[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 108 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H7189-H7192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
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NATIONAL CEMETERY EXPANSION ACT OF 2003
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1516) to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to
establish a national cemetery for veterans in southeastern
Pennsylvania, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1516
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 ``National Cemetery Expansion
Act of 2003''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW NATIONAL CEMETERIES.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than four years after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs, in accordance with chapter 24 of title 38, United
States Code, shall establish five new national cemeteries.
The new cemeteries shall be located in the following
locations (those locations having been determined by the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to be the most appropriate
locations for new national cemeteries):
(1) Southeastern Pennsylvania.
(2) The Birmingham, Alabama, area.
(3) The Jacksonville, Florida, area.
(4) The Bakersfield, California, area.
(5) The Greenville/Columbia, South Carolina, area.
(b) Funds.--Amounts appropriated for the Department of
Veterans Affairs for any fiscal year after fiscal year 2003
for Advance Planning shall be available for the purposes of
subsection (a).
(c) Site Selection Process.--In determining the specific
sites for the new cemeteries required by subsection (a)
within the locations specified in that subsection, the
Secretary shall solicit the advice and views of
representatives of State and local veterans organizations and
other individuals as the Secretary considers appropriate.
(d) Initial Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report on the establishment of the national
cemeteries required by subsection (a). The report shall--
(1) set forth a schedule for the establishment of each such
cemetery and an estimate of the costs associated with the
establishment of each such cemetery; and
(2) identify the amount of Advance Planning Funds obligated
for purposes of this section as of the submission of the
report.
(e) Annual Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress
an annual report on the implementation of this section until
the establishment of all five cemeteries is completed and
each
[[Page H7190]]
such cemetery has opened. The Secretary shall include in each
such annual report an update of the information provided
under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (d).
(f) Definition of Southeastern Pennsylvania.--In this
section, the term ``southeastern Pennsylvania'' means the
city of Philadelphia and Berks County, Bucks County, Chester
County, Delaware County, Philadelphia County, and Montgomery
County in the State of Pennsylvania.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Whitfield). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) and the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Davis) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons).
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in a sense, the National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003
is part of the legacy of the late chairman of the House Committee on
Veterans' Affairs, Bob Stump. It was Bob who composed many of the
cemetery provisions ultimately signed into law as part of the Veterans
Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act. Bob also took a particular
interest in the need for improvements to our national cemeteries and to
obtain an updated list of areas in the country where there was a
significant unmet demand for a national cemetery. His vision of VA
cemeteries as national shrines should inspire all of us and those
responsible for maintaining VA cemeteries for years to come.
According to existing VA planning guidelines, VA should establish
cemeteries in locations that would provide service to 90 percent of
veterans within 75 miles of their homes. H.R. 1516, as amended,
reflects the findings of a recently completed VA study which found the
areas of the country most in need of a new national cemetery.
The study, performed by Logistic Management Institute, reviewed
current and future burial needs of veterans and identified areas of the
country where new national cemeteries might be constructed. They
identified 31 areas with the greatest need and ranked them by the size
of the population to be served. VA is expanding six cemeteries on the
list currently serving veterans through land acquisitions, and State
cemeteries are being planned in other areas to meet veterans' burial
needs.
H.R. 1516, as amended, would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
to establish a new national cemetery, not later than 4 years after the
date of enactment, in those five areas, which would be southeastern
Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; Bakersfield,
California; and Greenville-Columbia, South Carolina. More than 900,000
veterans and their survivors will benefit from these additional
national cemeteries.
H.R. 1516, as amended, would also direct the Secretary to submit a
report to Congress not later than 120 days after enactment on the
establishment of the national cemeteries required by this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Gerlach) and his staff for their work on this bill and for working
with the gentleman from South Carolina (Chairman Brown) and the ranking
member, the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), to provide for the
burial needs of veterans.
I would also like to recognize committee staff, Paige McManus,
Darryl Kehrer, Kingston Smith, Patrick Ryan, Mary Ellen McCarthy,
Geoffrey Collver, and Jim Holley for their work on the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1516, the National
Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003. I want to thank the chairman and the
ranking Democrat of the full committee, the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), along with the
chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Benefits, the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) and the gentleman from Maine
(Mr. Michaud), for their good work in crafting this legislation.
