[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 687 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 687

   To amend title 10, United States Code, to prohibit the concurrent 
    deployment to combat zones of both military spouses of military 
         families with minor children, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2003

   Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 10, United States Code, to prohibit the concurrent 
    deployment to combat zones of both military spouses of military 
         families with minor children, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protect Military Children Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CONCURRENT DEPLOYMENT TO COMBAT ZONES OF BOTH 
              MILITARY SPOUSES OF MILITARY FAMILIES WITH MINOR 
              CHILDREN.

    (a) Prohibition.--(1) Chapter 49 of title 10, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 987. Concurrent deployment to combat zones of both spouses of 
              dual-military families with minor children
    ``(a) Prohibition.--The Secretary of Defense may not authorize the 
concurrent deployment to a combat zone of both spouses of a dual-
military family with one or more minor children.
    ``(b) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe regulations with 
respect to the prohibition in subsection (a), including the criteria 
for determining the areas constituting a combat zone for purposes of 
the prohibition.
    ``(c) Dual-Military Family Defined.--In this section, the term 
`dual-military family' means a family in which both spouses are members 
of the armed forces.''.
    (2) The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is 
amended by adding at the end the following new item:

``987. Concurrent deployment to combat zones of both spouses of dual-
                            military families with minor children.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--(1) The prohibition in subsection (a) of 
section 987 of title 10, United States Code (as added by subsection (a) 
of this section), shall take effect 15 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
    (2) The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe the regulations 
required by subsection (b) of such section 987 (as so added) so as to 
take effect upon the effective date under paragraph (1) of the 
prohibition referred to in that paragraph.
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