WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), John Fetterman (D-PA), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) today introduced the Restoring the Sanctity of Public Entombments, Cemeteries, and Tributes (RESPECT) Act, which would extend the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) retroactive authority to disinter the remains of veterans from national cemeteries who would have been deemed ineligible for such a burial under current law, usually due to having committed a serious crime:

“The burial grounds of our national cemeteries should be reserved for the bravest and most honorable among us,” said Sen. Cornyn. “This legislation would give the VA extended authority to disinter the remains of any disgraced veteran who would not be deemed eligible for such a burial according to current law’s standards and ensure the hallowed grounds of our national cemeteries respect the values and service befitting a true patriot.”

“Rather than setting an arbitrary cutoff for disinterment requests, this legislation will help ensure that the process is available to everyone,” said Sen. Hirono. “I’m glad to join my colleagues in this bipartisan effort to implement this commonsense fix and grant the VA the authority to carry out these requests.”

“Our national cemeteries must reflect the honor, integrity, and respect owed to our veterans and their families who gave their lives fighting for their nation,” said Sen. Scott. “As a proud Navy veteran, I’m proud to join my bipartisan colleagues in supporting the Respect Act, which preserves the dignity of our national cemeteries and ensures those laid to rest with this honor are worthy.”

Background:

Under current law, the VA can only reconsider eligibility determinations for burial in national cemeteries for cases dating back to 2013. Families and victims’ advocates seeking disinterment of individuals who committed serious crimes prior to that date must secure a specific act of Congress, creating unnecessary delays and inequities. This legislation would extend the VA’s retroactive authority back to June 18, 1973, covering the date when the National Cemeteries Act was signed into law.

There are currently at least seven outstanding disinterment petitions across multiple states, including Hawaii, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Florida, and California, underscoring the need to address this issue. Notably, Sen. Cornyn introduced a bill earlier this Congress that recently passed the Senate to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota, an alleged serial murderer and convicted rapist, from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.

Sen. Cornyn’s RESPECT Act would:
• Grant the VA retroactive authority dating back to June 18, 1973, to reconsider burial eligibility determinations;
• Correct statutory language to avoid constitutional challenges regarding tier III sex offender classification;
• And repeal a now-duplicative provision of the Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act.