HONOR Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 2623
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Armed Forces and National Security
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-07-31: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2025-09-05T17:14:13Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The HONOR Act of 2025 aims to increase transparency in the operations of the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It focuses on making interment scheduling information publicly available and ensuring ongoing customer service feedback mechanisms to better serve veterans' families and related parties.
Key Provisions
- Interment Schedule Availability (Section 2):
- Requires the VA Secretary to create and maintain a publicly accessible spreadsheet (or similar document) on the NCA's website homepage, listing the latest interment schedule availability for each active cemetery under NCA control.
- Implementation timeline: The document must be available within 120 days of enactment, with updates every 30 days.
- Definition: Within 60 days of enactment, the VA Secretary must propose a definition for "interment schedule availability" to Congress. This term generally refers to the number of business days from establishing a case for a deceased individual to the first available interment date, while considering family preferences for dates, days of the week, and times.
- Reporting: Within one year of enactment, the VA must submit a report to Congress on historical interment schedule data for the previous five years.
- Customer Service Surveys (Section 3):
- American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Survey: Expresses Congress's view that the NCA should continue participating in this independent national survey measuring customer satisfaction. If the NCA stops participating, the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs must notify Congress at least 30 days in advance.
- NCA-Specific Surveys: Mandates that the Under Secretary continue administering and publishing results from the NCA's own customer service surveys, targeting veterans, families, and funeral homes. Any changes to the survey's methodology, participants, or scope require notification to Congress at least 30 days in advance.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- This bill introduces new mandatory transparency requirements not previously specified in law, such as the public online disclosure of interment schedules and regular updates.
- It formalizes congressional oversight by requiring notifications for survey non-participation or changes, and a proposed definition and historical report on interment availability, which enhance accountability without altering core VA operations.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The VA, particularly the NCA, will face increased administrative burdens to maintain and update public data and surveys, potentially improving internal efficiency through better tracking of interment timelines. This could lead to resource allocation for website management and reporting.
- On Citizens: Veterans' families and funeral directors will gain easier access to real-time cemetery availability, reducing uncertainty during bereavement and potentially speeding up funeral planning. Published survey results may highlight service improvements or issues, fostering trust in VA services.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic VA cemetery operations.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Primary: Families of deceased veterans, veterans themselves (for planning purposes), and funeral homes relying on NCA services.
- Secondary: The Department of Veterans Affairs (especially the NCA and Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs), Congress (through oversight and reporting), and cemetery staff responsible for scheduling and data management.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens administrative transparency under existing VA statutes (e.g., those governing public access to information), without imposing new funding mandates, which could invite future budget considerations. The bill's requirements for congressional notifications ensure legislative checks on executive decisions.
- Constitutional: Aligns with First Amendment principles by promoting public access to government information, but does not raise significant free speech or due process concerns.
- Political: Bipartisan sponsorship (by Senators Rounds and Blumenthal) signals broad support for veteran services; it may set a precedent for similar transparency measures in other federal agencies, potentially influencing VA funding debates or performance metrics in appropriations.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Recent Actions
- 2025-07-31: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- 2025-07-31: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Honest Operations for National Cemetery Reporting Act of 2025 — issued 2025-07-31 — PDF (4 pages)