House Passes Bill To Counter Mismanagement Of Arlington Cemetery

The House voted 407 to 3 Thursday on legislation aimed at providing better oversight of Arlington Cemetery’s management.

The bill, which would require a series of reports on the upkeep of the prestigious military cemetery, follows an Army-led study that concluded 211 gravesides could have been mislabeled. Additional information revealed that the actual numbers could be significantly higher.

The legislation passed earlier this week in the Senate. Sen. Claire McCaskill, who introduced the bill with Senators Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), issued a statement shortly after the legislation’s passage in the House.

“I know the Army and the new leadership at Arlington are taking these issues seriously,” McCaskill said. “But this legislation will provide the Congressional oversight we need to ensure we fix any errors as quickly as possible.”