SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM OF MEMORIALS TO
DECEASED HOMELESS AND INDIGENT VET-
ERANS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 24 of title 38, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section:
‘‘§ 2412. Program of memorials to deceased homeless
and indigent veterans
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—Subject to the
succeeding provisions of this section, the Secretary shall
establish a program for the placement of a unique memo-
rial each year in four cemeteries in the United States to
honor the service in the Armed Forces of veterans who
at the time of death were homeless or indigent.
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS FOR PLACEMENT OF MEMO-
RIALS.—(1) The cost of the plan, design, construction, in-
scription, and placement of a memorial under the program
may not exceed $12,000.
‘‘(2) In the case of the placement of a memorial in
a cemetery under the program that is not under the con-
trol of the National Cemetery Administration, such place-
ment is contingent upon receipt by the Secretary of notice
in writing from the person or entity that owns the ceme-
tery of its willingness to accept the memorial and to per-
petually maintain the memorial consistent with standards
of the cemetery for maintenance of memorials.
‘‘(3) The selection of cemeteries for placement of me-
morials under the program shall assure that memorial
placements are geographically diverse and are varied with
respect to the persons or entities that own, or have admin-
istrative jurisdiction over, the cemetery.
‘‘(c) SELECTION OF INSCRIPTION OF MEMORIALS.—
(1) Each memorial to be placed under the program shall
bear a unique inscription of less than 160 characters to
honor the memory of veterans interred in the cemetery
who at the time of death were homeless or indigent.
‘‘(2) The inscription for a memorial under the pro-
gram shall be selected by the Secretary from among sug-
gested inscriptions solicited from individuals, schools,
businesses, and other appropriate organizations (including
veterans service organizations), geographically proximate
to the cemetery at which the proposed memorial is to be
placed.
‘‘(3) An inscription selected by the Secretary should
carry out the purposes of engaging the community in-
volved in remembrance of the service of veterans who at
the time of death were homeless or indigent and gener-
ating greater awareness of the plight of homeless and indi-
gent veterans.
‘‘(d) CONSULTATION WITH
THE ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE ON CEMETERIES AND MEMORIALS.—The Sec-
retary shall carry out the program, including the annual
selection of sites for placement and the inscriptions of the
memorials, in consultation with the Advisory Committee
on Cemeteries and Memorials established under section
2401 of this title.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of chapter 24 of such title is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following new item:
‘‘2412. Program of annual memorials to deceased homeless and indigent vet-
erans.’’.
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of Veterans
Affairs shall implement the program under section 2412
of such title, as added by subsection (a) so that placement
of memorials under the program begins on November 11,
2003.
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