To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide certain burial benefits for spouses and children of veterans who are buried in tribal cemeteries, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3657) to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide headstones and markers for the graves of spouses and children of veterans who are buried in tribal cemeteries, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3657, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3657, as amended.

VA provides headstones and markers for the spouses or dependent children of veterans who are interred in a national or State veterans cemetery at no charge. But VA is not authorized to provide headstones or markers for spouses and dependent children who are interred in Tribal veterans cemeteries. That is not right.

There is no reason that veterans and their families who are interred in Tribal veterans cemeteries shouldn't receive the same benefits as those who decide to use national or State veterans cemeteries.

H.R. 3657 would allow VA to provide headstones and markers for eligible family members who are interred in Tribal veterans cemeteries.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Poliquin for introducing this bill. I know he has a special interest in this because his district includes a Tribal veterans cemetery.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3657, and ensure that veterans who choose to be interred in Tribal cemeteries are given the same recognition that we give to veterans who are interred in national or State veterans cemeteries.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin), my good friend and member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank both sides of the aisle for these great bills we are passing this afternoon. It may seem like a small bill to the American public, but to the individual that is affected--in Maine, or wherever it may be--this is a huge deal.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Democratic side for all of the work they have done on the committee in a bipartisan way. It is a great committee to work on.

This is a very important week for all of us, as we go home this Friday to begin celebrating Veterans Day. Two very important days on the committee are Memorial Day and Veterans Day, to honor those who passed and those who are still with us.

Mr. Speaker, I thank both the Republicans and the Democrats. We put that at the door's edge, and this week we will be voting on some important pieces of legislation. We have seven more bills on the floor tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the support they have given our veterans in this country.

I once again urge all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3657, as amended, which would authorize VA to provide headstones and markers for the graves of spouses and children of veterans who are buried in Tribal cemeteries.

VA currently provides a headstone or a marker for eligible spouses or dependent children who are buried or interred in a national, military post, or State veterans cemetery. However, spouses and dependents are not eligible for a government-furnished headstone or marker if they are buried in a private or Tribal cemetery.

H.R. 3657, as amended, would resolve this inequity by ensuring that veterans' spouses and children who are buried at Tribal veterans cemeteries are provided government-furnished headstones or markers, which would be the same treatment family members buried at national and State veterans cemeteries receive.

H.R. 3657, as amended, enjoys broad, bipartisan support among the Members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, and I wish to thank the bill's sponsor, Representative Bruce Poliquin, for his sponsorship and the work of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee for bringing it to the floor.

Native-American veterans have earned, and deserve, the same rights, privileges, and honors that other veterans receive. For this reason, I strongly support H.R. 3657, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to join me.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers.

Again, I strongly support H.R. 3657, as amended, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful that the House will be voting on this commonsense piece of legislation tonight. I am very proud to represent the Houlton Band of the Maliseet Indians in Houlton, Maine, who created the first Tribal veterans cemetery not only in Maine, but also along the entire East Coast.

This past summer, Mr. Speaker, I was very surprised to learn that family members of veterans buried at Tribal cemeteries are not provided the same treatment as those buried at State and national veterans cemeteries. H.R. 3657 fixes this issue permanently.

Specifically, it would ensure that the family members of veterans who are buried at Tribal cemeteries--such as the Maliseet Indian Tribal cemetery in Houlton--are provided with government-furnished headstones, the same treatment as those buried at national and State veterans cemeteries.

Mr. Speaker, we are all Americans. People who put on the uniform-- whether a man or a woman, whoever they are, wherever they live, or whatever cemetery they are buried in--deserve the same respect, the same honor, and the same treatment.

I am thrilled to tell everybody listening here that this moved out of committee--this commonsense fix--this bill moved out of committee with unanimous support.

Mr. Speaker, I am asking for that to happen tonight when it appears on the floor, and I am grateful for our chairman to bring this up tonight.