great bills on the agenda today, bills that will make a difference in the lives of veterans and their survivors. I'm also happy to see bills that finally bring transparency where it's been missing, like H.R. 7260 that we're marking up today, the National Cemetery Administration Annual Report Act of 2026, a bill I co-lead with my colleague from across the aisle, Representative Ryan Mackenzie from Pennsylvania. For the first time, this bill would require NCA to produce an annual report, and that kind of basic transparency is long overdue. So today I look forward to getting down to brass tacks, moving these bills along the way the Schoolhouse Rock process taught us. And Mr. Chairman, I yield back to you.

Thank you, Mr. McGarvey. The first bill is H.R. 6698, Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025. I now call up H.R. 6698, the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act of 2025.

H.R. 6698, to amend...

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to the committee rules. Without objection, the first reading is dispensed with. The bill is now open for amendment at any point. I now recognize Representative Self for the purpose of offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6698, offered by Mr. Self of Texas. Section one, short...

I ask unanimous consent that the further readings of the amendment in the nature of a substitute will be dispensed with. I ask that it be considered base text for the purpose of the markup. Without objection, so ordered. I now recognize Representative Self for five minutes to speak in support of the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Thank you, Chairman. I thank you for the opportunity to speak on my bill, H.R. 6698, the Board of Veterans Appeals Annual Report Transparency Act. Bottom line, this bill will improve transparency within the Board of Veterans Appeals. The improved reporting requirements will help Congress, VSOs, and veterans understand why cases are not decided within a timely manner as defined by the VA and why cases receive a remand. This information will help identify where investments and changes can have the greatest impact. Publishing docket dates of cases assigned to a board member for decision will help veterans have a clearer understanding of how far along the board is while working through the docket and where their appeal may fall in line. These reforms rely on information already available to the board and simply require this information be made public. Veterans deserve confidence that their appeals are being handled efficiently and fairly and that when delays occur, they are identified and addressed. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment in the form of an ANS. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

Thank you, Mr. Self. Do any members wish to comment on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6698? Are there any amendments to the amendments in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6698? Hearing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6698. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. I now recognize Mr. McGarvey for a motion.

Mr. Chairman, I move that H.R. 6698 as amended be forward favorably to the full committee.

The question is on a favorably forwarding to the bill, favoring forwarding the bill H.R. 6698 as an amendment to the full committee. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The motion is agreed to. H.R. 6698 as amended is forward favorably to the full committee. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. H.R. 7260, the National Cemetery Administration Annual Report Act of 2026. I now call up H.R. 7260, the National Cemetery Administration Annual Report Act. The clerk shall read the bill.

H.R. 7260, to amend...

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to the committee rules. Without objection, the first reading is dispensed with. The bill is now open for amendment at any point. I now recognize Mr. McGarvey for the purpose of offering an amendment to the nature of a substitute.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to thank Mr. Mackenzie of Pennsylvania for working with me on both the underlying bill and this amendment in the nature of a substitute, which adds some clarifying language regarding summaries of major and minor construction projects carried out throughout the year. This ANS also requires more in-depth reporting of internments and grants. Mr. Chairman, this is all, as I have stated before, good government work. As a committee, we have a responsibility to honor our veterans from the moment they separate from service all the way to their final resting place. Mandating regular reporting from NCA adds some much-needed oversight to their work and hopefully leads to better service for that end-of-life care. Urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. I yield back.

Does the member have an amendment at the desk?

Yes, I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk shall report the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7260, offered by Mr. McGarvey of Kentucky. Section one, short title.

I ask unanimous consent that the further readings of the amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be dispensed with. I ask that it be considered for text, base text for the purpose of the markup. Without objection, so ordered. Mr. McGarvey, do you want to...

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that H.R. 7260 as amended be forward favorably to the full committee.

Do any members wish to comment on the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7260? Are there any amendments to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7260? Hearing none, the question now occurs on agreeing to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 7260. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the amendment in the nature of a substitute is agreed to. I now recognize Mr. McGarvey for a motion.

Mr. Chairman, I move that H.R. 7260 as amended be forward favorably to the full committee.

The question is on favorably forwarding the, the bill H.R. 7260 as amended to the full committee. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The motion is agreed to on and H.R. 7260 as amended is forward favorably to the full committee. Without objection, the motion is to reconsider, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. I now ask unanimous consent to consider en bloc the following bills that did not have amendments: H.R. 2164, Dayton National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2025; H.R. 5339, Susan E. Lukas 9/11 Servicemember Fairness Act; H.R. 5723, FRAUD in VA Disability Exam Act; and H.R. 6943, Veterans Burial Allowance and Reimbursement Act of 2026. Hearing no objection, so order. The clerk shall report the bills.

En bloc, H.R. 6164...

