Expanding America’s National Cemetery Act of 2023

Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1413 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1413

  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand or otherwise 
   modify an existing national cemetery to ensure that full military 
   honors are provided at such cemetery, to require the Secretary of 
  Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to jointly submit to 
 Congress a report containing a proposal to increase national cemetery 
 capacity and an assessment of the criteria for interment at Arlington 
               National Cemetery, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2023

Mrs. McClain (for herself, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Jackson of North Carolina, 
  Ms. Ross, and Mr. Wittman) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the 
Committee on Armed Services, 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 require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to expand or otherwise 
   modify an existing national cemetery to ensure that full military 
   honors are provided at such cemetery, to require the Secretary of 
  Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to jointly submit to 
 Congress a report containing a proposal to increase national cemetery 
 capacity and an assessment of the criteria for interment at Arlington 
               National Cemetery, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Expanding America's National 
Cemetery Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF EXISTING NATIONAL CEMETERY TO CONTINUE 
              PROVISION OF FULL MILITARY HONORS.

    (a) In General.--Before Arlington National Cemetery reaches 
capacity, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall expand or otherwise 
modify a national cemetery described in subsection (b) to ensure that 
full military honors are provided at such cemetery--
            (1) in a manner that is consistent with the full military 
        honors provided for interment in Arlington National Cemetery as 
        of March 31, 2023; and
            (2) using the eligibility criteria in effect as of March 
        31, 2023, for providing full military honors for interment in 
        Arlington National Cemetery.
    (b) National Cemetery Described.--A national cemetery described in 
this subsection is a national cemetery that is--
            (1) in use as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) under the control of the National Cemetery 
        Administration.

SEC. 3. REPORT ON CRITERIA FOR INTERMENT IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY 
              AND PROPOSAL TO INCREASE NATIONAL CEMETERY CAPACITY.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
shall jointly submit to Congress a report that contains each of the 
following:
            (1) A proposal to increase national cemetery capacity 
        through the expansion or modification of a national cemetery 
        described in section 2(b) that has, or will have, the capacity 
        to provide full military honors.
            (2) The assessment of the Secretary of Defense, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of the Army, with respect to 
        any revisions that should be made to the revised criteria for 
        interment in Arlington National Cemetery prescribed pursuant to 
        section 598 of the John S. McCain National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232; 38 
        U.S.C. 2402 note) in order to ensure that such criteria 
        recognize exceptional service and honors.
            (3) An assessment of how the revised criteria described in 
        paragraph (2) will affect--
                    (A) women;
                    (B) veterans who served in non-combat occupations 
                as members of the Armed Forces;
                    (C) veterans who did not serve in combat as members 
                of the Armed Forces; and
                    (D) such other groups as the Secretaries consider 
                relevant.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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