I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6269 

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

Affairs to furnish headstones, markers, and medallions for graves of 

certain enslaved individuals and individuals who performed military functions despite ineligibility to serve in the Armed Forces. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 7, 2023 

Mr. HORSFORD (for himself and Mr. BACON) 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 furnish headstones, markers, and medallions for graves of certain enslaved individuals and individuals who performed military functions 

despite ineligibility to serve in the Armed Forces. 

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 ‘‘Headstones for Honor 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR HEADSTONES, MARKERS, AND ME2 DALLIONS, FURNISHED BY THE SECRETARY 

3 OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, FOR GRAVES OF CER4 TAIN ENSLAVED INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVID5 UALS WHO PERFORMED MILITARY FUNC6 TIONS DESPITE INELIGIBILITY TO SERVE IN 

7 THE ARMED FORCES. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 2306 of title 38, 

9 United States Code, is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘and 

12 Navies’’ after ‘‘Armies’’; and 

13 (B) by inserting, after paragraph (5), the 

14 following new paragraphs: 

15 ‘‘(6) Any enslaved individual, determined by the 

16 Secretary to have— 

17 ‘‘(A) accompanied a member of the Armed 

18 Forces or a Civil War veteran (as that term is 

19 defined in section 1501 of this title) during ac20 tive military or naval service of such member or 

21 Civil War veteran; or 

22 ‘‘(B) served in the Armed Forces (or Con23 federate Army or Navy) in lieu of another indi24 vidual. 

25 ‘‘(7) Any individual determined by the Sec26 retary to have performed a military function while 


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1 prohibited from serving as a member of the Armed 

2 Forces— 

3 ‘‘(A) by Federal, State, or Tribal law; and 

4 ‘‘(B) on the basis of race, gender, sex, or 

5 ethnicity.’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ‘‘or (5)’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘(5), (6), or (7)’’; 

8 (3) by redesignating subsection (j) as sub9 section (l); and 

10 (4) by inserting, after subsection (i), the fol11 lowing new subsections (j) and (k): 

12 ‘‘(j) With respect to an individual described in para13 graph (6) of subsection (a), who served in the military or 

14 naval forces of the Confederate States of America during 

15 the Civil War, a headstone, marker, or medallion, fur16 nished by the Secretary, shall include language that de17 notes such individual was forced to support their own en18 slavement. 

19 ‘‘(k) With respect to an individual described in para20 graph (6) or (7) of subsection (a), a request to the Sec21 retary for a headstone, marker, or medallion may be made 

22 only by— 

23 ‘‘(1) a direct descendant of the individual de24 scribed in such paragraph; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) an individual whom the Secretary deter2 mines has made a sufficiently reasonable attempt to 

3 solicit, from such a known direct descendant, con4 sent to make such request on behalf of such direct 

5 descendant.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 2207(a)(1) 

7 of the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans 

8 Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 (Pub9 lic Law 116–315) is amended by striking ‘‘subsections (h), 

10 (i), and (j) as subsections (i), (j), and (k)’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘subsections (h) through (l) as subsections (i) through 

12 (m)’’. 

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

14 this section shall take effect on the earlier of the following: 

15 (1) The day on which the Secretary prescribes 

16 regulations under subsection (d). 

17 (2) The day that is one year after the date of 

18 the enactment of this Act. 

19 (d) REGULATIONS.—Not later than one year after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Vet21 erans Affairs shall prescribe regulations to carry out the 

22 amendments made by subsection (a), that— 

23 (1) are informed by comment, solicited by the 

24 Secretary, from— 

25 (A) Civil War historians; 


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1 (B) civil rights organizations; and 

2 (C) direct descendants of individuals de3 scribed in under paragraphs (6) and (7) of sec4 tion 2306(a) of title 38, United States Code, as 

5 added by such amendments; 

6 (2) define the term ‘‘military function’’ for pur7 poses of such section, as amended; and 

8 (3) establish what evidence the Secretary may 

9 consider when determining performance of military 

10 functions of such individuals or family relationships 

11 to such individuals. Such evidence shall include the 

12 following: 

13 (A) Federal or State pay records. 

14 (B) Federal or State pension records. 

15 (C) Confederate pay records. 

16 (D) Regimental histories. 

17 (E) Newspapers. 

18 (F) Photographs. 

19 (G) Ship logs. 

20 (H) Diaries. 

21 (I) Family records, including bibles. 

22 (J) Church records. 

23 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 15 months after the en24 actment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

25 shall submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of 


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1 the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on 

2 the implementation of the amendments made by sub3 section (a) and the regulations prescribed under sub4 section (d). 

Æ 


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