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II
116TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 2369
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the use of grant amounts
awarded under the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program for construction
of fully enclosed committal service shelters in certain State veterans’
cemeteries, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JULY 31, 2019
Mr. MANCHIN (for himself and Mr. ROMNEY) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the
use of grant amounts awarded under the Veterans Ceme-
tery Grants Program for construction of fully enclosed
committal service shelters in certain State veterans’
cemeteries, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Vet-
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erans Affairs Committal Service Shelter Act of 2019’’.
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•S 2369 IS
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS; FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
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(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
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gress that—
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(1) a committal service shelter should be a
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quiet, dignified shelter that provides protection from
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the wind, rain, and sun for an internment service in
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a solemn manner; and
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(2) such shelters should provide comfort for
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grieving families in all weather, especially during the
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heat of summer, middle of winter, and all types of
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storms.
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(b) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
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ings:
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(1) As of the day before the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act, the Department of Veterans Af-
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fairs does not provide funding for construction of en-
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closed committal service shelters under the Veterans
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Cometary Grants Program.
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(2) As of the day before the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act, highly rural communities have few
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options for protection from inclement weather during
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funerals for veterans and open shelters hardly shield
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family and loved ones from extreme weather.
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(3) As of the day before the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act, States with only one State vet-
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erans’ cemetery funded by the Veterans Cemetery
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•S 2369 IS
Grants Program have few options with respect to
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committal service shelters.
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(c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to author-
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ize the use of grant amounts awarded under the Veterans
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Cemetery Grants Program for construction of fully en-
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closed committal shelters in certain State veterans’ ceme-
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teries.
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SEC. 3. CONSTRUCTION OF FULLY ENCLOSED COMMITTAL
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SERVICE SHELTERS IN STATE VETERANS’
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CEMETERIES.
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Section 2408 of title 38, United States Code, is
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amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
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section:
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‘‘(g) A grant awarded under subsection (a)(1)(A)
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may be used for construction of a fully enclosed committal
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service shelter in a veterans’ cemetery owned by a State
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that—
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‘‘(1) has one or fewer veterans’ cemeteries that
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are federally funded; and
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‘‘(2) has one or fewer national cemeteries under
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the control of the National Cemetery Administration
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with space available to accommodate casketed or cre-
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mated remains.’’.
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Æ
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