<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="billres.xsl"?>
<!DOCTYPE bill PUBLIC "-//US Congress//DTDs/bill.dtd//EN" "bill.dtd">
<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-Senate" dms-id="A1" public-private="public" slc-id="S1-CAN24372-PH8-Y2-HGV"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dublinCore>
<dc:title>118 S4198 IS: Veterans Cemetery Access Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2024-04-19</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
</dublinCore>
</metadata>
<form>
<distribution-code display="yes">II</distribution-code><congress>118th CONGRESS</congress><session>2d Session</session><legis-num>S. 4198</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber><action><action-date date="20240419">April 19, 2024</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="S383">Mr. Sullivan</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSVA00">Committee on Veterans' Affairs</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title>To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure direct access for families to national cemeteries, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body><section id="id16ee364ffa8e4d23b0d48ef2646b7269" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Veterans Cemetery Access Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section><section id="S1"><enum>2.</enum><header>Family access to national cemeteries</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 2404 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: </text><quoted-block id="id6A2C5E2484904642BF9058B7C5EDE3D4" style="USC" act-name=""><subsection id="idA63037FBACC444B082FB6B6833680F90"><enum>(j)</enum><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="id86dd2c0609b9498c8c4e267529b1dd97"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The Secretary shall ensure that the family of a person buried in a national cemetery has direct access to that cemetery.</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idc607722f229848b8b680301369486fed" indent="up1"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">In this subsection, the term <term>direct access</term> means access that—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida3121982861249acac171337a8f51a0a"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">is provided to the family on the same day the access is requested by the family; and </text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2ae8eb098dac40a5a8820e9a4c1a7d4a"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">does not require the family to travel through an area under the control of the Department of Defense.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></section><section id="id96e8dd5c34c748099dcff189e0827e57"><enum>3.</enum><header>Prioritization of grants for States without veterans' cemeteries</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 2408(a) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: </text><quoted-block id="idDEB31ECB12094033A14BBB8ADEE149FA" style="USC" act-name=""><paragraph indent="up1" id="id73C3EDDB25B54432BB741CC01EF44E62"><enum>(3)</enum><text>In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize grants for establishing veterans' cemeteries in States that do not have such a cemetery.</text></paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></section></legis-body></bill> 

