Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act
Officially: “Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section states that the Act may be cited as the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act .
2Findings
This section lists findings by Congress. An estimated 900 American-Jewish servicemembers killed in World War I and World War II and buried overseas in United States military cemeteries were mistakenly buried under Latin Crosses, and in most instances those mistakes were made inadvertently. In 2022, more than 2,000,000 people visited the United States World War I and World War II cemeteries located in foreign countries. American-Jewish servicemembers played a vital role in the Allied victories in World War I and World War II. American-Jewish servicemembers who fought and died for the United States must have their heritage properly recognized and honored. The United States Government has a solemn responsibility to ensure that every American servicemember killed in action and buried overseas is properly honored. The work of properly identifying American-Jewish servicemembers buried overseas is vital and integral to the responsibility of the American Battle Monuments Commission to correct past mistakes in honoring servicemembers who died in the line of duty.
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2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) An estimated 900 American-Jewish servicemembers of the Armed Forces, killed in World War I and World War II and buried overseas in United States military cemeteries were, for various reasons, mistakenly buried under Latin Crosses. In most instances, those mistakes were made inadvertently. (2) In 2022, more than 2,000,000 people visited the United States World War I and World War II cemeteries in foreign countries. (3) American-Jewish servicemembers played a vital role in the Allied victories in World War I and World War II. (4) American-Jewish servicemembers who fought and died for the United States must have their heritage properly recognized and honored. (5) The United States Government has a solemn responsibility to ensure that every American servicemember killed in action and buried overseas is properly honored. (6) The work of properly identifying American-Jewish servicemembers buried overseas is vital and integral to the responsibility of the American Battle Monuments Commission to ensure that past mistakes in honoring those servicemembers who died in the line of duty are corrected.
3Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program
This section would require the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a program, to be known as the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program, to identify covered members and to contact the survivors and descendants of those covered members. The Commission would carry out the program during the first 10 fiscal years that begin after the date the Act is enacted. During each of those fiscal years, the Commission would be required to seek to enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization under which that organization would carry out the identification and outreach work; each such contract would last one year and be in the amount of $500,000 to the nonprofit organization, and the Commission would give priority in awarding a contract to a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated capability and expertise in carrying out that work. The section would authorize $500,000 to be appropriated to the Commission for each of those 10 fiscal years to carry out the section. For purposes of this section, a covered member would mean a deceased member of the Armed Forces who was Jewish and who is buried in a United States military cemetery located outside the United States under a marker that indicates the member was not Jewish. A nonprofit organization would mean an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code.
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3. Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program (a) Establishment The American Battle Monuments Commission shall establish a program to identify covered members and to contact survivors and descendants of such covered members. Such program shall be known as the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program . (b) Duration The Commission shall carry out the Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program during the first 10 fiscal years that begin after the date of the enactment of this Act. (c) Contracts (1) Authority During each fiscal year described in subsection (b), the Commission shall seek to enter into a contract with a nonprofit organization under which such nonprofit organization shall carry out the purpose described in subsection (a). (2) Term; amount Each contract under this subsection shall be for one year and in the amount of $500,000 to the nonprofit organization. (3) Priority In awarding a contract under this subsection, the Commission shall give priority to a nonprofit organization that has demonstrated capability and expertise in carrying out the purpose described in subsection (a). (d) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Commission $500,000 for each fiscal year described in subsection (b). (e) Definitions In this section: (1) The term covered member means a deceased member of the Armed Forces who was Jewish and buried— (A) in a United States military cemetery located outside the United States; and (B) under a marker that indicates such member was not Jewish. (2) The term nonprofit organization means an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of such Code.
Where it is
In the House.