Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
House Veterans Affairs Committee Release-Arlington Cemetery
House Committee on Veterans Affairs
Who Deserves Burial at Arlington Cemetery? WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Stump
(R-AZ) wants the new 106th Congress to finish a matter left unresolved last
year, the question of who may be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
H.R. 70 is the first veterans' bill Stump introduced when Congress opened
the new session Wednesday. He said the bill is essentially identical to H.R.
3211, passed 412-0 by the House last March 24. The measure died late last
year when no action was taken in the Senate. Stump said he once again
intends to work with the Senate to pass the measure and see it signed into
law. He said he looked forward to the same bipartisan support he enjoyed
last year from Veterans' Affairs Committee Democrats.
The measure is designed to make sure only qualified veterans are buried in
the cemetery created specifically for that purpose. It codifies existing
Army regulations and eliminates automatic eligibility for members of
Congress, cabinet members and ambassadors who don't otherwise meet the
military requirements for burial.
Close family members could be buried without waivers in the plots of
eligible veterans under the legislation. Otherwise, only those specifically
covered in the legislation could be buried at Arlington. Stump, despite
being a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, would not be eligible under the
provisions of his legislation. Nor would Ranking Democrat Lane Evans (D-IL),
a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam era and an original co-sponsor,
be eligible.
Evans said H.R. 70 would provide "needed clarification by removing most of
the discretion, ambiguity and guesswork for eligibility for burial at
Arlington National Cemetery. This legislation will also make it easier for
the public to understand the requirements for burial."
Burial practices at Arlington came under the scrutiny of the Veterans'
Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the last Congress.
Investigators discovered serious inconsistencies in granting waivers,
including the interment of a former ambassador who later was found to have
lied about his World War II service.
"America's military heroes deserve to know we think enough of their service
and sacrifices to preserve Arlington as the most hallowed national cemetery
in the country," Stump said.
CONTACT: Dan Amon
January 7, 1999
(202) 225-3664
Stump Wants 106th Congress to End Confusion
Disclaimer of Endorsement:
Reference herein to any specific commercial products,
process, or service by trade name, trademark,
manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily
constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation,
or favoring by VNIS. The views and opinions of
authors expressed herein do not necessarily state
or reflect those of VNIS, and shall not be used for
advertising or product endorsement purposes.
VNIS is not a government agency and is a sole proprietorship,
own and operated by Christian L. Wilson USN/Ret
