I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3715 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans 

Affairs to permit interments, funerals, memorial services, and ceremonies 

of deceased veterans at national cemeteries and State cemeteries receiving 

grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs during certain weekends 

if requested for religious reasons. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 8, 2015 

Ms. BROWN of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to permit interments, funerals, 

memorial services, and ceremonies of deceased veterans 

at national cemeteries and State cemeteries receiving 

grants from the Department of Veterans Affairs during 

certain weekends if requested for religious reasons. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Final Farewell Act 

5 of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF INTERMENTS, FUNERALS, ME2 MORIAL SERVICES, AND CEREMONIES AT NA3 TIONAL CEMETERIES AND STATE CEME4 TERIES RECEIVING GRANTS DURING WEEK5 ENDS WHEN REQUESTED FOR RELIGIOUS OR 

6 CULTURAL REASONS. 

7 (a) NATIONAL CEMETERIES.—Section 2404 of title 

8 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following new subsection: 

10 ‘‘(i) The Secretary shall permit the interment or fu11 neral, memorial service, or ceremony of a deceased veteran 

12 at a national cemetery during weekends, other than Fed13 eral holiday weekends, upon a request of the next-of-kin 

14 of the veteran made for religious or cultural reasons, as 

15 determined by the Secretary.’’. 

16 (b) STATE CEMETERIES.—Section 2408(c) of such 

17 title is amended— 

18 (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para19 graph (3); and 

20 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol21 lowing new paragraph (2): 

22 ‘‘(2) In addition to the conditions specified in sub23 section (b) and paragraph (1), any grant to a State under 

24 this section to assist such State in establishing a veterans’ 

25 cemetery shall be made on the condition that such ceme26 tery shall permit the interment or funeral, memorial servVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:36 Oct 14, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3715.IH H3715

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1 ice, or ceremony of a deceased veteran at the cemetery 

2 during weekends, other than Federal holiday weekends, 

3 upon a request of the next-of-kin of the veteran made for 

4 religious or cultural reasons, as determined by the Sec5 retary.’’. 

6 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

7 this section shall apply with respect to deaths occurring 

8 on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

9 (d) NOTICE REQUIREMENT.—Upon receipt of a re10 quest for an application for burial or interment in a na11 tional cemetery, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 

12 provide notice to the individual submitting the request of 

13 the opportunity to request the interment or funeral, me14 morial service, or ceremony of a deceased veteran at a na15 tional cemetery during weekends, other than Federal holi16 day weekends, for religious or cultural reasons, as author17 ized by subsection (i) of section 2404 of title 38, United 

18 States Code, as added by subsection (a). 

Æ 


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