|
Washington Report
June-July 2002
Congressman Proposes Private
Pilot Program for National Cemeteries
by Robert M. Fells, Esq., general counsel
Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA) has introduced H.R. 4806, the "Honorable Burial for Veterans Act," which would establish an innovative partnership between the government and the private sector in providing burials for veterans. In response to a shortage of national cemetery burial space in the San Diego area, the bill initiates a pilot program on two parcels of land donated by Service Corporation International from Glen Abbey Memorial Park and Mortuary in Bonita and Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside.
According to Filner, the acreage would be donated to a charitable organization known as the Veterans Memorial Center and Museum in San Diego, which in turn would convey the land to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Describing the program as an "interim solution" to the lack of another national cemetery in the area, Filner thanked a number of individuals for their help, including ICFA Past President Richard T. Sells, CCE.
The death rate for the World War II veteran population is expected to peak during the next few years, after which the demand for grave space in most national cemeteries is expected to decline.
Copyright ICFA 2002
ICFA Testifies at FTC Hearings on Telemarketing Sales Rule |