I am pleased that in H.R. 1516 we are providing for the
authorization and establishment of five new national cemeteries in
accordance with the VA's most current burial needs assessment report.
The communities of southeastern Pennsylvania; Birmingham, Alabama;
Jacksonville, Florida; Bakersfield, California; and Greenville-
Columbia, South Carolina, will certainly appreciate this measure.
Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill, an important bill. The veterans of
this Nation deserve nothing less than an honorable and dignified final
resting place.
Mr. Speaker, many brave men and women who put on the uniform to
protect us during World War II and the Korean War pass from us every
day at alarming rates, and it is our responsibility to provide our
veterans, our brave soldiers, with dignified and honorable final
resting places. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the
administration to meet this serious responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support passage of this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Stearns), a distinguished member of our committee.
(Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, obviously I rise in support of this bill. I am
especially pleased that we are going to have a national cemetery in
Jacksonville, Florida. This is in northeast-central Florida, where we
have a lot of military presence, particularly with representation by
three Members of Congress, myself, the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Crenshaw), and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown). All
three of us service Jacksonville and north-central Florida, so we are
all very pleased this is being done.
We have the Mayport Naval Station with an aircraft carrier stationed
there, we also have Naval Air Station and Depot up there, and we've had
a huge increase in the number of retirees that are locating into our
area. So we are all very pleased about this. The VA Jacksonville
cemetery has been the intent of a bill I dropped, H.R. 197, and also
others I have offered in prior Congresses.
As the 2,000 U.S. census shows, the revised projections forecasting
a population of about 189,000 by FY 2005 in the ``VA Future Burial
Needs Report Sites'' I think demonstrates what all of us know: our
veterans are flocking to relaxed, sunny north-central Florida to
retire. They deserve a resting place with dignity and beauty, and I
think that this cemetery will add a lot to that promise.
Mr. Speaker, Florida has our Nation's second largest veterans
population and the number one in terms of age. Nearly 325,000 veterans
call home somewhere in this northeast-central Florida area,
Jacksonville vicinity. Moreover, an increasing number of current active
duty armed services veterans are calling Florida their home and are
moving into this area. This is because nearby Alachua County,
Gainesville, where we have a VA hospital, and Derval County have sent a
lot of reservists and National Guardsmen to Iraq; and this whole area
sent so many people to Iraq in this northeast corridor that there is
going to be a lot of people that are going to retire from active duty.
So this cemetery will also be important for them.
The closest VA cemetery is at least a 3-hour drive from
Jacksonville, and as the subcommittee chairman mentioned the
requirement is to have VA cemetery within 75 miles of the vicinity of
these veterans. We need to have a VA cemetery now. So this will is
going to meet this requirement.
The next closest in proximity lies in Marietta, Georgia, which is
just north of Atlanta. A new national VA cemetery in Jacksonville will
answer this unmet need for north Floridians and southern Georgians.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased. I offered this type of legislation
in the 107th Congress and 106th Congress to locate a cemetery in
Jacksonville, so I am grateful that we finally will pass this bill. I
might add that there has been great support within the community, and
they look forward to this construction.
Lastly, Mr. Speaker, you might be thinking why are a lot of people
are supporting a cemetery in Florida. They may think this is a very
parochial bill.
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But for my colleagues from Michigan and New York, there is a high
likelihood that your constituents are contemplating retiring to north-
central Florida, so we welcome your veterans' and their commitment to
our north Florida area. I hope all the people here in the House will
support H.R. 1516.
Let us provide the dignified, hallowed grounds for our veterans.
They deserve it.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such
time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Hoeffel).
Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me
time and congratulate her on her leadership on this issue.
I rise in strong support of House bill 1516, and I want to start by
acknowledging the great work of our colleague, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach). The gentleman has taken an issue that is an
old issue in the Philadelphia area, trying to create new cemetery space
for our veterans, and he has found a way to get this out of committee
on to the floor for certain passage here today. I compliment the
gentleman on it. It is important.
