[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1532 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1532

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 6, 1997

  Mr. Calvert (for himself, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Stump, Mr. Bono, Mr. 
Royce, Mr. Brown of California, Mr. Hayworth, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Canady of 
 Florida, Mr. Gilman, Mr. McCollum, Mr. Bonilla, Mr. Barr of Georgia, 
Mr. Mica, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Bilbray, 
Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, 
 Mr. Quinn, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Holden, Mr. Green, Mr. Norwood, Mr. Brown of 
Ohio, Mr. McKeon, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Lewis of California, Mr. Sam Johnson 
   of Texas Mr. Gutknecht, Mr. Manton, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. English of 
Pennsylvania, Mr. Mascara, Mr. Peterson of Minnesota, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. 
Everett, Mr. Frost, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Cooksey, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, 
Mrs. Kelly, Mr. Gekas, Mr. Armey, Mr. Ramstad, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Meehan, 
Mr. Doyle, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Regula, Mr. Vento, Mr. Dicks, Mr. Foley, Mr. 
 Rohrabacher, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Roemer, and Mr. 
Smith of Michigan) 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 willful 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 
1997''.

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 willfully 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 $1000, 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 $1000, 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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