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RI S3001
Bill
Status
3/4/2026
Primary Sponsor
Walter Felag
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AI Summary
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Grants burial eligibility at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery to Hmong and Lao veterans who served with special guerrilla units or irregular forces supporting U.S. Armed Forces during the "Secret War" in Laos (1961-1975)
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Requires individuals to have been determined eligible for national cemetery burial by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under 38 U.S.C. § 2402 and 38 CFR § 38.620
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Extends burial eligibility to spouses, widows/widowers, and certain dependents of qualifying veterans under the same conditions as other veterans
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Requires the Office of Veterans Services to establish verification and record-keeping rules consistent with federal grant requirements
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Prohibits expanding eligibility beyond federal law or jeopardizing the state's receipt of federal cemetery funding
Legislative Description
Provides that certain Hmong or Lao veterans who served honorably in military operations in support of the United States as special guerrilla units be granted burial rights at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery.
Military Affairs And Defense
Last Action
Committee recommended measure be held for further study
3/11/2026