PHOENIX — Gov. Jan Brewer signed several measures into law on Thursday designed to benefit members of the military and their families.

One measure is specifically aimed at soldiers who sign up for health spa memberships and find they are being redeployed.

Current law gives those who sign up at health clubs only a limited ability to get out of their contracts. After the first three days, when cancellation is allowed, it takes the death or disability of the member or the fact they are moving at least 25 miles from any affiliated facility.

This new law gives the right to cancel or suspend to those on active duty who are deployed out of the state. If the soldier chooses the latter course, the spa cannot alter the financial terms or charge fees when the soldier comes back to Arizona.

Another measure will permit the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services to award the Gold Star Military Medal on behalf of those who have been killed in action since Sept. 11, 2001.

According to legislative staffers, several states already have similar honors for those who died while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. At last count, 113 Arizonans fell into that category.

Funding will come not from tax dollars but from the Veterans Donation Fund which gets its money both from contributions and from $17 extra paid by those who purchase state license plates for veterans.

A third measure modifies laws which now allow veterans to get honorary high school diplomas.

Existing law allows those diplomas to be awarded to those who are at least 65, currently reside in Arizona and can provide evidence that they enlisted in the military prior to completing high school. The new standard scraps both the age requirement and the proof of pre-graduation enlistment in favor of simply providing proof of being a veteran of World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict or the Vietnam Conflict.

Brewer also signed legislation making changes in the Military Family Relief Fund, an existing program which gets donations to help the relatives of soldiers and sailors from Arizona who were killed or wounded in the line of duty.

Separately, Brewer penned her approval to keeping alive the state Department of Environmental Quality — at least until mid 2014.

The authority for most state agencies is usually temporary, often in the range of five to 10 years, a move designed to require lawmakers to review their operation.

DEQ has come under some criticism from business interests for what they say is a slow response to permit requests as well as the agency’s pursuit of new greenhouse gas regulations. But most businesses support the agency’s continued existence, as the alternative would be having to deal with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The new lease on life for DEQ does contain a statement that the agency should  consolidate and focus its responsibilities “with the goal of increasing effectiveness, efficiency and public acceptance of environmental regulation.’’

Brewer has through Monday to sign the balance of the more than 200 bills sent to her in the closing days of the regular legislative session.