[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3340 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3340

  To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts with funeral homes to ensure 
the expeditious and respectful provision of burial and funeral services 
 for indigent, deceased veterans and remains of deceased veterans that 
                 are unclaimed, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 15, 2016

   Mr. Kirk 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 require the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to enter into contracts with funeral homes to ensure 
the expeditious and respectful provision of burial and funeral services 
 for indigent, deceased veterans and remains of deceased veterans that 
                 are unclaimed, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Respectful Interment for Passing 
Veterans Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. ENSURING EXPEDITIOUS AND RESPECTFUL PROVISION OF BURIAL AND 
              FUNERAL SERVICES FOR INDIGENT, DECEASED VETERANS AND 
              REMAINS OF DECEASED VETERANS THAT ARE UNCLAIMED.

    (a) Contracts for Burial and Funeral Services.--Section 2302 of 
title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(c) The Secretary shall enter into a contract under paragraph 
(1)(A) with at least one funeral home near each medical center of the 
Department for the expeditious provision of burial and funeral services 
for deceased veterans described in subsection (a).''.
    (b) Establishment of Policy.--
            (1) Policy required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
        Affairs shall establish a policy on the provision of respectful 
        and timely burial of veterans described in section 2302(a) of 
        title 38, United States Code.
            (2) Best practices.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
        policy established under paragraph (1) is based on best 
        practices used in the private sector.
            (3) Balance of interests.--In establishing the policy 
        required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall balance the 
        interests of the deceased in identifying the deceased's next of 
        kin and the interests of the deceased in having a timely 
        burial.
            (4) Consultation required.--In establishing the policy 
        required by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult with the 
        following:
                    (A) One or more funeral directors.
                    (B) One or more county coroners or one or more 
                medical examiners.
                    (C) One or more representatives of a non-Department 
                of Veterans Affairs hospital.
                    (D) One or more representatives of a Department of 
                Veterans Affairs medical center.
                    (E) One or more veterans service organizations.
            (5) Temporary adoption of local practices.--Until the 
        Secretary establishes the policy required by paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall follow State and local government practices 
        with respect to the treatment of unclaimed remains of deceased 
        veterans.
    (c) Annual Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not less frequently than once each year, 
        the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
        Congress a report on the remains of covered veterans who died 
        in the most recently completed calendar year.
            (2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include, for the period covered by the report, the following:
                    (A) The number of covered veterans whose remains 
                were in morgues of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
                    (B) For each such veteran, the following:
                            (i) The date of the death of the veteran.
                            (ii) The date on which the remains were 
                        transferred to a funeral home.
                            (iii) The date of the burial of the 
                        veteran.
                            (iv) The sex of the veteran.
                            (v) The date of the birth of the veteran.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
                Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans 
                Affairs, and Related Agencies of the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the 
                Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs 
                and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations 
                of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Covered veteran.--The term ``covered veteran'' means a 
        veteran described in section 2302(a) of title 38, United States 
        Code.
            (3) Veterans service organization.--The term ``veterans 
        service organization'' means any organization recognized by the 
        Secretary for the representation of veterans under section 5902 
        of title 38, United States Code.
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