Bill would find Jewish WWI and WWII graves mismarked with crosses

What does this do?

This bill creates a program to find Jewish American servicemembers from World War I and World War II who were mistakenly buried under Latin Cross grave markers instead of Jewish markers. The program would run for five years. The bill also moves a minor deadline in veterans' pension law from November 2031 to January 2032.

Who does it affect?

The American Battle Monuments Commission, the federal agency that manages U.S. military cemeteries overseas, would run the program. Each year, the Commission would hire a qualified nonprofit organization to locate mismarked graves and contact surviving family members and descendants.

Why does it matter?

Congress estimates around 900 servicemembers may be buried under markers that do not reflect their faith. Finding these graves would allow families to be notified and the record to be corrected.

What does it cost, and who pays?

• $500K/year for 5 years
• Paid to a nonprofit