[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 365 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 365
Honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Cemetery Administration
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 26 (legislative day, September 22), 2023
Mr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Moran) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Cemetery Administration
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Whereas, in 1973, Congress passed the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 (Public
Law 93-43), creating an agency within the Veterans Administration to
oversee the national cemetery system;
Whereas, in 2023, the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) celebrates 50 years
of upholding a sacred duty to inter, honor, and memorialize those who
have served in the United States Armed Forces;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration operates and ensures perpetual care
of 155 national cemeteries and 34 soldiers' lots and monument sites that
honor and serve as the final resting places for 4,000,000 veterans
representing every era throughout the history of the United States;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration provides burial and memorial
benefits for eligible veterans and family members, at no cost,
including--
(1) a gravesite or niche in any national cemetery with available space;
(2) opening and closing of the grave and perpetual care; and
(3) a government headstone, marker, or medallion, burial flag, and
Presidential memorial certificate;
Whereas the establishment of the Veterans Cemetery Grants Program (VCGP) has
furthered the commitment of the United States to the proper burial and
honoring of veterans by awarding more than $1,000,000,000 to assist
States, Territories, and Tribal governments in establishing, expanding,
and operating veterans' cemeteries that complement and help expand
burial access;
Whereas, through the VCGP, the National Cemetery Administration has provided
grant funding to 122 veterans' cemeteries in 49 States, Tribal trust
lands, and Territories including Guam, Saipan, and Puerto Rico;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2022, the National Cemetery Administration processed
more than 350,000 requests for headstones, markers, and medallions to
honor veterans and their loved ones in national, State, Tribal, and
private cemeteries, and issued more than 463,000 Presidential memorial
certificates to the family members of veterans;
Whereas the sacred landscapes in national cemeteries and grant-funded veterans'
cemeteries serve as places of solemn remembrance to convey the stories
of generations of veterans encompassing the entirety of United States
history, including 529 recipients of the Medal of Honor and those
honored by nearly 1,370 military memorial monuments;
Whereas the consistent commitment of the National Cemetery Administration to
``national shrine'' standards of care for 50 years has preserved the
beauty of the sites that veterans and their families deserve, welcoming
more than 1,700,000 visitors at national cemeteries in fiscal year 2022,
and has immortalized those who lay at rest on those sacred grounds,
ensuring that all visitors, past and present, are able to bear witness
to the serene and historic shrines and leave with a sense of awe and
gratitude for the sacrifices those heroes made for the United States;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration has been awarded a score of 97, the
highest achieved score on record, in the reputable American Customer
Satisfaction Index, leading all organizations, public or private, for
the seventh consecutive time, a testament to the exemplary service of
National Cemetery Administration team members to veterans and their
families;
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration established the Veterans Legacy
Program (VLP), which has funded 35 programs that engage students and
teachers in communities large and small to further educate themselves
and their communities on the legacies and service of veterans by using
the expansive resources within the Department of Veterans Affairs,
resulting in the production of over 2,500 veteran biographies, 50
documentary videos, and over 100 lesson plans; and
Whereas the National Cemetery Administration continues to memorialize the
stories and sacrifices of veterans through the Veterans Legacy Memorial
(VLM), a digital interactive platform created to preserve the memories
of nearly 5,000,000 veterans laid to rest in cemeteries managed and
funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense
cemeteries, and National Park Service cemeteries: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) applauds the National Cemetery Administration, on its
50th anniversary, having stood firm in its mission of ensuring
proper final resting places adhering to national shrine
standards that commemorate the extraordinary commitment of
veterans and their families to the United States;
(2) recognizes that the National Cemetery Administration
has been a driving force in the preservation of, and passing
down, the heroic heritage and stories of members of the United
States Armed Forces of all backgrounds, from all corners of the
United States, and in educating future generations on the
importance of the service and sacrifice of veterans; and
(3) commends the individuals who work for the National
Cemetery Administration for their continued excellence ensuring
that the veterans of the United States are forever honored and
remembered in the hallowed grounds of the national cemeteries
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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