WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced his support for the Gold Star Families Support and Installation Act. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation would increase support for Gold Star families by creating a standardized policy so the families can more easily access military facilities and certain military benefits.

            “Gold Star families have sacrificed so much for our country and they deserve our earnest support as they grieve for their loved ones,” Senator King said. “In President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, he summed up our collective responsibility to care for our nation’s veterans and their families saying we must, ‘care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan.’ By improving the services and benefits available to Gold Star families, we can better live by Lincoln’s words and give back to those who have given everything so we may live free.”

Under current law, there are no standardized means for Gold Star families to access military facilities to do things like visit a loved one’s gravesite, receive grief counseling, or attend a memorial service. Some services have taken steps to issue access cards, but there is still no consistent policy across military service branches. Additionally, Gold Star spouses lose their on-base benefits if they choose to remarry.

Joining Senator King in supporting the Senate legislation are Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), David Purdue (R-Ga.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

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