HR 4940 · 107th Congress 2001–2003, ended

Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act

Introduced Jun 13, 2002 Originated House Sponsor Bob Stump R-AZ

Latest action · Jul 23, 2002 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedJun 13, 2002
Passed HouseJul 22, 2002
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act - Allows the remains of the following persons to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery: (1) any member of the armed forces who dies while on active duty; (2) any retired member of the armed forces; (3) any member or former member of a reserve component of the armed forces who served on active duty, who was honorably discharged from active duty, who was under 60 years of age, and who, but for such age, would have been eligible for retired pay; (4) any former member who was separated for physical disability before October 1, 1949, who served on active duty, and who would have been eligible for disability retirement if such provisions had been in effect on such date; (5) any former member whose last active military service was terminated honorably and who has been awarded one of a number of specified military decorations; (6) any former prisoner of war who dies on or after November 30, 1993; (7) any reserve member who dies while on active duty for training or inactive duty training; (8) the President or any former President; (9) the spouse, surviving spouse, minor child, and, in the discretion of the Cemetery's Superintendent, unmarried adult child of an interred member (but only if buried in the same grave site); (10) the spouse, minor child, and unmarried adult child (discretionary) of a member on active duty if such person dies while the member is on active duty; (11) the individual whose spouse, minor child, and unmarried adult child (discretionary) is eligible under (10), above, but only if buried in the same grave site; (12) the parents of a minor child or unmarried adult child whose remains, based on the parent's eligibility, are already buried in the Cemetery, but only if buried in the same grave site; (13) the surviving spouse, minor child, and unmarried adult child (discretionary) of a member who was lost, buried at sea, or officially determined to be permanently absent in a status of missing or missing in action; and (14) the surviving spouse, minor child, and unmarried adult child (discretionary) of a member buried in a cemetery under the jurisdiction of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

Authorizes the President to deem an otherwise ineligible individual as eligible for such burial for extraordinary acts, services, or contributions to the armed forces. Prohibits the consideration of a request for burial under such extraordinary circumstances that is made before the death of the individual involved.

Directs the Secretary of the Army to: (1) maintain a register of each individual buried in the Cemetery that describes the basis of burial eligibility for individuals buried on or after January 1, 2002; and (2) publish an updated pamphlet describing eligibility for Cemetery burial.

(Sec. 3) Authorizes the cremated remains of the following individuals to be placed in the Cemetery columbarium: (1) any person described above who is eligible for Cemetery burial; (2) a veteran whose last period of active duty service (other than for training) ended honorably; and (3) the spouse, surviving spouse, minor child, and, at the Superintendent's discretion, the unmarried adult child of a veteran whose last period of active service ended honorably.

(Sec. 4) Requires a Cemetery grave site to be appropriately marked. Requires the Secretary to prescribe regulations for the provision of Cemetery headstones or markers at private expense in lieu of Cemetery headstones and markers provided by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Allows for the placement of Cemetery monuments for particular military service or a military event, but requires a 25-year wait after such service or event before the placing of such monument.

(Sec. 6) Amends the Veterans Education and Benefits Expansion Act of 2001 to make a provision authorizing the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish a headstone or marker for the graves of eligible veterans buried in private cemeteries effective with respect to veterans dying on or after September 11, 2001 (currently December 27, 2001).

Cosponsors 7

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 13, 2002 to Jul 18, 2002; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-NJ	Christopher H. Smith	Original	Jun 13, 2002
D-IL	Lane Evans	Original	Jun 13, 2002
R-ID	Michael K. Simpson	Original	Jun 13, 2002
D-TX	Silvestre Reyes	Original	Jun 13, 2002
R-NV	Jim Gibbons		Jul 18, 2002
R-AL	Sonny Callahan		Jul 18, 2002
D-NM	Tom Udall		Jul 18, 2002

Committees 2

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Veterans' Affairs Committee	Referred Jun 13, 2002Markup Jul 16, 2002Reported Jul 18, 2002
	Benefits Subcommittee	Referred Jul 2, 2002Markup Jul 9, 2002Reported Jul 9, 2002
Senate	Veterans' Affairs Committee	Referred Jul 23, 2002

Actions 15

Everything that happened, newest first.

Jul 23, 2002Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Jul 22, 2002Mr. Moran (KS) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Jul 22, 2002Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5013-5017)
Jul 22, 2002DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4940.
Jul 22, 2002Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5013-5015)
Jul 22, 2002Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Jul 18, 2002Reported by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. H. Rept. 107-588.
Jul 18, 2002Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 352.
Jul 16, 2002Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 16, 2002Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 3.
Jul 9, 2002Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jul 9, 2002Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Jul 2, 2002Referred to the Subcommittee on Benefits.
Jun 13, 2002Introduced in House
Jun 13, 2002Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

In the Congressional Record 2

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
Extensions	Debate and remarks E1379	Bob Stump R-AZ	Jul 25, 2002
House	Debate and remarks H5013–H5017Text printed H5013–H5015	Benjamin A. Gilman R-NY, Jeff Miller R-FL, Jerry Moran R-KS, John Shimkus R-IL, Ronnie Shows D-MS, Silvestre Reyes D-TX, Vic Snyder D-AR	Jul 22, 2002

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Committee report

H. Rept. 107-588

Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 4

Jul 17, 2002H.R. 4940, Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on July 16, 2002</p>
Jul 17, 2002H.R. 4940, Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on July 16, 2002
Jul 11, 2002H.R. 4940, Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as introduced on June 13, 2002</p>
Jul 11, 2002H.R. 4940, Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility ActCost estimate for the bill as introduced on June 13, 2002

Titles 4

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: To amend title 38, United States Code, to enact into law eligibility requirements for burial in Arlington National Cemetery, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced: Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act
Short Titles as Reported to House: Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act
Short Titles as Passed House: Arlington National Cemetery Burial Eligibility Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security.

Text 4

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Jul 23, 2002Referred in Senate
Jul 22, 2002Engrossed in House
Jul 18, 2002Reported in House
Jun 13, 2002Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.