[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 783 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 783

     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
    Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration 
employees, volunteers, and veterans' service organizations that perform 
funeral honors and memorial honor details should be permitted to recite 
     the 13 steps to fold an American flag (known as the ``13-fold 
 recital'') at any national cemetery if requested by the family of the 
                               deceased.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 30, 2007

 Mr. LaTourette (for himself and Mr. Calvert) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
    Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration 
employees, volunteers, and veterans' service organizations that perform 
funeral honors and memorial honor details should be permitted to recite 
     the 13 steps to fold an American flag (known as the ``13-fold 
 recital'') at any national cemetery if requested by the family of the 
                               deceased.

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration 
        (hereinafter referred to as the ``NCA'' ) honors veterans with final 
        resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that 
        commemorate their service to the Nation;
Whereas the NCA currently maintains more than 2.8 million grave sites at 125 
        national cemeteries in 39 States and Puerto Rico;
Whereas in fiscal year 2006 nearly 97,000 interments were conducted at national 
        cemeteries;
Whereas in fiscal year 2006 nearly 72 percent of interments were at the Nation's 
        20 busiest national cemeteries in Riverside, California, Florida, 
        Calverton, New York, Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, Fort Snelling, 
        Minnesota, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Fort Logan, Colorado, Willamette, 
        Oregon, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, 
        Houston, Texas, Fort Rosecrans, California, Abraham Lincoln, Illinois, 
        Tahoma, Washington, Massachusetts, San Joaquin Valley, California, Long 
        Island, New York, Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, Ohio Western Reserve, 
        and Great Lakes, Michigan;
Whereas the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2000 (Public Law 
        106-65) requires, upon a family's request, that every eligible veteran 
        receive a military funeral honors ceremony, to include folding and 
        presenting the United States burial flag and the playing of Taps, and 
        the law further stipulates that veterans' organizations may assist in 
        providing military funeral honors;
Whereas the folding and presentation of the United States flag is a solemn and 
        important moment for families of the deceased, and can be done in 
        silence or accompanied by a recitation of the 13 steps taken to fold the 
        flag and the meaning behind each step;
Whereas veterans' service organizations across the Nation often provide funeral 
        honors at national cemeteries, including the folding and presentation of 
        the flag, the recitation of the flag-folding steps and the playing of 
        Taps;
Whereas the NCA, in late September 2007, banned the recitation of the flag-
        folding ceremony by employees and volunteers, including those from 
        veterans' service organizations, at all national cemeteries;
Whereas this policy is unnecessary and insulting to veterans who bleed and die 
        for the United States flag; and
Whereas the choice to have the flag-folding ceremony read aloud should rest with 
        the family of the deceased, not the NCA: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration 
employees, volunteers, and veterans' service organizations that perform 
funeral honors and memorial honor details should be permitted to recite 
the 13 steps to fold an American flag (known as the ``13-fold 
recital'') at any national cemetery if requested by the family of the 
deceased.
                                 <all>