For the last, I guess, five terms of Congress, Members have tried to
create a new cemetery in southeastern Pennsylvania. My predecessor,
Congressman Jon Fox, introduced a bill in both of his two terms in
Congress, with a similar bill introduced in the other body by Senator
Arlen Specter, that would have named the Valley Forge National
Historical Park as the setting for a new veterans cemetery, a setting I
still think is the perfect location. There is some controversy and
resistance to that. The important thing is that we get a new cemetery
in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In my first two terms, I introduced the same bill with the same
support in the Senate. I lost that area in redistricting, and now the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach) has figured out a way to add
other sites to southeastern Pennsylvania and move this bill forward
with full support; and I thank the Members of the committee, the
ranking members and, of course, the chairs of the full committee and
the subcommittee, for putting together a bill with great support.
This will create a clear and strict timetable to establish a new
veterans cemetery in southeastern Pennsylvania and four other locations
around the country, with sensible and responsible reporting
requirements placed upon the Secretary of Veterans Affairs so that
Congress can make sure that these new cemeteries actually get opened.
It is overdue, it is important legislation, and it is the right
thing to do for our veterans. They have given so much to this country.
It is entirely appropriate for us to make sure that all veterans who
are interested in a final resting space in a national veterans cemetery
have the opportunity to do it, and I know that the veterans in
southeastern Pennsylvania will be very pleased by this progress.
I congratulate the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach), as
well as all involved.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach), and thank him, speaking as a
veteran, for all of his hard work to bring this legislation to the
floor.
Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for
yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from New Jersey
(Chairman Smith) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Evans), and their staffs for their great work in bringing H.R.
1516 to the floor today, and I would also like to thank and acknowledge
the kind comments of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel) and
his great work and support in bringing this bill to this point today. I
thank the gentleman for his work, not only this year, but in previous
years in this effort. Also a special thank you to our colleagues on the
Pennsylvania congressional delegation for their support as well.
Most importantly, we would like to thank the veterans of southeastern
Pennsylvania for their great service and sacrifice to our country over
the years. This legislation was introduced last March to establish a
new national veterans cemetery in southeastern Pennsylvania; and as
that bill moved through the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am very
pleased to see that some additional sites were added. As was mentioned
by the gentleman from Connecticut, Birmingham, Alabama; Jacksonville,
Florida; Bakersfield, California; and the Columbia-Greenville, South
Carolina, area were added.
It would also require that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
establish new and much-needed cemeteries within 4 years of the date of
enactment of this legislation. Aside from establishing these important
national cemeteries, another important provision of this measure will
provide for local involvement in the selecting of sites for these
cemeteries.
Under the legislation, the Secretary for Veterans Affairs is
directed to solicit the advice and the views of representatives of
local veterans organizations and other individuals as the Secretary
considers appropriate.
The need for a new veterans cemetery in our community is well
documented and long overdue. The Philadelphia National Cemetery is
virtually closed, with the exception of cremated remains, to nearly
400,000 veterans that reside in the five counties and make up the
metropolitan Philadelphia area. And while cremation may be an
alternative to traditional burial for some, it is not the preference of
most. But, unfortunately, it is the only option that Philadelphia-area
veterans currently have if they want their remains reposed at a
veterans cemetery close to home.
The only other national cemetery in our region is the Indiantown Gap
National Cemetery, which is a long drive from the Philadelphia area,
and can be a very difficult trip for widows, widowers, and other family
members who want to visit the graves of their loved ones. I would note
that more than 290,000 area veterans live over 65 miles from Indiantown
Gap National Cemetery.
The Secretary for Veterans Affairs, Anthony Principi, has expressed
his support for the establishment of a new cemetery in southeastern
Pennsylvania after analyzing two factors not taken into account in a
previous Veterans Affairs Department study.
First, the Beverly National Cemetery in nearby Burlington County,
New Jersey, is filling up faster than expected and is only available to
New Jersey veterans. Additionally, the Department recently added Monroe
County, Pennsylvania, to the greater Philadelphia service area, thereby
increasing the number of veterans in need to over 170,000, the
statistical benchmark for the establishment of a new cemetery.
