,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fhcj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #be1       
#bjbb,mr4 ,brown of ,maryland 7for      
himself and ,mr4 ,bacon7 introduced the 
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 to direct the ,secretary 
of ,veterans ,affairs to furnish        
headstones1 markers1 and medallions for 
graves of certain enslaved individuals  
and individuals who performed military  
functions despite ineligibility to serve
 in the ,armed ,forces4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,headstones for ,honor ,act4  #b4       
,eligibility for headstones1 markers1   
and medallions1 furnished by the        
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs1 for   
graves of certain enslaved individuals  
and individuals who performed military  
functions despite ineligibility to serve
 in the ,armed ,forces  7a7             
,establishment ,section #bcjf of title  

#ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended--
 7#a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 in       
paragraph 7#c71 by inserting and ,navies
 after ,armies2 and  7,b7 by inserting1 
after paragraph 7#e71 the following new 
paragraphs3  7#f7 ,any enslaved         
individual1 determined by the ,secretary
 to have-- 7,a7 accompanied a member of 
the ,armed ,forces or a ,civil ,war     
veteran 7as that term is defined in     
section #aeja of this title7 during     
active military or naval service of such
 member or ,civil ,war veteran2 or  7,b7
 served in the ,armed ,forces 7or       
,confederate ,army or ,navy7 in lieu of 
another individual4  7#g7 ,any          
individual determined by the ,secretary 
to have performed a military function   
while prohibited from serving as a      
member of the ,armed ,forces-- 7,a7 by  
,federal1 ,state1 or ,tribal law2 and   
7,b7 on the basis of race1 gender1 sex1 
or ethnicity4  2  7#b7 in subsection    
7d77#a71 by striking or 7#e7 and        
inserting 7#e71 7#f71 or 7#g72  7#c7 by 

redesignating subsection 7j7 as         
subsection 7l72 and  7#d7 by inserting1 
after subsection 7i71 the following new 
subsections 7j7 and 7k73  7j7 ,with     
respect to an individual described in   
paragraph 7#f7 of subsection 7a71 who   
served in the military or naval forces  
of the ,confederate ,states of ,america 
during the ,civil ,war1 a headstone1    
marker1 or medallion1 furnished by the  
,secretary1 shall include language that 
denotes such individual was forced to   
support their own enslavement4  7k7     
,with respect to an individual described
 in paragraph 7#f7 or 7#g7 of subsection
 7a71 a request to the ,secretary for a 
headstone1 marker1 or medallion may be  
made only by-- 7#a7 a direct descendant 
of the individual described in such     
paragraph2 or  7#b7 an individual whom  
the ,secretary determines has made a    
sufficiently reasonable attempt to      
solicit1 from such a known direct       
descendant1 consent to make such request
 on behalf of such direct descendant4  4

  7b7 ,conforming amendment ,section    
#bbjg7;a77#a7 of the ,johnny ,isakson   
and ,david ,p4 ,roe1 ,m4,d4 ,veterans   
,health ,care and ,benefits ,improvement
 ,act of #bjbj 7,public ,law #aaf-cae7  
is amended by striking subsections 7h71 
7i71 and 7j7 as subsections 7i71 7j71   
and 7k7 and inserting subsections 7h7   
through 7l7 as subsections 7i7 through  
7m74  7c7 ,effective date ,the          
amendments made by this section shall   
take effect on the earlier of the       
following3 7#a7 ,the day on which the   
,secretary prescribes regulations under 
subsection 7d74  7#b7 ,the day that is  
one year after the date of the enactment
 of this ,act4  7d7 ,regulations ,not   
later than one year after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall  
prescribe regulations to carry out the  
amendments made by subsection 7a71      
that-- 7#a7 are informed by comment1    
solicited by the ,secretary1 from-- 7,a7
 ,civil ,war historians2  7,b7 civil    

rights organizations2 and  7,c7 direct  
descendants of individuals described in 
under paragraphs 7#f7 and 7#g7 of       
section #bcjf7;a7 of title #ch1 ,united 
,states ,code1 as added by such         
amendments2  7#b7 define the term       
military function for purposes of such  
section1 as amended2 and  7#c7 establish
 what evidence the ,secretary may       
consider when determining performance of
 military functions of such individuals 
or family relationships to such         
individuals4 ,such evidence shall       
include the following3 7,a7 ,federal or 
,state pay records4  7,b7 ,federal or   
,state pension records4  7,c7           
,confederate pay records4  7,d7         
,regimental histories4  7,e7            
,newspapers4  7,f7 ,photographs4  7,g7  
,ship logs4  7,h7 ,diaries4  7,i7       
,family records1 including bibles4  7,j7
 ,church records4  7e7 ,report ,not     
later than #ae months after the         
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,veterans ,affairs 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 7a7 and the regulations     
prescribed under subsection 7d74