A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to include in the death gratuity payable to survivors of a member of the Armed Forces who dies on active duty an amount equivalent to two months' housing allowances.
Public Law 99-227 · H.R. 3974 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 28, 1985 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-CO-1)
Cosponsors (32): Rep. Leslie Aspin, Rep. William Dickinson,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends Federal armed forces pay and allowances provisions to authorize the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of Transportation in the case of the Coast Guard when not operating as a service in the Navy, to allow dependents of a member of the armed forces who dies in the line of duty who are occupying family housing provided by the Department of Defense, or the Department of Transportation, on a nonrental basis to continue to occupy such housing without charge for a period of 90 days following the member's death.
Authorizes the Secretary concerned to pay an allowance for quarters to dependents of a member of the armed forces who dies in the line of duty who are either not occupying military family housing or are occupying such housing on a rental basis at the time of the member's death. Terminates such payment 90 days after the date of the member's death.
Provides that the above provisions take effect December 12, 1985.
Amends the Veterans' Administration Health-Care Amendments of 1985 to change the effective date for an increase in the maximum amount of life insurance payable under the Servicemen's Group Life Insurance program to include beneficiaries of members whose deaths occurred after December 11, 1985 (currently January 1, 1986) and who were insured in a specified amount under such program.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.
- Dec 28, 1985Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-227.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 20, 1985PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 19, 1985Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 18, 1985FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Armed Services Committee
- Dec 17, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Armed Services Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.