[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 365 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 365

 Honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Cemetery Administration 
                 of the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 26 (legislative day, September 22), 2023

    Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Moran) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Cemetery Administration 
                 of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Whereas, in 1973, Congress passed the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 (Public 
        Law 93-43), creating an agency within the Veterans Administration to 
        oversee the national cemetery system;
Whereas, in 2023, the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) celebrates 50 years 
        of upholding a sacred duty to inter, honor, and memorialize those who 
        have served in the United States Armed Forces;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration operates and ensures perpetual care 
        of 155 national cemeteries and 34 soldiers' lots and monument sites that 
        honor and serve as the final resting places for 4,000,000 veterans 
        representing every era throughout the history of the United States;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration provides burial and memorial 
        benefits for eligible veterans and family members, at no cost, 
        including--

    (1) a gravesite or niche in any national cemetery with available space;

    (2) opening and closing of the grave and perpetual care; and

    (3) a government headstone, marker, or medallion, burial flag, and 
Presidential memorial certificate;

Whereas the establishment of the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP) has 
        furthered the commitment of the United States to the proper burial and 
        honoring of veterans by awarding more than $1,000,000,000 to assist 
        States, Territories, and Tribal governments in establishing, expanding, 
        and operating veterans' cemeteries that complement and help expand 
        burial access;
Whereas, through the VCGP, the National Cemetery Administration has provided 
        grant funding to 122 veterans' cemeteries in 49 States, Tribal trust 
        lands, and Territories including Guam, Saipan, and Puerto Rico;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2022, the National Cemetery Administration processed 
        more than 350,000 requests for headstones, markers, and medallions to 
        honor veterans and their loved ones in national, State, Tribal, and 
        private cemeteries, and issued more than 463,000 Presidential memorial 
        certificates to the family members of veterans;
Whereas the sacred landscapes in national cemeteries and grant-funded veterans' 
        cemeteries serve as places of solemn remembrance to convey the stories 
        of generations of veterans encompassing the entirety of United States 
        history, including 529 recipients of the Medal of Honor and those 
        honored by nearly 1,370 military memorial monuments;
Whereas the consistent commitment of the National Cemetery Administration to 
        ``national shrine'' standards of care for 50 years has preserved the 
        beauty of the sites that veterans and their families deserve, welcoming 
        more than 1,700,000 visitors at national cemeteries in fiscal year 2022, 
        and has immortalized those who lay at rest on those sacred grounds, 
        ensuring that all visitors, past and present, are able to bear witness 
        to the serene and historic shrines and leave with a sense of awe and 
        gratitude for the sacrifices those heroes made for the United States;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration has been awarded a score of 97, the 
        highest achieved score on record, in the reputable American Customer 
        Satisfaction Index, leading all organizations, public or private, for 
        the seventh consecutive time, a testament to the exemplary service of 
        National Cemetery Administration team members to veterans and their 
        families;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration established the Veterans Legacy 
        Program (VLP), which has funded 35 programs that engage students and 
        teachers in communities large and small to further educate themselves 
        and their communities on the legacies and service of veterans by using 
        the expansive resources within the Department of Veterans Affairs, 
        resulting in the production of over 2,500 veteran biographies, 50 
        documentary videos, and over 100 lesson plans; and
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration continues to memorialize the 
        stories and sacrifices of veterans through the Veterans Legacy Memorial 
        (VLM), a digital interactive platform created to preserve the memories 
        of nearly 5,000,000 veterans laid to rest in cemeteries managed and 
        funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense 
        cemeteries, and National Park Service cemeteries: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) applauds the National Cemetery Administration, on its 
        50th anniversary, having stood firm in its mission of ensuring 
        proper final resting places adhering to national shrine 
        standards that commemorate the extraordinary commitment of 
        veterans and their families to the United States;
            (2) recognizes that the National Cemetery Administration 
        has been a driving force in the preservation of, and passing 
        down, the heroic heritage and stories of members of the United 
        States Armed Forces of all backgrounds, from all corners of the 
        United States, and in educating future generations on the 
        importance of the service and sacrifice of veterans; and
            (3) commends the individuals who work for the National 
        Cemetery Administration for their continued excellence ensuring 
        that the veterans of the United States are forever honored and 
        remembered in the hallowed grounds of the national cemeteries 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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