[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 180 (Monday, November 6, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8508-H8509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO PROVIDE HEADSTONES AND
MARKERS FOR THE GRAVES OF SPOUSES AND CHILDREN OF VETERANS WHO ARE
BURIED IN TRIBAL CEMETERIES
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3657) to amend title 38, United States Code, to
authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide headstones and
markers for the graves of spouses and children of veterans who are
buried in tribal cemeteries, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3657
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ELIGIBILITY OF SPOUSES AND CHILDREN OF VETERANS
BURIED IN TRIBAL CEMETERIES FOR CERTAIN
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS BURIAL BENEFITS.
Section 2306 of title 38, United States Code is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting ``or a veterans'
cemetery owned by a tribal organization or on tribal land
owned by or held in trust by a tribal organization'' after
``State'';
(2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ``, a veterans'
cemetery of a tribal organization or on tribal land owned by
or held in trust by a tribal organization'' after ``owned by
a State''; and
(3) in subsection (f)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as
subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively;
(B) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting ``(1) The
Secretary'';
(C) by striking ``a national cemetery or in a veterans
cemetery of a State or tribal organization for which the
Department has provided a grant under section 2408 of this
title'' and inserting ``a covered cemetery''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) The term `covered cemetery' means any of the
following:
``(A) A national cemetery.
``(B) A veterans' cemetery of a State for which the
Department has provided a grant under section 2408 of this
title.
``(C) A veterans' cemetery of a tribal organization or on
tribal land owned by or held in trust by a tribal
organization for which the Department has provided a grant
under such section.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Roe) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3657, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3657, as amended.
VA provides headstones and markers for the spouses or dependent
children of veterans who are interred in a national or State veterans
cemetery at no charge. But VA is not authorized to provide headstones
or markers for spouses and dependent children who are interred in
Tribal veterans cemeteries. That is not right.
There is no reason that veterans and their families who are interred
in Tribal veterans cemeteries shouldn't receive the same benefits as
those who decide to use national or State veterans cemeteries.
H.R. 3657 would allow VA to provide headstones and markers for
eligible family members who are interred in Tribal veterans cemeteries.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Poliquin for introducing this
bill. I know he has a special interest in this because his district
includes a Tribal veterans cemetery.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3657, and ensure
that veterans who choose to be interred in Tribal cemeteries are given
the same recognition that we give to veterans who are interred in
national or State veterans cemeteries.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3657, as amended, which would
authorize VA to provide headstones and markers for the graves of
spouses and children of veterans who are buried in Tribal cemeteries.
VA currently provides a headstone or a marker for eligible spouses or
dependent children who are buried or interred in a national, military
post, or State veterans cemetery. However, spouses and dependents are
not eligible for a government-furnished headstone or marker if they are
buried in a private or Tribal cemetery.
H.R. 3657, as amended, would resolve this inequity by ensuring that
veterans' spouses and children who are buried at Tribal veterans
cemeteries are provided government-furnished headstones or markers,
which would be the same treatment family members buried at national and
State veterans cemeteries receive.
H.R. 3657, as amended, enjoys broad, bipartisan support among the
Members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, and I wish to thank
the bill's sponsor, Representative Bruce Poliquin, for his sponsorship
and the work of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
Subcommittee for bringing it to the floor.
Native-American veterans have earned, and deserve, the same rights,
privileges, and honors that other veterans receive. For this reason, I
strongly support H.R. 3657, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to
join me.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), my good friend and member of the Veterans'
Affairs Committee.
Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful that the House will be voting on this
commonsense piece of legislation tonight. I am very proud to represent
the Houlton Band of the Maliseet Indians in Houlton, Maine, who created
the first Tribal veterans cemetery not only in Maine, but also along
the entire East Coast.
This past summer, Mr. Speaker, I was very surprised to learn that
family members of veterans buried at Tribal cemeteries are not provided
the same treatment as those buried at State and national veterans
cemeteries. H.R. 3657 fixes this issue permanently.
Specifically, it would ensure that the family members of veterans who
are buried at Tribal cemeteries--such as the Maliseet Indian Tribal
cemetery in Houlton--are provided with government-furnished headstones,
the same treatment as those buried at national and State veterans
cemeteries.
Mr. Speaker, we are all Americans. People who put on the uniform--
whether a man or a woman, whoever they are, wherever they live, or
whatever cemetery they are buried in--deserve the same respect, the
same honor, and the same treatment.
I am thrilled to tell everybody listening here that this moved out of
committee--this commonsense fix--this bill moved out of committee with
unanimous support.
Mr. Speaker, I am asking for that to happen tonight when it appears
on the floor, and I am grateful for our chairman to bring this up
tonight.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.
Again, I strongly support H.R. 3657, as amended, and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank both sides of the aisle for these great
bills we are passing this afternoon. It may seem like a small bill to
the American public, but to the individual that is affected--in Maine,
or wherever it may be--this is a huge deal.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Democratic side for all of
the work they have done on the committee in a bipartisan way. It is a
great committee to work on.
This is a very important week for all of us, as we go home this
Friday to begin celebrating Veterans Day. Two very important days on
the committee are Memorial Day and Veterans Day, to honor those who
passed and those who are still with us.
Mr. Speaker, I thank both the Republicans and the Democrats. We put
that at the door's edge, and this week we will be voting on some
important pieces of legislation. We have seven more bills on the floor
tomorrow.
[[Page H8509]]
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for
the support they have given our veterans in this country.
I once again urge all Members to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 3657, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended to read: ``A bill to amend title
38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
to provide certain burial benefits for spouses and children of veterans
who are buried in tribal cemeteries, and for other purposes.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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