[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1743 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1743

To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize memorialization of 
deceased spouses and surviving spouses of veterans and deceased members 
   of the Armed Forces whose remains are not available for interment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 11, 1998

Mr. Specter (by request) introduced the following bill; which was read 
        twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize memorialization of 
deceased spouses and surviving spouses of veterans and deceased members 
   of the Armed Forces whose remains are not available for interment.

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

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION TO FURNISH MEMORIAL HEADSTONES AND MARKERS FOR 
              SPOUSES AND SURVIVING SPOUSES OF VETERANS AND DECEASED 
              SERVICE MEMBERS.

    Section 2306(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by adding ``(which for purposes of this subsection 
        includes a person who died in the active military, naval, or 
        air service) or any spouse or surviving spouse (which for 
        purposes of this section includes an unremarried surviving 
        spouse who had a subsequent remarriage which was terminated by 
        death or divorce) of a veteran'' following ``any veteran'';
            (2) by striking out ``veteran's'' in paragraph (2) and 
        inserting in lieu thereof ``individual's''; and
            (3) by adding at the end thereof ``Where the Secretary has 
        furnished a memorial headstone or marker under this subsection 
        for the purpose of commemorating a veteran, or has furnished a 
        headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of a veteran under 
        subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary shall, where 
        feasible, add a memorial inscription to the existing headstone 
        or marker in lieu of furnishing a memorial headstone or marker 
        under this subsection for the veteran's surviving spouse.''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO PROVISIONS GOVERNING MEMORIAL AREAS.

    Section 2403(b) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by 
striking all after ``appropriate'' and inserting in lieu thereof 
``group memorials shall be erected to honor the memory of groups of 
individuals referred to in subsection (a) of this section, and 
appropriate memorial headstones and markers shall be erected to honor 
the memory of individuals referred to in subsection (a) of this section 
or subsection (b) of section 2306 of this title.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendments made by this Act shall be effective with respect to 
deaths occurring after the date of this enactment.
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