Senate Passes Senator Collins' Legislation to Help Remedy Problems at Arlington National Cemetery

Press Release

As a caravan of trucks, filled with 24,000 wreaths, prepares to leave Maine this weekend bound for Arlington National Cemetery where they will be placed on soldiers' gravesites, the U.S. Senate today passed legislation that would help the cemetery's new leadership structure a plan to identify and remedy errors like the ones uncovered recently.

This bipartisan legislation was introduced by Senator Susan Collins, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, along with Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Scott Brown (R-MA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Richard Burr (R-NC) following a congressional hearing last summer which revealed the possibility of thousands of unmarked or improperly marked gravesites at Arlington. And, just this week, the Army disclosed that it has begun a criminal investigation after the discovery of the remains of eight people in one grave at Arlington.

"Gross mismanagement of these sanctified grounds has tarnished a sacred trust and shaken many military families," said Senator Collins. "Our bill to help the new leadership at the cemetery identify and remedy errors is moving forward just as new revelations about abhorrent treatment of the remains of our service members have emerged. Next Saturday, wreaths made of Maine balsam fir will be placed with care -- by Mainers and others -- on the final resting places of our heroes. The leadership of the Cemetery must treat the graves and the families that mourn at them with equal respect and honor."

When problems first emerged at the cemetery, the Senators pledged to follow up on the results and ensure that the Army investigated and systematically fixed problems, and this legislation follows through on the promise. The legislation passed today directs the Secretary of the Army to review and report to Congress on the progress being made at Arlington to fix errors in burial records and improve contract oversight at the cemetery.

Many of the previous problems at Arlington National Cemetery resulted from a failed effort to automate how the cemetery tracks burial records and manages burial operations. Despite spending between $5 and $8 million on multiple IT contracts over seven years, the cemetery's complex records remain in paper form and prone to human errors. The documents and information that were presented at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee hearing last July suggest that thousands of graves may be unmarked, improperly marked, or mislabeled on the cemetery's maps.

Following a June 2010 U.S. Army Inspector General (IG) report that found many of the problems at Arlington National Cemetery, the Secretary of the Army established a new organizational structure at the cemetery and created a new leadership position that reports directly to the secretary. A senior official from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which successfully manages over 130 veterans' cemeteries nationwide, is also helping the Army to sort out the problems and reorganize the oversight and management systems at Arlington National Cemetery.

The legislation passed in the Senate today will codify the new organizational structure and help ensure that the management at Arlington is accountable to Congress.

Specifically, the legislation would:

* Require the Secretary of the Army to report to Congress on the Cemetery's ability to verify the identity, location and burial records for every gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery and the plans to remedy any errors found.

* Require the Secretary of the Army to report to Congress on the progress at Arlington on changing the management and oversight structure at Arlington National Cemetery, including contract management and practices for providing information and outreach to families of individuals buried at Arlington.

* Require the Government Accountability Office to oversee and report to Congress on the management and oversight of contracts at Arlington National Cemetery, including oversight of:
o All contracts for the automation of burial operations
o Cemetery contract management and coordination with Army contracting agencies
o Any corrective action taken to address the IG report's findings
o The Cemetery's compliance with directives from the Secretary of the Army and recommendations from the Army National Cemeteries Advisory Commission
o Cemetery practices for providing information and outreach to families of individuals buried at Arlington
o Feasibility and advisability of transferring the control of Arlington National Cemetery and the Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This legislation must now be passed by the House of Representatives before it would be sent to the President for his signature.

On Sunday, in Hermon, Senator Collins will give the keynote address at the first stop of the 2010 Wreaths Across America convoy's journey to Arlington National Cemetery. This is the 19th year of the Worcester Wreath Company's Wreaths Across America tradition.

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