[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 154 (Wednesday, October 29, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H10054-H10058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL CEMETERY EXPANSION ACT OF 2003
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
concur in the Senate amendments to the bill (H.R. 1516) to provide for
the establishment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of five
additional cemeteries in the National Cemetery System.
The Clerk read as follows:
Senate amendments:
Page 2, line 8, strike out ``five'' and insert ``six.''
Page 2, after line 18, insert: (6) The Sarasota County,
Florida, area.
Page 3, line 17, strike out ``five'' and insert ``six''.
Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to provide for the
establishment by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of
additional cemeteries in the National Cemetery
Administration.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the other body acted upon H.R. 1516 as
amended in such a timely manner. Our action today will clear this
measure for the President's signature. I am hopeful that we will have
the opportunity to clear most, if not all, of our veterans measures
which the House has acted upon before we adjourn next week.
The VA adopted a goal, Mr. Speaker, of providing the option of burial
in a national or State veterans cemetery to 90 percent of the veterans
within 75 miles of their homes. H.R. 1516, as amended, would help the
VA meet that goal in six additional locations. It reflects the findings
of a recently-completed VA study which determined the areas in the
country most in need of a new national cemetery.
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 six areas determined to be most in need of such a
cemetery. Those locations include the areas of southern Pennsylvania,
which will serve 170,000 veterans; Birmingham, Alabama, which will
serve 212,000 veterans; Jacksonville, Florida, which will serve 189,000
veterans; Bakersfield, California, which will serve 184,000 veterans;
Greenville/Columbia, South Carolina, which will serve 169,000 veterans;
and, Sarasota County, Florida, which will serve 406,000 veterans.
The Senate amendments to the House bill add the Sarasota County
location to the other five. I want to thank especially the gentlewoman
from Florida (Ms. Harris) for her timely intervention in ensuring that
we included that in our legislation and adopted this Senate amendment
to our house bill.
All told, Mr. Speaker, more than 1.3 million veterans and their
survivors will benefit from these additional cemeteries. The Secretary
would be required to use the advanced planning funds to begin the work
necessary for establishment of each cemetery.
Additionally, in determining the specific cemetery locations, the
bill would require that the Secretary solicit the advice and views of
the State and local veterans organizations representatives and other
individuals as the Secretary deems appropriate.
I would especially like to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Gerlach) who is the prime sponsor of the bill and his staff for his
work on the bill, as well as the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris)
and her staff, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), our very
distinguished chairman of the subcommittee, and the gentleman from
Maine (Mr. Michaud) who worked very hard in ensuring that this
legislation was properly crafted and met the needs of our veterans. As
always, I want to thank my good friend and colleague, the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Evans), and his staff for their good work on this
bill as well.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H10055]]
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1516, the National
Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003, as amended, by the Senate. I want to
thank the chairman and ranking member of the full committee, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), and the ranking member, the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for their leadership on the
committee. I also want to extend a personal thanks to the gentleman
from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), the chairman of the Subcommittee on
Benefits for his work in helping craft this legislation.
H.R. 1516 provided for the authorization and establishment of six new
national cemeteries in accordance with the VA's most current burial
needs assessment report.
{time} 1330
The Senate amended this bill to include a sixth national cemetery to
be located in Sarasota County, Florida.
Adding this sixth national cemetery is necessary so that we may
provide much-needed burial services to an area of the country with a
high and increasing veterans population.
I know how important burial in a veterans cemetery is to our national
veterans. Many brave men and women who put on a uniform to protect us
during World War II and the Korean War pass from us every day. The
veterans of this Nation deserve nothing less than an honored and
dignified final resting place.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1516 is a good bill, an important bill; and I urge
all Members to support its passage.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown).
Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 1516, as amended, and reiterate the comments of our chairman in
commending the other body for acting so quickly.
In December of 2001, the Logistics Management Institute recorded
their finding on the current and future burial needs for veterans.
Their findings were based on VA providing a burial option for 90
percent of the veterans residing within a 75-mile service area of an
open national or State cemetery.
