To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill is a specific directive to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Within one year after enactment, VA must disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in Texas. VA may not carry out the disinterment until it has notified the next of kin. After disinterment, VA must relinquish the remains to the next of kin if that person responds, or arrange another disposition that VA determines appropriate if no next of kin responds.
Who Benefits and How
Fernando V. Cota family members benefit because the bill creates a federal process for notice and possible transfer of the remains to the next of kin. The next of kin receives a legally recognized opportunity to take custody after disinterment. VA cemetery administrators receive a clear statutory instruction for a case that otherwise would require administrative judgment.
Who Bears the Burden and How
VA must complete the disinterment within one year, notify the next of kin before acting, transfer the remains if a next of kin responds, and arrange disposition if nobody responds. Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery staff must carry out operational, records, custody, and burial-site work. The next of kin may bear decision-making and reinterment logistics after receiving the remains.
Key Provisions
- Requires VA to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery within one year.
- Bars VA from carrying out disinterment until after notifying the next of kin.
- Requires VA to relinquish the remains to the responding next of kin.
- Authorizes VA to arrange another appropriate disposition if no next of kin responds.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires VA to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery within one year, notify the next of kin first, and either relinquish the remains to the next of kin or arrange another disposition if no next of kin responds.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Requires VA to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery within one year, notify the next of kin first, and either relinquish the remains to the next of kin or arrange another disposition if no next of kin responds.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Fernando V. Cota family members
- Fernando V. Cota next of kin
- VA cemetery administrators
Identified Costs
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery staff
- Fernando V. Cota next of kin
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Luttrell (for himself, Mr. Self, and Mr. Tony Gonzales …
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery staff, VA cemetery operations
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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