[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1256 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1256

   To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the annual 
  placement of memorials honoring the service in the Armed Forces of 
     veterans who, at the time of death, were homeless or indigent.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2003

    Mr. Evans (for himself, Ms. Carson of Indiana, and Mr. Michaud) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the annual 
  placement of memorials honoring the service in the Armed Forces of 
     veterans who, at the time of death, were homeless or indigent.

    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 ``Indigent Veteran Remembrance Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM OF MEMORIALS TO DECEASED HOMELESS AND 
              INDIGENT VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 24 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``Sec. 2412. Program of annual memorials to deceased homeless and 
              indigent veterans
    ``(a) Establishment of Program.--Subject to the succeeding 
provisions of this section, the Secretary shall establish a program for 
the placement of a unique memorial each year in four cemeteries in the 
United States to honor the service in the Armed Forces of veterans who 
at the time of death were homeless or indigent.
    ``(b) Requirements for Placement of Memorials.--(1) The cost of the 
plan, design, construction, inscription, and placement of a memorial 
under the program may not exceed $12,500.
    ``(2) In the case of the placement of a memorial in a cemetery 
under the program that is not under the control of the National 
Cemetery Administration, such placement is contingent upon receipt by 
the Secretary of notice in writing from the person or entity that owns 
the cemetery of its willingness to accept the memorial and to 
perpetually maintain the memorial consistent with standards of the 
cemetery for maintenance of memorials.
    ``(3) The selection of cemeteries for placement of memorials under 
the program shall assure that memorial placements are geographically 
diverse and are varied with respect to the persons or entities that 
own, or have administrative jurisdiction over, the cemetery.
    ``(c) Selection of Inscription of Memorials.--(1) Each memorial to 
be placed under the program shall bear a unique inscription of less 
than 160 characters to honor the memory of veterans interred in the 
cemetery who at the time of death were homeless or indigent.
    ``(2) The inscription for a memorial under the program shall be 
selected by the Secretary from among suggested inscriptions solicited 
from individuals, schools, businesses, and other appropriate 
organizations (including veterans service organizations), 
geographically proximate to the cemetery at which the proposed memorial 
is to be placed.
    ``(3) An inscription selected by the Secretary should carry out the 
purposes of engaging the community involved in remembrance of the 
service of veterans who at the time of death were homeless or indigent 
and generating greater awareness of the plight of homeless and indigent 
veterans.
    ``(d) Consultation With the Advisory Committee on Cemeteries and 
Memorials.--The Secretary shall carry out the program, including the 
annual selection of sites for placement and the inscriptions of the 
memorials, in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Cemeteries 
and Memorials established under section 2401 of this title.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning 
of chapter 24 of such title is amended by adding at the end the 
following new item:

``2412. Program of annual memorials to deceased homeless and indigent 
                            veterans.''.
    (c) Implementation.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
implement the program under section 2412 of title 38, United States 
Code, as added by subsection (a), so that placement of memorials under 
the program begins on November 11, 2003.
                                 <all>