[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3901 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3901

To amend title 18, United States Code, to create criminal penalties for 
         theft and malicious vandalism at national cemeteries.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 25, 1996

  Mr. Calvert (for himself, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Stump, Mr. 
  Montgomery, Mr. McCollum, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Walker, Mr. 
Moorhead, Mr. Hoke, Mr. Buyer, Mr. Moran, Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. 
    Christensen, Mr. Cox of California, Mr. Hunter, Mr. McKeon, Mr. 
Brewster, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Kim, Mr. English 
   of Pennsylvania, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, Mr. Ewing, Mr. Horn, Mr. 
  Bonilla, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Lightfoot, Mr. Roemer, Mr. 
 Brown of California, Mr. Gilchrest, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Ramstad, Mrs. 
    Seastrand, Mr. Faleomavaega, and Mr. Torricelli) introduced the 
  following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 18, United States Code, to create criminal penalties for 
         theft and malicious vandalism at national cemeteries.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Cemetery Protection Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. VANDALISM AT NATIONAL CEMETERIES.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 91 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 1865. Vandalism and theft at national cemeteries
    ``(a) Whoever maliciously injures or commits any depredation 
against any property of a national cemetery, or attempts to commit any 
of the foregoing offenses, shall be punished as follows:
            ``(1) If the damage or attempted damage to such property 
        exceeds the sum of $100, by a fine under this title or 
        imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both.
            ``(2) If the damage or attempted damage to such property 
        does not exceed the sum of $100, by a fine under this title or 
        by imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.
    ``(b) Whoever--
            ``(1) steals or knowingly converts to his use or the use of 
        another any property of a national cemetery,
            ``(2) without authority, sells, conveys, or disposes of any 
        property of a national cemetery, or
            ``(3) receives, conceals, or retains any property of a 
        national cemetery with intent to convert such property to his 
        use or gain, knowing such property to have been stolen or 
        converted,
shall be punished by a fine under this title or by imprisonment for not 
more than 15 years, or both.
    ``(c) For the purposes of this section, the term `national 
cemetery' means a cemetery in the National Cemetery System established 
under section 2400 of title 38 and a cemetery under the jurisdiction of 
the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of 
the Air Force, or the Secretary of the Interior.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of 
chapter 91 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 1864 the following new item:

                              ``1865. Vandalism and theft at national 
                                        cemeteries.''.
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