Bertie's Respect for National Cemeteries Act

To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the prohibition against interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration or Arlington National Cemetery of persons committing Federal or State capital crimes is consistently carried out, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Bertie’s Respect for National Cemeteries Act 2. Prohibition against interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration or Arlington National Cemetery of persons committing Federal or State capital crimes (a) Responsibility of appropriate Federal official Section 2411(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking In the case (A) Except as provided by subparagraph (B), in the case (2) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (B) The appropriate Federal official shall take every reasonable action, including by searching public records, to ensure that a person who will be interred in a cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery is not ineligible for such interment by reason of this section. . (b) Authority To disinter Section 2(c) of the Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act ( 38 U.S.C. 2411 (1) by striking this section subsection (a) (2) by inserting after Arlington National Cemetery on or after the date of the enactment of such section 2411 and the amendment made by subsection (b) shall apply with respect to any such interment or memorialization conducted 3. Disinterment of remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery (a) Disinterment of remains The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall disinter the remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. (b) Notification of next-of-Kin The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— (1) notify the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple of the impending disinterment of his remains; and (2) upon disinterment, relinquish the remains to the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple or, if the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple is unavailable, arrange for an appropriate disposition of the remains.

Summary: Bertie's Respect for National Cemeteries Act This bill requires the appropriate federal official to take every reasonable action, including by searching public records, to ensure that a person who will be interred in a cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery is not ineligible for such interment by reason of having been convicted of a federal or state capital crime or a tier III sex offense. The bill applies the requirement of the Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act for a written notice of a disqualifying felony conviction with respect to any interment or memorialization conducted, either before or after enactment of that Act. The Department of Veterans Affairs shall: (1) disinter the remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery (Pennsylvania); (2) notify his next of kin of the impending disinterment; and (3) upon disinterment, relinquish the remains to the next of kin or, if the next of kin of record is unavailable, arrange for the appropriate disposition of the remains.