I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2078 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 11, 2025 
Mr. PERRY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices, 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 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bertie’s Respect for 
National Cemeteries Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST INTERMENT OR MEMORI-
ALIZATION IN THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AD-
MINISTRATION OR ARLINGTON NATIONAL 
CEMETERY OF PERSONS COMMITTING FED-
ERAL OR STATE CAPITAL CRIMES. 
(a) RESPONSIBILITY OF APPROPRIATE FEDERAL OF-
FICIAL.—Section 2411(a)(2) of title 38, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting ‘‘(A) 
Except as provided by subparagraph (B), in the 
case’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(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 note) is amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting 
‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 
(2) by inserting after ‘‘Arlington National Cem-
etery’’ the following: ‘‘on or after the date of the en-
actment of such section 2411 and the amendment 
made by subsection (b) shall apply with respect to 
any such interment or memorialization conducted’’. 
SEC. 3. DISINTERMENT OF REMAINS OF GEORGE E. SIPLE 
FROM INDIANTOWN GAP NATIONAL CEME-
TERY. 
(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 re-
mains; 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. 
Æ 
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