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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-Senate" dms-id="A1" public-private="public" slc-id="S1-CAN25855-SCL-V5-HPD">
    <metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dublinCore>
<dc:title>119 S2623 IS: Honest Operations for National Cemetery Reporting Act of 2025</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2025-07-31</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
</dublinCore>
</metadata>
<form>
        <distribution-code>II</distribution-code>
        <congress>119th CONGRESS</congress>
        <session>1st Session</session>
        <legis-num>S. 2623</legis-num>
        <current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber>
        <action>
            <action-date date="20250731">July 31, 2025</action-date>
            <action-desc><sponsor name-id="S381">Mr. Rounds</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="S341">Mr. Blumenthal</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which
                was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSVA00">Committee
                    on Veterans’ Affairs</committee-name></action-desc>
        </action>
        <legis-type>A BILL</legis-type>
        <official-title>To enhance the transparency of the National Cemetery Administration of the
            Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.</official-title>
    </form>
    <legis-body>
        <section id="S1" section-type="section-one">
            <enum>1.</enum>
            <header>Short title</header>
 <text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Honest Operations for National Cemetery Reporting Act of 2025</short-title></quote> or the <quote><short-title>HONOR Act of 2025</short-title></quote>.</text>
        </section>
        <section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4f3a7cfe3bc14090b5a3d904c9a25709">
            <enum>2.</enum>
            <header>Interment schedule availability at cemeteries under the control of the National
                Cemetery Administration</header>
            <subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id61f8fd39e6af4c57b934479e64c75643">
                <enum>(a)</enum>
                <header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header>
 <text>The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall maintain, on the publicly accessible website landing page of the National Cemetery Administration, a spreadsheet or similar document displaying the most recent interment schedule availability for each operational cemetery under the control of the National Cemetery Administration.</text>
            </subsection>
            <subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb1b73ccba36647f4ac486619085f7262">
                <enum>(b)</enum>
                <header>Implementation</header>
 <text>The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall—</text> <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idcff772439bb94dee8d0b78663ea1737e"> <enum>(1)</enum> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, make the spreadsheet or similar document described in subsection (b) available as required by such subsection; and</text>
                </paragraph>
                <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9b5bde8351824639886efb2acf7eb9d4">
                    <enum>(2)</enum>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">once every 30 days thereafter, update such spreadsheet or similar document.</text>
                </paragraph>
            </subsection>
            <subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9eb7279a22a54a19885ecf5e19ef038b">
                <enum>(c)</enum>
                <header>Definition of interment schedule availability</header>
 <text>Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a proposed definition for the term <quote>interment schedule availability</quote> that—</text>
                <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id238bd657c10d4292ae7e18f7b3091dbf">
                    <enum>(1)</enum>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">generally means the number of business days between the establishment of a case for a deceased individual and the first availability for the interment of the individual; and</text>
                </paragraph>
                <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idae79f529a6214db58124cd4858605220">
                    <enum>(2)</enum>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">takes into account the ability to meet the family's preferred dates, days of the week, and times for scheduling the interment.</text>
                </paragraph>
            </subsection>
            <subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ide0b6cb9c54464f6c89327ca3406ed3b4">
                <enum>(d)</enum>
                <header>Report on historical data</header>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to Congress a report on data for interment schedule availability during the five-year period ending on the date on which the report is submitted.</text>
            </subsection>
        </section>
        <section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" section-type="subsequent-section" id="id42c7a8289c8e4933bec1aa69ccd19101">
            <enum>3.</enum>
            <header>Customer service surveys</header>
            <subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idf254f47bf7664fc0a8d0389c1712a4d0">
                <enum>(a)</enum>
                <header>American Customer Satisfaction Index survey</header>
                <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida586c4ce077f49fdacbd39aff5669426">
                    <enum>(1)</enum>
                    <header>Sense of Congress</header>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">It is the sense of Congress that the National Cemetery Administration should continue to participate in the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey.</text>
                </paragraph>
                <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id27c0fdf777564a9cb024b27afd88516f">
                    <enum>(2)</enum>
                    <header>Notice to Congress</header>
 <text>Not later than 30 days before the date on which the National Cemetery Administration does not participate in an American Customer Satisfaction Index survey, the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall notify Congress of such non-participation.</text>
                </paragraph>
            </subsection>
            <subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9084abf4d0804fa0952e412ea10586e6">
                <enum>(b)</enum>
                <header>National Cemetery Administration surveys</header>
                <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id06dc634c43bf47fb952c90f162ace0ef">
                    <enum>(1)</enum>
                    <header>In general</header>
 <text>The Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs shall continue to—</text> <subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id392182d3c45e4023b904b6b805b1149b"> <enum>(A)</enum> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">administer the customer service survey of the National Cemetery Administration to veterans, families, and funeral homes through ongoing survey activities; and</text>
                    </subparagraph>
                    <subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id720d82a81f0f4f059b76124dda4a0bfa">
                        <enum>(B)</enum>
 <text>publish the results of such survey.</text> </subparagraph> </paragraph> <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2d12637bab2c47fca80375debf3cf740"> <enum>(2)</enum> <header>Submittal to Congress</header> <text>Not later than 30 days before the date on which any change is made to the survey described in paragraph (1), including with respect to methodology, participants, or scope, the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs shall submit to Congress a description of such change.</text>
                </paragraph>
            </subsection>
        </section>
    </legis-body>
</bill>