The bills were circulated in advance pursuant to the committee rules. I ask that the readings of the bills be dispensed with and the bills be open to amendments, an amendment at any point. Without objection, so ordered. I recognize myself for a moment to say that these bills would ensure benefits for survivors and veterans and meets their needs after service. They secure a fair and expedient system for reimbursing all veterans and eligible families who choose to be buried in a private cemetery. These bills are not yet offset, but I look forward to working with Mr. McGarvey and my colleagues to do so. Do any members wish to speak on any of the bills included in the en bloc? Do any members wish to offer an amendment to any of these bills? Hearing none, I now recognize Mr. McGarvey for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that en bloc number one, consisting of H.R. 2164, H.R. 5339, H.R. 5723, and H.R. 6943 be forward favorably to the full committee.

There is a motion to favorably forward the bills included in the en bloc to the full committee. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the bills H.R. 2164, H.R. 5339, H.R. 5723, and H.R. 6943 are favorably forward to full committee. H.R. 1004, Love Lives On Act. I now call up H.R. 1004, the Love Lives On Act, Love Lives On Act, my apologies, Love Lives On Act. The clerk shall report the bill.

H.R. 1004, to amend title...

The text was circulated in advance pursuant to the committee rules. Without objection, the first reading is dispensed with. The bill is now open for amendments at any point. I now recognize myself to speak briefly on the bill. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, I want to thank my colleagues on this committee for their thoughtful bipartisan work throughout this year. This is exactly how this committee should function in my opinion, and again, thank you all. Under current law, surviving spouses who remarry before the age of 55 give up their survivors' benefits. This decision puts families into a difficult and deeply personal decision to rebuild your life with a new spouse or maintain survivors is never easy. H.R. 1004, the Love Lives On Act, eliminates that difficult choice. It allows surviving spouses to retain their benefits and certain pension benefits after remarriage and expands access to TRICARE in specific circumstances. The sacrifice made by these families does not disappear and our support should not either. I strongly support the intent behind this legislation and the problem it seeks to solve. This is the right issue and it deserves to be addressed. At this time, as we work to move this bill forward, we also have a responsibility to ensure that it can stand on solid footing under the rules of the House. That means continuing to work together to identify a responsible path that allows the policy to advance in a way that is both durable and achievable. I'm committed to work with my colleagues to get this across the finish line as soon as possible. Does any member wish to comment on this bill? Mr. McGarvey.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I really appreciate your work on this bill. This is a bill I strongly support. And I will start off by just saying, I came out of the state legislature, spent 10 years in the state Senate in Kentucky. I consider myself a balanced budget guy. We had to balance our budget every time. But I don't understand why we keep going back and forth over these benefits for less than one percent of the Americans who stand up and serve this nation. In this moment, why do we keep asking veterans and their survivors to find the money inside the veteran community to take care of their own? I can't overstate the impossible situation, the testimony we've heard right here in this committee and even in the full committee, that we put our survivor community in when we make them choose between marrying again and losing the income they depend on, or having to explain over and over again why marriage isn't in the cards for you. We've heard from the people impacted by this. It sounds awful. It sounds impossible. And as the bill suggests, love lives on, the service lives on. We shouldn't just honor our veterans who put that patch on their shoulder, we need to honor their families who go on that journey with them. Mr. Chairman, I hope this is a bill that we do get across the finish line because it is way past time for this bill to become law. I yield back.

Thank you, Mr. McGarvey. Ms. Dexter, go ahead. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay, Ms. Morrison, Dr. Morrison, I apologize.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I was proud to introduce this legislation with you and the ranking member and the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Hudson, among others. Thank you for your partnership and leadership on this important issue and I'm glad this bill is on the docket for today's markup. I come from a proud family of veterans, from my dad, father-in-law, and grandfathers to my husband John, an Army combat veteran. When a service member leaves home, the entire family has to make sacrifices. No surviving military spouse whose husband or wife has made the ultimate sacrifice should be forced to choose between finding love again and keeping the benefits that their family deserves. That's why I was proud to introduce the Love Lives On Act, which will eliminate the remarriage penalty for surviving military spouses. Under current law, surviving military spouses are at risk of losing benefits if they remarry before age 55. This bill will allow them to retain their survivor benefit plan and dependency and indemnity compensation regardless of when they remarry. Additionally, it will allow surviving military spouses to regain TRICARE benefits if their new marriage ends in death, divorce, or annulment. We owe survivor benefits to those who have tragically lost their loved ones. These brave men and women have already suffered unimaginable loss and it's time we allow them to move forward with dignity and strength instead of fear over losing the benefits they receive due to their late spouse's sacrifice. I'm proud to have worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in both chambers on this bill and I'm thankful to the families who've shared their stories and advocated on its behalf. This is common sense. Our surviving military families and spouses have already sacrificed so much and letting them keep their benefits is the very least we can do as they work through immense pain and grief. I urge my colleagues to vote yes on the bill and I yield back.

Thank you, Dr. Morrison. Any other member? Are there any amendments to H.R. 1004? Hearing none, I now recognize Mr. McGarvey for a motion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move that H.R. 1004 be forward favorably to the full committee.

There is a motion to favorably forward H.R. 1004. All those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. H.R. 1004 is favorably reported to the full committee. I ask unanimous consent that the committee staff be authorized to make technical, clerical, and conforming changes to the bills favorably forwarded today. Hearing no objection, so ordered. I thank the members for their attendance and the subcommittee is adjourned.