Bill > HB53

This bill expands eligibility for burial in Georgia veterans cemeteries by allowing certain reserve component members, their spouses, and children to be interred in these facilities. Specifically, the legislation allows members of reserve components (such as Army Reserve, National Guard, etc.) who completed a full term of service and died on or after August 1, 1990, to be buried in state veterans cemeteries, even if they were previously ineligible for national cemetery burial. The bill also defines key terms like "full term" of service and "reserve component," and authorizes the Department of Veterans Service to charge fees for burial services. The legislation is motivated by the federal Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act of 2021, which encourages states to provide burial options for reserve component members, and follows the lead of approximately 25 other states that have already revised their cemetery burial laws. The bill aims to honor Georgians who served in reserve components and their families by providing them with dignified burial options in state veterans cemeteries.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69350