[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17630]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            DIGNIFIED INTERMENT OF OUR VETERANS ACT OF 2014

  Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 2822 
and the Senate proceed to its consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
       A bill (S. 2822) to require the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs to conduct a study on matters relating to the burial 
     of unclaimed remains of veterans in national cemeteries, and 
     for other purposes.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. BENNET. I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a 
third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be made and laid 
upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 2822) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                S. 2822

       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 ``Dignified Interment of Our 
     Veterans Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS STUDY ON MATTERS 
                   RELATING TO BURIAL OF UNCLAIMED REMAINS OF 
                   VETERANS IN NATIONAL CEMETERIES.

       (a) Study and Report Required.--Not later than one year 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs shall--
       (1) complete a study on matters relating to the interring 
     of unclaimed remains of veterans in national cemeteries under 
     the control of the National Cemetery Administration; and
       (2) submit to Congress a report on the findings of the 
     Secretary with respect to the study required under paragraph 
     (1).
       (b) Matters Studied.--The matters studied under subsection 
     (a)(1) shall include the following:
       (1) Determining the scope of issues relating to unclaimed 
     remains of veterans, including an estimate of the number of 
     unclaimed remains of veterans.
       (2) Assessing the effectiveness of the procedures of the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs for working with persons or 
     entities having custody of unclaimed remains to facilitate 
     interment of unclaimed remains of veterans in national 
     cemeteries under the control of the National Cemetery 
     Administration.
       (3) Assessing State and local laws that affect the ability 
     of the Secretary to inter unclaimed remains of veterans in 
     national cemeteries under the control of the National 
     Cemetery Administration.
       (4) Developing recommendations for such legislative or 
     administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate.
       (c) Methodology.--
       (1) Number of unclaimed remains.--In estimating the number 
     of unclaimed remains of veterans under subsection (b)(1), the 
     Secretary may review such subset of applicable entities as 
     the Secretary considers appropriate, including a subset of 
     funeral homes and coroner offices that possess unclaimed 
     veterans remains.
       (2) Assessment of state and local laws.--In assessing State 
     and local laws under subsection (b)(3), the Secretary may 
     assess such sample of applicable State and local laws as the 
     Secretary considers appropriate in lieu of reviewing all 
     applicable State and local laws.

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