LMI concluded that 31 additional veterans cemeteries will be needed
over the next 20 years in increments of 5 years. H.R. 1516, as amended,
will require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a new
national cemetery in the top six areas of need within 4 years of the
date of enactment of this act.
The six cemeteries identified in today's bill would serve over 1
million veterans. Among the six is a new cemetery in the Greenville/
Columbia, South Carolina, area. Since I served for 16 years in the
State House in Columbia, I understand firsthand how important this is
to the veterans in that area. This cemetery would serve more than
169,000 veterans and their survivors, and I am pleased it is included
in this bill.
I want to thank the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Benefits,
the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud), as well as the chairman and
ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans). Time and time
again these folks showed their commitment to our veterans and their
families.
Mr. Speaker, with this bill we expand the opportunities for burial in
the national veterans cemetery, which is no less than our final show of
gratitude to our servicemembers. I urge my colleagues to support H.R.
1516, as amended.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member.
Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1516, the
National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003, as amended by the Senate.
We all know the men and women of the Greatest Generation who have
served this country so grandly in World War II and Korea have reached
their senior years. Approximately 1,500 veterans from all eras pass
each day from this planet, and the rate is projected to increase in
years to come. It is our responsibility to provide proper final resting
places for all these heroes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns).
(Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I enthusiastically rise in support of H.R.
1516, and I am especially pleased we are going to have a national
cemetery finally in Jacksonville, Florida. This is in the northeast
central Florida corridor where we have a high military presence. We had
this area represented by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw) and,
of course, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) and
recently by Representative John Mica. All four of us serve Jacksonville
and north central Florida. All of us are very pleased that this
cemetery is coming. I am proud that the Jacksonville cemetery has been
the intent of my bill, H.R. 197, and others that I have offered during
the last 6 years of Congress.
I thought I would just briefly in the time I have also talk about
Jacksonville, as why it is such a strategic place for a national VA
cemetery. Even before the United States was even a country, there have
been veterans fighting in Jacksonville, so it is altogether fitting to
establish a national VA cemetery here. Its very name was initially, and
is presently, chosen in honor of war heroes. It has a strategic
location. It is prominent on the Atlantic Ocean. It has a port, and it
has been in many conflicts since its founding.
It was caught in the crossfires of war with Spain, France, the
Revolutionary War, and the Seminole Indian War. It was occupied
numerous times during the Civil War. And during World War I, 25
steamers were launched from Jacksonville ports. In late February 1942,
German spies made it on the shore of Ponte Vedra, but fortunately they
were captured before they could blow up Florida's railroad lines and
stop the shipment of war supplies.
Mr. Speaker, during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, this port was active
again. Jacksonville moved supplies and personnel more than any other
port in the country. Nearby Blount Island has a command on the St.
John's River in Jacksonville. It is the site of the Marine Corps'
Maritime Prepositioning Ships, MPS. Employment of MPS assets during
Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Restore Hope, Continued Hope in
Somalia, and the present Operation Restore Freedom and Operation Iraqi
Freedom decisively demonstrate the utility of these expeditionary
forces.
We have also the Mayport Naval Air Station with an aircraft carrier
station there. We have the naval air station and depot there also.
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of veterans, a lot of military history
and presence in Jacksonville; and I just want to remind my colleagues
that it is a very, very good place, a resting place for our veterans.
Of course, like others who will speak on behalf of their cemetery,
the 2000 U.S. Census shows the revised projections forecasting a
population of just under 200,000 by the year 2005. I think that
demonstrates what we all know, that a lot of veterans are moving into
Florida, a lot of them are moving into northeast Florida to retire.
They deserve a resting place with dignity and beauty. I think this
cemetery will add a lot to that promise.
Mr. Speaker, I will conclude by also mentioning our Nation's second
largest veteran population and number one in age in terms of just who
they are. Nearly 325,000 veterans call home somewhere in this area of
northeast central Florida. It is interesting, a number of current
active duty and armed servicemembers are calling Florida and
Jacksonville their home. So they might retire in Texas or California or
somewhere in the United States, and they will come back to Florida.
