H.R. 2078

119th CONGRESS 1st Session

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 · March 11, 2025 · Sponsor: Mr. Perry

Table of contents

• H.R. 2078
  • SEC. 1. Short title
  • SEC. 2. Prohibition against interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration or Arlington National Cemetery of persons committing Federal or State capital crimes
  • SEC. 3. Disinterment of remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery

SEC. 1. Short title

• This Act may be cited as the Bertie’s Respect for National Cemeteries Act.

SEC. 2. Prohibition against interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration or Arlington National Cemetery of persons committing Federal or State capital crimes

• (a) Responsibility of appropriate Federal official
  • Section 2411(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended—
    • by striking In the caseand inserting (A) Except as provided by subparagraph (B), in the case; and
      • The appropriate Federal official shall take every reasonable action, including by searching public records, to ensure that a person who will be interred in a cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery is not ineligible for such interment by reason of this section.
    • by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
• (b) Authority To disinter
  • Section 2(c) of the Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act ( note) is amended— 38 U.S.C. 2411
    • by striking this sectionand inserting subsection (a); and
    • by inserting after the following: .

SEC. 3. Disinterment of remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery

• (a) Disinterment of remains
  • The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall disinter the remains of George E. Siple from Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
• (b) Notification of next-of-Kin
  • The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall—
    • notify the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple of the impending disinterment of his remains; and
    • upon disinterment, relinquish the remains to the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple or, if the next-of-kin of record for George E. Siple is unavailable, arrange for an appropriate disposition of the remains.