112 STAT. 2030 PUBLIC LAW 105-261—OCT. 17, 1998 Reports. Regulations. SEC. 567. MILITARY FUNERAL HONORS FOR VETERANS. (a) CONFERENCE ON PRACTICES CONCERNING MILITARY HONORS AT FUNERALS FOR VETERANS.—(1) The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall convene and preside over a conference, to be completed not later than December 31, 1998, for the purpose of determining means of improving and increasing the availability of military funeral honors for veterans. The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall also participate in the conference. (2) The Secretaries shall invite and encourage the participation at the conference of appropriate representatives of veterans service organizations. (3) The conference shall perform the following: (A) Review current policies and practices of the military departments and the Department of Veterans Affairs relating to the provision of military funeral honors for veterans. (B) Consider alternative methods for providing military funeral honors for veterans and develop new strategies for providing those honors. (C) Determine what resources may be available outside the Department of Defense that could be used to provide military funeral honors for veterans. (D) Analyze the costs associated with providing military funeral honors for veterans, including the costs associated with using personnel and other resources for that purpose. (E) Assess trends in the rate of death of veterans. (F) Propose, consider, and determine means of improving and increasing the availability of military funeral honors for veterans. (4) Not later than March 31, 1999, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on the conference. The report shall set forth any modifications to Department of Defense directives on military funeral honors adopted as a result of the conference and include any recommendations for legislation that the Secretary considers appropriate as a result of the conference. (b) HONOR GUARD DETAILS AT FUNERALS OF VETERANS.— (1) Chapter 75 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
- § 1491. Honor guard details at funerals of veterans
"(a) AVAILABILITY. —The Secretary of a military department shall, upon request, provide an honor guard detail (or ensure that an honor guard detail is provided) for the funeral of any veteran that occurs after December 31, 1999. "(b) COMPOSITION OF HONOR GUARD DETAILS. —The Secretary of each military department shall ensure that an honor guard detail for the funeral of a veteran consists of not less than three persons and (unless a bugler is part of the detail) has the capability to play a recorded version of Taps. "(c) PERSONS FORMING HONOR GUARDS.—An honor guard detail may consist of members of the armed forces or members of veterans organizations or other organizations approved for purposes of this section under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. The Secretary of a military department may provide transportation, or reimbursement for transportation, and expenses for a person who participates in an honor guard detail under this section and
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