We have a close proximity to our veterans hospital in Alachua County
and Duval County, which have sent a lot of Reservists and National
Guard to Iraq. So this whole area, Mr. Speaker, is demonstrating the
importance of this cemetery. Of course, the next closest proximity is
in Marietta, Georgia, which is just north of Atlanta. So a new national
VA cemetery in Jacksonville will answer this unmet need not only for
northern Floridians but also for southern Georgians.
[[Page H10056]]
I appreciate the support of the chairman and subcommittee chairman.
We are now providing a dignified, hallowed ground for our veterans.
They deserve it.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel), a gentleman who has fought so diligently to
make sure that the southeastern Pennsylvania cemetery was included in
the bill.
Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maine (Mr.
Michaud) for yielding me time and for his leadership on the
subcommittee that has brought this bill forward. I want to also thank
the Chair of the subcommittee, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Brown), and also the Chair and ranking member of the full committee,
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Evans).
This bill, H.R. 1516, is very good legislation that will create new
cemeteries across this country of ours, particularly in southeastern
Pennsylvania where a tremendous need for a new veterans cemetery has
been demonstrated throughout the years.
In southeastern Pennsylvania, nearly 300,000 veterans live over 65
miles from the closest veterans cemetery. And in that congested part of
the State, the travel time to that open cemetery is long and arduous.
And this veterans cemetery located somewhere in southeastern
Pennsylvania will be a tremendous service to the families of veterans
and a great way of honoring the service of those who have given so much
to this country.
Mr. Speaker, I really stood up to, in addition to indicating my
support for the bill, my second purpose was to compliment the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach) for the great job he did in breaking
the logjam that existed over this issue.
My predecessor, Jon Fox, and then I, introduced legislation in prior
Congresses to establish a new veterans cemetery at Valley Forge
National Historic Park, which is still a site that I would love to see
chosen for this cemetery. But there are some legitimate objections to
that park, and the dispute that we got into was sidetracking this
proposal.
The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach) was able to figure out
a way to break that logjam by creating a commission and giving the
veterans commission some leeway to pick the appropriate site in
consultation with veterans organizations back home. As we have moved
forward, other areas of the country have decided this is also the right
way to go, and so we have before us today a very sound bill that will
establish new cemeteries. And that is what we are trying to do, not
fight over locations and get hung up on various procedures, but to
actually get the job done. So I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Gerlach). It was a pleasure to work with him. I was proud to be
the leading Democratic co-sponsor of H.R. 1516 when the gentleman
brought it forward.
I have spoken with our former colleague, Mr. Jon Fox. He is thrilled
with the progress on this; and, frankly, Senator Specter in the other
body has greatly helped move this forward. So it has been a good
bipartisan approach.
Again, I thank the Chair, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith),
and the ranking member, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), for
their great work. And we will be able to provide wonderful service now,
hopefully in the next 4 years, in these new locations to create new
veterans cemeteries to honor the veterans that have served this country
and to remember the need to help their family members and their friends
have the convenience of a veterans cemetery that is local to them and
easy for them to get to to continue to honor these veterans for years
to come.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Hoeffel) for his good work on this bill as well. This is a bipartisan
bill, and he certainly did his part in making sure this legislation
went forward, so I do want to thank him.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Gerlach), the prime sponsor of this bill, who has broken a logjam;
and now we will soon have a bill signing in this important legislation,
not just for Pennsylvania but for other regions as well; it will go
forward to the President and will become law.
Mr. GERLACH. Mr. Speaker, I first would like to thank the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the ranking member from Illinois (Mr.
Evans) for their great work and their staffs' great work in bringing
H.R. 1516 to the floor today. Special thanks to the lead Democrat
sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from Montgomery County,
Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel), for his persistence, not only in this
session but in prior sessions to bring this to a conclusion today
legislatively.
I also would like to thank the Senator from Pennsylvania, Senator
Specter, and his staff and ranking member, Senator Graham, for their
work also over on the Senate in allowing us to move this forward.
