I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2551 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a national cemetery 

in Sarpy County, Nebraska, to serve veterans in eastern Nebraska and 

western Iowa. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2007 

Mr. TERRY (for himself, Mr. FORTENBERRY, and Mr. SMITH of Nebraska) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a 

national cemetery in Sarpy County, Nebraska, to serve 

veterans in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Congress strongly supports providing every 

6 honorably discharged veteran the opportunity to be 

7 buried in a national veterans cemetery in recognition 

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1 of their sacrifices for the freedoms enjoyed by every 

2 United States citizen; 

3 (2) The Department of Veterans Affairs has de4 termined that a population threshold of 170,000 eli5 gible people living within a 75-mile service radius is 

6 appropriate to merit the establishment of a new na7 tional cemetery in areas of greatest need nationwide. 

8 (3) Although the Department of Veterans Af9 fairs estimates a projected veterans population of 

10 133,000 within a 75-mile radius of the city of Belle11 vue, Nebraska, an independent analysis conducted 

12 by the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency located 

13 in Omaha, Nebraska, concluded that 172,500 people 

14 who reside within a 75-mile radius of Bellevue would 

15 be eligible to be buried in a national cemetery. 

16 (4) Congress has consistently authorized the 

17 construction of six new national cemeteries every 

18 four years since 1999, with the first six established 

19 by the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Bene20 fits Act (Public Law 106–117) and the next six es21 tablished by the National Cemetery Expansion Act 

22 of 2003 (Public Law 108–109). 

23 (5) The 2002 independent ‘‘Future Burial 

24 Needs’’ report completed for the Department of Vet25 erans Affairs pursuant to section 613 of the Vetmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 erans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act rec2 ommended Omaha, Nebraska as a location for a new 

3 national cemetery to be built in 2005. 

4 (6) The Midwest Health Care Network of the 

5 Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible 

6 for the provision of health care for veterans residing 

7 in Iowa and Nebraska, currently serves a high popu8 lation of aging veterans. 

9 (7) Major veterans and military advocacy orga10 nizations endorse the establishment of a national 

11 cemetery to serve veterans and their family members 

12 in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, including the 

13 Nebraska Department of Disabled American Vet14 erans, the Heartland of America Chapter of the 

15 Military Officers Association of America, the Great 

16 Plains Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America, 

17 the Nebraska Department of Veterans of Foreign 

18 Wars, the Nebraska chapter of Vietnam Veterans of 

19 America, the Nebraska Military Order of the Purple 

20 Heart, the Nebraska State Air Force Association, 

21 the Air Force Sergeants Association, Chapter 984, 

22 the Nebraska Department of the American Legion, 

23 the Forty & Eight Charitable Veterans, the Ne24 braska chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of 

25 War, the Nebraska chapter of Gold Star Wives, the 

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1 Korean War Veterans Association, Nebraska Chap2 ter 1, the Marine Corps League in Nebraska, and 

3 the Nebraska Department of American Veterans. 

4 (8) Such organizations represent a combined 

5 membership of at least 85,700 veterans and military 

6 advocates in the State of Nebraska. 

7 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CEMETERY IN 

8 SARPY COUNTY, NEBRASKA. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

10 shall establish, in accordance with chapter 24 of title 38, 

11 United States Code, a national cemetery in Sarpy County, 

12 Nebraska, to serve the needs of veterans and their families 

13 in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. 

14 (b) CONSULTATION IN SELECTION OF SITE.—Before 

15 selecting the site for the national cemetery established 

16 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with— 

17 (1) appropriate officials of the State of Ne18 braska and local officials in Sarpy County, Ne19 braska; and 

20 (2) appropriate officials of the United States, 

21 including the Administrator of General Services, 

22 with respect to land belonging to the United States 

23 in that region that would be suitable to establish the 

24 national cemetery under subsection (a). 

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1 (c) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT DONATION OF PARCEL

2 OF LAND.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans 

4 Affairs may accept on behalf of the United States 

5 the gift of an appropriate parcel of real property. 

6 The Secretary shall have administrative jurisdiction 

7 over such parcel of real property, and shall use such 

8 parcel to establish the national cemetery under sub9 section (a). 

10 (2) INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF GIFT.—For 

11 purposes of Federal income, estate, and gift taxes, 

12 the real property accepted under paragraph (1) shall 

13 be considered as a gift to the United States. 

14 (d) REPORT.—As soon as practicable after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

16 to Congress a report on the establishment of the national 

17 cemetery under subsection (a). The report shall set forth 

18 a schedule for such establishment and an estimate of the 

19 costs associated with such establishment. 

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