Bill Summary
The "Headstones for Honor Act" is a proposed piece of legislation aimed at providing headstones, markers, and medallions for the graves of certain enslaved individuals and individuals who performed military functions despite being ineligible to serve in the Armed Forces due to prohibitive laws based on race, gender, or ethnicity.
Key provisions of the Act include:
1. **Eligibility Expansion**: The bill amends existing laws to include:
- Enslaved individuals who accompanied members of the Armed Forces or served in lieu of someone else during military service, particularly during the Civil War.
- Individuals who performed military functions despite their ineligibility to serve based on discriminatory laws.
2. **Recognition of Forced Service**: For those who served in the Confederate military, headstones or markers would explicitly acknowledge that their involvement was a result of their enslavement.
3. **Application Process**: Requests for headstones or markers can only be made by direct descendants of the individuals or by others who can demonstrate they sought consent from those descendants.
4. **Regulatory Framework**: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is tasked with developing regulations within a year of the Act’s enactment, which will include definitions and criteria for evaluating military function and familial relationships.
5. **Reporting Requirement**: The Secretary must report to Congress on the implementation and regulations related to this Act within 15 months of its enactment.
Overall, the Act seeks to honor the contributions of marginalized individuals in U.S. military history by providing them with proper commemorative markers.
Possible Impacts
The "Headstones for Honor Act," as outlined in the provided legislation text, could affect people in several significant ways. Here are three examples:
1. **Recognition of Historical Contributions**: The Act would allow for the recognition and honoring of enslaved individuals and those who performed military functions despite legal barriers. By providing headstones, markers, and medallions, it acknowledges the sacrifices and contributions of these individuals to military history. This can provide descendants with a sense of pride and closure, as their ancestors' roles are validated and memorialized in a way that may have been previously overlooked.
2. **Access to Commemoration**: The legislation stipulates that requests for headstones or markers can only be made by direct descendants or those who have obtained consent. This may impact families of enslaved individuals or those who performed military functions by providing them with a formal process to seek recognition. However, it could also create challenges if descendants are unaware of their lineage or have difficulty obtaining consent, potentially limiting access to this form of commemoration.
3. **Cultural and Historical Education**: The implementation of this Act may lead to increased awareness and education about the roles of enslaved individuals and marginalized groups in U.S. military history. This could foster discussions in communities and schools about race, military service, and historical injustices. Engaging historians, civil rights organizations, and descendants in the regulation process may further enhance public understanding of these topics, promoting a broader conversation about inclusion and recognition in American history.
These examples illustrate the potential impacts of the legislation not only on individuals and families but also on society's understanding of its historical narrative.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6032 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6032
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to furnish headstones, markers, and medallions for
graves of certain enslaved individuals and individuals who performed
military functions despite ineligibility to serve in the Armed Forces.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 12, 2025
Mr. Horsford (for himself and Mr. Bacon) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs to furnish headstones, markers, and medallions for
graves of certain enslaved individuals and individuals who performed
military functions despite ineligibility to serve in the Armed Forces.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Headstones for Honor Act''.
SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY FOR HEADSTONES, MARKERS, AND MEDALLIONS, FURNISHED
BY THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, FOR GRAVES OF
CERTAIN ENSLAVED INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUALS WHO
PERFORMED MILITARY FUNCTIONS DESPITE INELIGIBILITY TO
SERVE IN THE ARMED FORCES.
(a) Establishment.--Section 2306 of title 38, United States Code,
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``and Navies''
after ``Armies''; and
(B) by inserting, after paragraph (5), the
following new paragraphs:
``(6) Any enslaved individual, determined by the Secretary to
have--
``(A) accompanied a member of the Armed Forces or a Civil
War veteran (as that term is defined in section 1501 of this
title) during active military or naval service of such member
or Civil War veteran; or
``(B) served in the Armed Forces (or Confederate Army or
Navy) in lieu of another individual.
``(7) Any individual determined by the Secretary to have performed
a military function while prohibited from serving as a member of the
Armed Forces--
``(A) by Federal, State, or Tribal law; and
``(B) on the basis of race, gender, sex, or ethnicity.'';
(2) in subsection (d)(1), by striking ``or (5)'' and
inserting ``, (5), (6), or (7)'';
(3) by redesignating subsections (j) and (k) as subsections
(l) and (m), respectively; and
(4) by inserting after subsection (i) the following new
subsections:
``(j) With respect to an individual described in paragraph (6) of
subsection (a), who served in the military or naval forces of the
Confederate States of America during the Civil War, a headstone,
marker, or medallion, furnished by the Secretary, shall include
language that denotes such individual was forced to support their own
enslavement.
``(k) With respect to an individual described in paragraph (6) or
(7) of subsection (a), a request to the Secretary for a headstone,
marker, or medallion may be made only by--
``(1) a direct descendant of the individual described in
such paragraph; or
``(2) an individual whom the Secretary determines has made
a sufficiently reasonable attempt to solicit, from such a known
direct descendant, consent to make such request on behalf of
such direct descendant.''.
(b) Regulations.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
prescribe regulations to implement the amendments made by subsection
(a). Such regulations shall--
(1) be informed by comment, solicited by the Secretary,
from--
(A) Civil War historians;
(B) civil rights organizations; and
(C) direct descendants of individuals described in
under paragraphs (6) and (7) of section 2306(a) of
title 38, United States Code (as added by such
subsection);
(2) define the term ``military function'' for purposes of
such section; and
(3) establish what evidence the Secretary may consider when
determining the performance of military functions of such
individuals or family relationships to such individuals, which
shall include--
(A) Federal or State pay records;
(B) Federal or State pension records;
(C) Confederate pay records;
(D) regimental histories;
(E) newspapers;
(F) photographs;
(G) ship logs;
(H) diaries;
(I) family records, including bibles; and
(J) church records.
(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
take effect on the earlier of--
(1) the date on which the Secretary prescribes regulations
under subsection (b); and
(2) the date that is one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(d) Report.--Not later than 15 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on
Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the House of Representatives a
report on the implementation of the amendments made by subsection (a)
and the regulations prescribed under subsection (b).
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