Most importantly, I 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 the additional sites were added for other areas of
the country that likewise have the need to have veterans cemeteries for
their veterans.
The need for a cemetery in our area 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.
While cremation may be alternative to some, it is certainly not the
preference to most; but unfortunately it is the only option for
Philadelphia-area veterans currently if they want to have their remains
reposed at a veterans cemetery close to home.
The only other national cemetery in our region is the Indiantown Gap
Cemetery, which is a long drive from Philadelphia and can be very
difficult 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 more than 65 miles from Indiantown Gap
National Cemetery.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has expressed his support for the
establishment of a new cemetery in southeastern Pennsylvania after
analyzing two factors not taken into account in the 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 the
veterans in need to over 175,000, the statistical benchmark for the
establishment of a new cemetery.
{time} 1345
The Secretary 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 guidelines of
having a veterans cemetery within 75 miles of a veteran's home.
Consequently, the Secretary has expressed his support for a new
cemetery in our area to honor those who would be laid to rest there.
This legislation would provide for its establishment within a 4-year
time period and allow for the input of local officials and veterans in
determining its specific site.
The importance of a veterans cemetery from our part of Pennsylvania
has already been recognized for a long period of time. 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
and the veterans living in the other areas included in the bill today
should, like those in the past, have the opportunity to be buried close
to home after providing the same level of heroic service and sacrifice
to our Nation.
I urge the support of the Members when we vote on this legislation
and,
[[Page H10057]]
again, thank the chairman of the committee for his support.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), my good friend and colleague.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, first I wish to thank the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chair of the committee, and also the gentleman
from South Carolina (Mr. Brown), the subcommittee chair, and also the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach) for their leadership and the
bipartisan support on both sides of the aisle for this much-needed
legislation. I think that it is very appropriate that we follow the
legislation that was just handled to take care of the medical concerns
and need of our veterans by also taking care of their last wishes.
Florida is so privileged to have two of the six new cemeteries that
will be dedicated as national veterans cemeteries under this
legislation, and what I was told by staff is that the basis of the
designations is not done just by political power, but by actual need.
And certainly Florida, whether it is south, central or northeast, is
the recipient of so many of those men and women who served our Nation
and have chosen to retire, to work and to live out their final days in
our great State.
So this is the very least that we can do. We have over 1,000 veterans
dying across the land every day, World War II veterans and others, and
again, many of them coming to Florida. As we adjust our medical needs
and health care services to our veterans, it is also appropriate that
we make this final adjustment that they have a decent burial place in
our State where they have chosen to live, work and also to retire.
I thank my colleagues for their leadership, and I urge the passage of
this legislation.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 10 seconds.
I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) for his contribution,
and just remind him that his brother, Dan Mica, used to be on the House
Committee on Veterans Affairs and never lost an opportunity to remind
us how everyone, everybody ultimately moved to Florida from the
northeast and everywhere else. So his point about need was very well-
taken.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Harris) who, again, worked very hard to ensure that the
Sarasota provision was included in our bill.
Ms. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the
time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1516, the
National Cemetery Expansion Act of 2003, as amended by the Senate. On
July 21, this House passed the original 1516 by unanimous consent. The
bill directs the Secretary or Veterans Affairs to establish five
additional cemeteries within the national cemetery system.
Although the original version that we passed 3 months ago addresses
the needs of hundreds of thousands of veterans across our Nation, that
original version did not acknowledge the men and women of southwest
Florida who comprise one of the Nation's largest population of
veterans. Currently, Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg,
Florida, constitutes the closest national cemetery that serves
southwest Florida's veterans. For many families, visiting this location
involves a strenuous drive. Moreover, Bay Pines, which encompasses a
mere 27.3 acres, accepts only cremated remains.
I strongly believe that we should not impose this hardship of travel
upon our veterans' families. Moreover, forcing a potentially
objectionable method of entombment upon veterans, as a condition of
receiving the final tribute they earned, is patently wrong.
The Department of Veterans Affairs regards Bay Pines as an open
cemetery for the 13th District's veterans until the year 2016. This
designation means that the Department regards that cemetery as
sufficient to serve their needs until that year. These brave men and
women require a new national cemetery long before then.
