[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2651 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2651

 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide inscriptions for spouses and children on 
  certain headstones and markers furnished by the Secretary, and for 
                            other purposes.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 21, 2019

Ms. Sinema (for herself and Mr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of 
 Veterans Affairs to provide inscriptions for spouses and children on 
  certain headstones and markers furnished by the Secretary, 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 ``Honoring Veterans' Families Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF INSCRIPTIONS FOR SPOUSES AND CHILDREN ON CERTAIN 
              HEADSTONES AND MARKERS FURNISHED BY THE SECRETARY OF 
              VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) In General.--Section 2306 of title 38, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(i)(1) In the case of an individual for whom the Secretary has 
furnished a headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of the 
individual in a non-Department cemetery under subsection (a) or for 
whom the Secretary has furnished a headstone or marker under subsection 
(d), the Secretary may, if feasible and upon request, replace the 
headstone or marker to add an inscription for the surviving spouse or 
eligible dependent child of such individual following the death of the 
surviving spouse or eligible dependent child.
    ``(2) If the spouse or eligible dependent child of an individual 
referred to in paragraph (1) predeceases the individual, the Secretary 
may, if feasible and upon request, include an inscription for the 
spouse or dependent child on the headstone or marker furnished for the 
individual under subsection (a) or (d).
    ``(3) In this section, the term `non-Department cemetery' means--
            ``(A) a veterans' cemetery owned by a State; or
            ``(B) a State, local, tribal, or private cemetery.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Subsection (i) of section 2306 of title 38, 
United States Code, as added by subsection (a) shall apply with respect 
to an individual who dies on or after October 1, 2018.
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