[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MILITARY HONORS FOR VETERANS' FUNERALS

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                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 1, 2011

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to speak about a 
bill that I have just reintroduced, ``Providing Military Honors for our 
Nation's Heroes Act'' (H.R. 545), to reimburse expenses of volunteers 
who provide military funeral honors at veterans' funerals.
  Because thousands of service members are deployed in Iraq and 
Afghanistan while thousands of World War II and Korean War veterans die 
each day, there is simply not enough military to provide a proper 
seven-person honors detail for these funerals. Some families of 
veterans have had to ``make do'' with a CD playing ``Taps.'' I am 
saddened by this outrageous situation and determined to provide proper 
military funeral honors for all families who request them.
  This bill will allow reimbursement to volunteers from members of 
veterans' service organizations (VSOs) and other organizations approved 
by the Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA). 
Transportation costs and other expenses, such as cleaning uniforms, 
incurred in providing funeral honors details will be reimbursed. A 
second change will allow reimbursement to details that are requested by 
funeral homes and the VA, as well as the Department of Defense, the 
current practice.
  Currently, members of VSOs and other volunteers can assist the 
military by providing a color guard, pallbearers, a bugler or firing 
party, but the law does not address ceremonies in which VSOs render 
honors without military representation. My bill will allow volunteers 
to be reimbursed even when no military person is a part of the honor 
guard. This change will increase the number of honors details available 
to families. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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