SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Honoring American 
Veterans Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PLACEMENT OF MONU-
MENTS IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY. 
Section 2409(b) of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Under’’ and inserting ‘‘(1) 
Under’’; 
(2) by inserting after ‘‘Secretary of the Army’’ 
the following: ‘‘and subject to paragraph (2)’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraphs: 
‘‘(2)(A) Except for a monument containing or mark-
ing interred remains, no monument (or similar structure, 
as determined by the Secretary of the Army in regula-
tions) may be placed in Arlington National Cemetery ex-
cept pursuant to the provisions of this subsection. 
‘‘(B) A monument may be placed in Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery if the monument commemorates— 
‘‘(i) the service in the Armed Forces of the indi-
vidual, or group of individuals, whose memory is to 
be honored by the monument; or 
‘‘(ii) a particular military event.
‘‘(C) No monument may be placed in Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery until the end of the 25-year period begin-
ning— 
‘‘(i) in the case of the commemoration of serv-
ice under subparagraph (B)(i), on the last day of the 
period of service so commemorated; and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of the commemoration of a 
particular military event under subparagraph (B)(ii), 
on the last day of the period of the event. 
‘‘(D) A monument may be placed only in those sec-
tions of Arlington National Cemetery designated by the 
Secretary of the Army for such placement and only on 
land the Secretary determines is not suitable for burial. 
‘‘(E) A monument may only be placed in Arlington 
National Cemetery if an appropriate non-governmental en-
tity has agreed to act as a sponsoring organization to co-
ordinate the placement of the monument and— 
‘‘(i) the construction and placement of the 
monument are paid for only using funds from pri-
vate sources; 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary of the Army consults with 
the Commission of Fine Arts before approving the 
design of the monument; and 
‘‘(iii) the sponsoring organization provides for 
an independent study on the availability and suit-
ability of alternative locations for the proposed 
monument outside of Arlington National Cemetery. 
‘‘(3)(A) The Secretary of the Army may waive the 
requirement under paragraph (2)(C) in a case in which 
the monument would commemorate a group of individuals 
who the Secretary determines— 
‘‘(i) has made valuable contributions to the 
Armed Forces that have been ongoing and perpetual 
for longer than 25 years and are expected to con-
tinue on indefinitely; and 
‘‘(ii) has provided service that is of such a char-
acter that the failure to place a monument to the 
group in Arlington National Cemetery would present 
a manifest injustice. 
‘‘(B) If the Secretary waives such requirement under 
subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) make available on an Internet website noti-
fication of the waiver and the rationale for the waiv-
er; and 
‘‘(ii) submit to the Committee on Veterans’ Af-
fairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives written notice of the waiver and the 
rationale for the waiver.
‘‘(4) The Secretary of the Army shall provide notice 
to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee 
on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services 
of the House of Representatives of any monument pro-
posed to be placed in Arlington National Cemetery. Dur-
ing the 60-day period beginning on the date on which such 
notice is received, Congress may pass a joint resolution 
of disapproval of the placement of the monument. The 
proposed monument may not be placed in Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery until the later of— 
‘‘(A) if Congress does not pass a joint resolu-
tion of disapproval of the placement of the monu-
ment, the date that is 60 days after the date on 
which notice is received under this paragraph; or 
‘‘(B) if Congress passes a joint resolution of 
disapproval of the placement of the monument, and 
the President signs a veto of such resolution, the 
earlier of— 
‘‘(i) the date on which either House of 
Congress votes and fails to override the veto of 
the President; or 
‘‘(ii) the date that is 30 session days after 
the date on which Congress received the veto 
and objections of the president.’’.
SEC. 3. CODIFICATION OF PROHIBITION AGAINST RES-
ERVATION OF GRAVESITES AT ARLINGTON 
NATIONAL CEMETERY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 24 of title 38, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2410 
the following new section: 
‘‘§ 2410A. Arlington National Cemetery: other admin-
istrative matters 
‘‘(a) ONE GRAVESITE PER FAMILY.—(1) Not more 
than one gravesite may be provided at Arlington National 
Cemetery to a veteran or member of the Armed Forces 
who is eligible for interment at such cemetery and the 
family members of such veteran or member who are also 
eligible for interment at such cemetery. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary may waive the requirement under 
paragraph (1) in extreme circumstances, as determined by 
the Secretary. If the Secretary waives such requirement 
under this paragraph, the Secretary shall submit notice 
of the waiver to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and the Committee on 
Armed Services of the House of Representatives. 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITION
AGAINST
RESERVATION
OF 
GRAVESITES.—A gravesite at Arlington National Ceme-
tery may not be reserved for an individual before the death 
of such individual.’’.
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
at the beginning of chapter 24 of such title is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 2410 the 
following new item: 
‘‘2410A. Arlington National Cemetery: other administrative matters.’’. 
(c) APPLICABILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), section 2410A of such title, as added by 
subsection (a), shall apply with respect to all inter-
ments at Arlington National Cemetery after the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—Subsection (b) of such sec-
tion, as so added, shall not apply with respect to the 
interment of an individual for whom a written re-
quest for a reserved gravesite was submitted to the 
Secretary of the Army before January 1, 1962, and 
subsequently approved. 
(d) REPORT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of the Army shall submit to Congress a report 
on reservations made for interment at Arlington Na-
tional Cemetery. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para-
graph (1) shall include the following: