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Justice and Law Enforcement: Defense of Marriage Act

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Jan. 31, 1997
Report No. OGC-97-16
Subject
Summary:

The Defense of Marriage Act, which became law in 1996, defines "marriage" as a "legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife"; similarly, it defines "spouse" as "a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife." The legislation potentially affects the interpretation of a wide variety of federal laws in which marital status is a factor. This report identifies federal laws in which benefits, rights, and privileges are contingent on marital status. GAO divides its discussion into 13 categories: social security, housing, and food stamps; veterans' benefits; taxation; federal civilian and military service benefits; employment benefits; immigration, naturalization, and aliens; Indians; trade, commerce, and intellectual property; financial disclosure and conflict of interest; crimes and family violence; loans, guarantees, and payments in agriculture; federal natural resources; and miscellaneous laws.

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