Rounds, Tester Bill to Protect and Expand National and Tribal Veterans’ Cemeteries Signed into Law
WASHINGTON – Legislation championed by U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has been signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022, S. 4949, supports the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration in honoring veterans nationwide.
“This law is a small way for us to show gratitude to our veterans and their families,” said Rounds. “It provides the tools necessary to operate and maintain national and tribal veterans’ cemeteries, which will make certain that generations to come will have a peaceful place to visit their loved ones. I am pleased this legislation was signed into law so our veterans are honored with a dignified resting place.”
Among its many provisions, the National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022 will:
- Require the VA to pay plot allowances for Native American veterans buried at tribal veterans’ cemeteries prior to March 15, 2022;
- Allow the VA Secretary to designate sections of the national veterans’ cemeteries as green burial sections;
- Allow the Department of the Interior to transfer land to the VA to expand or establish new national veterans’ cemeteries; and
- Ban the burial of additional criminals in national veterans’ cemeteries.
The National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022 received wide-bipartisan support, unanimously passing out of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Read the bill text that was signed into law HERE.
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