National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022

National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection Act of 2022

This act addresses the administration and jurisdiction of national cemeteries.

Specifically, the act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay a plot or interment allowance for a veteran if the veteran was buried before March 15, 2022, in a cemetery on trust land owned by, or held in trust for, a tribal organization, and the organization that maintains or operates the cemetery applies for such allowance. Such allowance is only authorized if a plot or interment allowance was not already paid for the burial of such veteran.

The act also authorizes the VA to designate green burial sections in national cemeteries (i.e., sections of cemeteries in which the remains of individuals have been prepared for interment in a manner not involving chemicals or embalming fluids and have been interred in a natural manner or completely biodegradable burial receptacle).

The act authorizes the Department of the Army to transfer certain lands to the VA to expand the Fort Bliss National Cemetery.

In addition, the act authorizes the Department of the Interior to transfer certain land to the VA for the land to be used as a national cemetery.

Finally, the act prohibits persons who have committed certain crimes from being interred or memorialized in a cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery.