A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish national cemeteries for geographically underserved populations of veterans, and for other purposes.

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) identify the ten burial service areas in the United States that are most in need of a new national cemetery in order to ensure that 90 percent of the veterans who reside in each such area live within 75 miles of a national cemetery; (2) establish a national cemetery in each identified area; and (3) carry out advance planning in FY 2004 for the establishment of such cemeteries.

[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1282 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1282

  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish national 
cemeteries for geographically underserved populations of veterans, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 18, 2003

  Mr. Graham of Florida (for himself, Mr. Nelson of Florida, and Mr. 
   Sessions) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish national 
cemeteries for geographically underserved populations of veterans, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CEMETERIES FOR GEOGRAPHICALLY 
              UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS OF VETERANS.

    (a) Identification of Underserved Burial Service Areas.--The 
Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall identify the 10 burial service 
areas in the United States that, as determined by the Secretary, are 
most in need of a new national cemetery in order to ensure that 90 
percent of the veterans who reside in each such service area live 
within 75 miles of a national cemetery.
    (b) Burial Service Area.--For purposes of this section, the term 
``burial service area'' means a service area for burial in national 
cemeteries that is established by the Secretary utilizing the most 
current population data available to the Secretary as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act, which service area--
            (1) has a radius of approximately 75 miles;
            (2) contains a minimum population of veterans of 
        approximately 170,000 veterans; and
            (3) is not served as of the date of the enactment of this 
        Act by a national cemetery or State cemetery for veterans.
    (c) Establishment of National Cemeteries.--The Secretary shall 
establish, in accordance with chapter 24 of title 38, United States 
Code, a national cemetery in each burial service area identified under 
subsection (a) in order to serve the burial needs of veterans and their 
families.
    (d) Advance Planning.--(1) The Secretary shall carry out in fiscal 
year 2004 such activities as the Secretary considers appropriate for 
advance planning for the establishment of national cemeteries under 
subsection (c).
    (2) Amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2004 for the advance 
planning fund in the Construction, Major Projects account shall be 
available for activities under paragraph (1).
    (e) Reports.--(1) Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
on the establishment of national cemeteries under subsection (c). The 
report shall set forth the following:
            (A) Each burial service area identified by the Secretary 
        under subsection (a) to require the establishment of a national 
        cemetery under subsection (c).
            (B) A schedule for the establishment of each such national 
        cemetery.
            (C) An estimate of the costs of the establishment of each 
        such national cemetery.
            (D) The amount to be obligated under subsection (d) during 
        fiscal year 2004 for advance planning required under that 
        subsection.
    (2) Not later than one year after the date of the report under 
paragraph (1), and annually thereafter until the completion of each 
national cemetery required by subsection (c), the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress an update of the report under that paragraph (as 
previously updated, if at all, under this paragraph).
                                 <all>