I
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. R. 2078
To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the prohibition against
interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration
or Arlington National Cemetery of persons committing Federal or State
capital crimes is consistently carried out, to direct the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of George E. Siple from
Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH11, 2025
Mr. P
ERRYintroduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Veterans’ Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure that the
prohibition against interment or memorialization in the
National Cemetery Administration or Arlington National
Cemetery of persons committing Federal or State capital
crimes is consistently carried out, to direct the Secretary
of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of George
E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
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•HR 2078 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Bertie’s Respect for 2
National Cemeteries Act’’. 3
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST INTERMENT OR MEMORI-4
ALIZATION IN THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AD-5
MINISTRATION OR ARLINGTON NATIONAL 6
CEMETERY OF PERSONS COMMITTING FED-7
ERAL OR STATE CAPITAL CRIMES. 8
(a) R
ESPONSIBILITY OFAPPROPRIATEFEDERALOF-9
FICIAL.—Section 2411(a)(2) of title 38, United States 10
Code, is amended— 11
(1) by striking ‘‘In the case’’ and inserting ‘‘(A) 12
Except as provided by subparagraph (B), in the 13
case’’; and 14
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-15
paragraph: 16
‘‘(B) The appropriate Federal official shall take every 17
reasonable action, including by searching public records, 18
to ensure that a person who will be interred in a cemetery 19
in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington 20
National Cemetery is not ineligible for such interment by 21
reason of this section.’’. 22
(b) A
UTHORITYTODISINTER.—Section 2(c) of the 23
Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act 24
(38 U.S.C. 2411 note) is amended— 25
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•HR 2078 IH
(1) by striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting 1
‘‘subsection (a)’’; and 2
(2) by inserting after ‘‘Arlington National Cem-3
etery’’ the following: ‘‘on or after the date of the en-4
actment of such section 2411 and the amendment 5
made by subsection (b) shall apply with respect to 6
any such interment or memorialization conducted’’. 7
SEC. 3. DISINTERMENT OF REMAINS OF GEORGE E. SIPLE 8
FROM INDIANTOWN GAP NATIONAL CEME-9
TERY. 10
(a) D
ISINTERMENT OFREMAINS.—The Secretary of 11
Veterans Affairs shall disinter the remains of George E. 12
Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. 13
(b) N
OTIFICATION OFNEXT-OF-KIN.—The Secretary 14
of Veterans Affairs shall— 15
(1) notify the next-of-kin of record for George 16
E. Siple of the impending disinterment of his re-17
mains; and 18
(2) upon disinterment, relinquish the remains 19
to the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple or, 20
if the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple is 21
unavailable, arrange for an appropriate disposition 22
of the remains. 23
Æ
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