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Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act

Public Law 113-65 · S. 1471 · 113th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 20, 2013 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Sen. Daniel Coats (R-IN)

Cosponsors (2): Sen. Joe Donnelly,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 398 yea, 1 nay398–1
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act - Authorizes the appropriate federal official (either the Secretary of Veterans Affairs [VA] or the Secretary of the Army) to reconsider a decision to inter or honor the memory of a person in the National Cemetery Administration or in Arlington National Cemetery upon receiving information that such person may have committed a federal or state capital crime but was not convicted by reason of unavailability for trial due to death or flight to avoid prosecution.

Requires such official, upon finding, after an opportunity for a hearing, that the person committed but was not convicted of such crime, to provide notice to the individual's next of kin or other person authorized to arrange burial or memorialization of the deceased person of the decision to disinter such person's remains or remove a memorial headstone or marker. Allows such next of kin or other person 60 days to file a notice of disagreement, which shall initiate appellate review. Authorizes the appropriate federal official, when a decision becomes final, to disinter the remains or remove the memorial headstone or marker.

Modifies the exception to the prohibition against interment or memorialization in the National Cemetery System or Arlington National Cemetery of a person convicted of a federal or state capital crime to require receipt of written notice of a conviction before interment or memorialization takes place (currently, receipt of such notice is required before the appropriate federal official approves an application for interment or memorialization).

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: (1) to disinter the remains of Michael LaShawn Anderson from Fort Custer National Cemetery (Michigan); (2) to notify his next of kin of the impending disinterment; and (3) upon disinterment, to relinquish the remains to the next of kin or, if the next of kin of record is unavailable, arrange for the appropriate disposition of the remains.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 113th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 398 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

398 yea1 nay32 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(173)

Republicans who voted yea(225)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 633 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 3106Identical bill

    Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.

  1. Dec 20, 2013Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-65.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 13, 2013FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 11, 2013FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 398 - 1 (Roll no. 634).House roll call 634
  5. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  6. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  7. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1471.
  8. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  9. FloorFloor · Mr. Miller (FL) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  10. Nov 25, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.
  11. Nov 18, 2013FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  13. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  14. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  15. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  17. Oct 30, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-280.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
  19. Aug 1, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  20. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 2146SenateSen. Bernie SandersD-VT· offered Nov 18, 2013Agreed to

    Relative to authority to reconsider decisions of Secretary of Veterans Affairs or Secretary of the Army to inter the remains or honor the memory of a person in a national cemetery.

    Nov 18, 2013: Amendment SA 2146 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.