Thanks to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Senator Arlen Specter, and to our own extraordinary Committee on
Veterans' Affairs chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith),
and to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Gerlach), we have an opportunity to correct this oversight today.
I respectfully urge my colleagues to accede to the amended version of
H.R. 1516 that the Senate passed on October 17 which specifies the
Department of Veterans Affairs shall establish a new national cemetery
in the Sarasota, Florida, area. Upon the passage of H.R. 1516,
approximately 406,000 veterans who live in my District finally have the
opportunity to receive the internment, according to their wishes, in a
place of honor, closer to their home.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw), another friend
and great advocate for this issue.
Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the time.
I rise in support of House bill 1516 because it keeps a commitment, a
sacred commitment to the men and women of our military. Our country has
chosen to honor our veterans because of their sacrifice and because of
their service. Our veterans did not serve to become heroes. They did
not fight because they loved battle. Our veterans went to war because
our country asked them to go to war. They fought to defend our freedom.
Such supreme dedication demands supreme recognition, and that is what
this bill does. In Florida, we have over 2 million veterans, but only
four veterans cemeteries. One is completely full, one accepts only
cremated remains, and two are over half a State away from my district
in northeast Florida.
This bill provides that a veterans cemetery will be built in
northeast Florida. Our veterans want the cemetery. Our veterans need
the cemetery, and most of all, our veterans deserve a cemetery.
I urge the passage of this legislation.
Mr. MICHAUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In closing, I would like to urge my colleagues to support this
legislation, and I also want to once again thank the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the committee, for his working
extremely hard with the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the
ranking member, to make sure that we pass bipartisan legislation
because veterans are from both political parties, and I think they
deserve the very best, and I appreciate the excellent leadership from
both the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman, and the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I, too, want to thank my friends and colleagues on the other side,
the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud) and, of course, our
distinguished chairman of the subcommittee who spoke earlier, and the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member, just thank
them for their good work on this, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Gerlach), of course the prime sponsor.
I also want to thank Senator Specter who is the chairman of the
Senate Veterans Committee with whom we worked on all of these issues,
but he got this back very, very quickly in a way that actually improved
it. So I want to thank him for that, and Senator Graham.
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I ask for support of
H.R. 1516, which will establish national cemeteries in parts of the
country where they are needed the most, in--Southeastern Pennsylvania;
Birmingham, Alabama; Bakersfield, California; Greenville/Columbia,
South Carolina; Sarasota County, Florida; and my own Jacksonville,
Florida.
Florida has the second largest population of veterans in the Nation--
totaling almost two million. There are more than 325,000 veterans in
the Northeast Florida/Southeast Georgia area alone. One out of every
ten deaths nationally is a resident of Florida at the time of
interment. And, veterans' deaths are increasing each year as World War
II and Korean War-era veterans advance in age. Soon, we will be unable
to meet the burial needs of our veterans. Northeast Florida is in dire
need of a new cemetery to accommodate veterans and their families. We
owe it to our veterans to make certain that they have an appropriate
final resting place.
The nearest ``open'' cemetery serving Northeast Florida is in
Bushnell, Florida, which is
[[Page H10058]]
150 miles from Jacksonville--a three-hour drive. Florida's two smaller
national cemeteries in Pensacola and St. Augustine are closed due to
full capacity. The situation for Jacksonville-area veterans is almost
desperate.
The National Cemetery Administration's intent is to make veterans'
burial needs available in a state or national cemetery within 75 miles
of the veteran's home. Veterans in the Jacksonville area are twice the
distance from an open national cemetery than the National Cemetery
Administration's goal. This is unacceptable. People need to be able to
visit their loved one's final resting place without being burdened with
a six-hour round trip from Jacksonville. We need to show veterans the
respect that they have earned.
I ask that my colleagues support this important legislation.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules
and concur in the Senate amendments to the bill, H.R. 1516.
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. SMITH of New Jersey. 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.
____________________