Remembering America's Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act of 2012

Remembering America's Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act of 2012 - Treats Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Republic of the Philippines as a permanent military cemetery in a foreign country for purposes of the purview of the American Battle Monuments Commission. Directs the Commission to restore, operate, and maintain such Cemetery in cooperation with the government of the Republic of the Philippines.

Subjects such requirement to the availability of appropriations for such purpose.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2320 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2320

 To direct the American Battle Monuments Commission to provide for the 
 ongoing maintenance of Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Republic of the 
                  Philippines, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 19, 2012

Ms. Ayotte (for herself and Mr. Begich) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the American Battle Monuments Commission to provide for the 
 ongoing maintenance of Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Republic of the 
                  Philippines, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Remembering America's Forgotten 
Veterans Cemetery Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Clark Veterans Cemetery, located in the Republic of the 
        Philippines, contains the remains of more than 8,300 members of 
        the United States Armed Forces and their dependents.
            (2) In 1991, following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the 
        Air Force evacuated Clark Air Force Base ending more than 90 
        years of custodianship of Clark Veterans Cemetery and its 
        predecessor cemeteries by the United States Government.
            (3) From 1991 until 1994, Clark Veterans Cemetery, already 
        covered by a layer of volcanic ash, deteriorated further as 
        plant life overtook what remained of many graves and monuments, 
        failing to give the members of the Armed Forces and veterans 
        interred at Clark Veterans Cemetery the honorable resting place 
        their brave service deserves.
            (4) Since 1994, volunteers have attempted to maintain Clark 
        Veterans Cemetery without assistance from the United States 
        Government.
            (5) The mission of the American Battle Monuments Commission 
        is ``designing, constructing, operating and maintaining 
        permanent American cemeteries in foreign countries''.
            (6) Subsection (a) of section 2102 of title 36, United 
        States Code, provides the Commission with the authority to 
        employ such personnel as may be necessary for the Commission to 
        carry out its responsibilities with respect to Clark Veteran 
        Cemetery.
            (7) Subsection (b) of such section authorizes departments, 
        agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government 
        to make personnel and facilities available to the Commission, 
        on a reimbursable basis, to assist the Commission in carrying 
        out its responsibilities with respect to Clark Veterans 
        Cemetery.
            (8) Section 2103(e) of such title authorizes the Commission 
        to solicit and receive funds and in-kind donations and gifts 
        from any State, municipal, or private source to help carry out 
        its responsibilities with respect to Clark Veterans Cemetery.

SEC. 3. MAINTENANCE OF CLARK VETERANS CEMETERY BY AMERICAN BATTLE 
              MONUMENTS COMMISSION.

    (a) In General.--For purposes of section 2104 of title 36, United 
States Code, Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Republic of the Philippines 
shall be treated as a cemetery that the American Battle Monuments 
Commission and the Secretary of the Army decided under such section 
will become a permanent cemetery and the Commission shall restore, 
operate, and maintain Clark Veterans Cemetery under such section in 
cooperation with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.
    (b) Funding.--The requirement of subsection (a) for the American 
Battle Monuments Commission to restore, operate, and maintain Clark 
Veterans Cemetery shall be subject to the availability of 
appropriations for the restoration, operation, and maintenance of 
cemeteries by the American Battle Monuments Commission.
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