Secretary Principi also acknowledged that the Indiantown Gap
National Cemetery in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, is at least 80 miles
from Philadelphia, which contrasts with the Department's guideline of
having a veterans cemetery within 75 miles of a veteran's home.
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Consequently, the Secretary expressed his support for a new cemetery
in the greater Philadelphia area to honor those who would be laid to
rest there. This legislation will provide both for its establishment
within a specified time period and allow for the input of local
officials and veterans in determining a specific site.
The importance of a veterans cemetery in the southeastern
Pennsylvania region has been already recognized. In 1862, the 37th
Congress created the National Cemetery of Philadelphia when they
initially established what has become a large network of national
cemeteries across the United States. Southeastern Pennsylvania veterans
of today, as those of the past, should likewise have the opportunity to
be buried close to home after providing the same level of heroic
service and sacrifice to our Nation.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, and the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel) in particular, and also the
members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for their work in
bringing H.R. 1516 to the floor today, and I would urge all Members of
the House to support this much-needed measure.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume
to urge my colleagues to support the National Cemetery Expansion Act of
2003.
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For a veteran, a funeral service is the last official ceremony that
that veteran will participate in; and for the family, that cemetery
becomes a place of remembrance and love. It is so important to these
families that they be able to visit their departed veteran in this
environment.
Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, today, 9.3 million veterans are over 65.
Sadly, 1,500 veterans pass away every day in the United States. The
National Cemetery Expansion Act, provides more national cemeteries so
that veterans' families can ensure their loved ones have a proper
burial. I strongly support this legislation offered by Congressman
Gerlach. In addition to providing more cemeteries, this Congress also
needs to address the almost non-existent burial benefits provided by
the VA.
Burial benefits have seriously eroded due to inflation; leaving
states and families to make up the cost. Paying for rising burial
expenses is a growing concern to families and veterans cemeteries. I
have introduced a bill to increase burial benefits for veterans buried
in state and national cemeteries. This bill would provide veterans
families with the same percentage of burial costs as promised in 1973.
I encourage this Congress to support my colleague's bill to increase
the number of National Veterans Cemeteries, and to reestablish burial
benefits for the families of our national heroes.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1516, the
National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003.
I again want to express my appreciation to the Chairman of the full
Committee, Chris Smith, along with the Chairman and Ranking Member of
the Benefits Subcommittee, Henry Brown and Michael Michaud for their
good work in crafting this legislation.
I am pleased that in H.R. 1516 we are authorizing the establishment
of five new national cemeteries according to the VA's most current
burial needs assessment report. We must provide a peaceful and
dignified setting to honor the many men and women who bravely served
this country in uniform.
Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we have many other communities in great
need of additional veterans' cemetery burial space. As we all know, the
men and women of the ``greatest generation'' who served this country so
grandly in World War II and Korea have reached their senior years. Well
over 1,000 World War II veterans pass away each day, and this rate is
projected to increase for years to come. Mr. Speaker, it is our
responsibility to provide proper final resting places for our veterans.
I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Administration to
meet this serious responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, this measure deserves the support of all Members and I
urge my colleagues to vote for its passage.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I too rise in strong support of H.R. 1516,
the National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003.
I would like to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Evans for
their leadership on the full Committee. I also want to recognize and
thank Henry Brown, Chairman of the Benefits Subcommittee, for his good
work and bipartisan efforts in working with me to craft this
legislation and bring this measure to the House floor.
I am pleased that in H.R. 1516 we are authorizing the establishment
of five new national cemeteries according to the VA's most current
burial needs assessment report. Our veterans who served and protected
us deserve nothing less than a proper final resting place.
Fortunately, the veterans in my district in Maine are not wanting for
additional cemetery space thanks to a new state veterans' cemetery
recently established in Caribou, ME. However, far too many communities
are in need of a new veteran's cemetery. We must provide the resources
to meet this need--It is our responsibility.
Mr. Speaker, this is a sound measure. I urge all Members to support
its passage.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Whitfield). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1516, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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