Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act
Summary
The "Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Act" directs the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a program to identify American-Jewish servicemembers buried in United States military cemeteries overseas under markers that incorrectly represent their religion and heritage. The program, named the "Fallen Servicemembers Religious Heritage Restoration Program", will operate for five fiscal years and aims to contact survivors and descendants of covered members. The bill also includes a minor extension to certain limits on pension payments.
Expected Effects
This act will likely lead to the correction of misidentified graves of Jewish servicemembers. It allocates resources to a nonprofit organization to assist in this effort. Additionally, it slightly extends the limit on certain pension payments.
Potential Benefits
- Corrects historical inaccuracies in the identification of deceased Jewish servicemembers.
- Honors the heritage and religious identity of those who served.
- Provides closure and recognition for families of affected servicemembers.
- Allocates funding to a nonprofit organization, potentially boosting its capacity.
- Reinforces the government's commitment to honoring all servicemembers equally.
Potential Disadvantages
- The program is limited to five fiscal years, which may not be sufficient to address all cases.
- The focus is limited to American-Jewish servicemembers, potentially excluding other misidentified groups.
- The cost of $500,000 per year for five years could be seen as a misallocation of resources by some.
- The extension of pension limits is very minor and has limited impact.
- The bill does not address the root causes of the misidentification issue, potentially allowing similar errors to occur in the future.
Constitutional Alignment
The bill aligns with the principle of religious freedom, as it seeks to correct past errors in the religious identification of deceased servicemembers. While the First Amendment prohibits government establishment of religion, this bill can be viewed as ensuring the free exercise thereof by honoring the religious identity of individuals. The bill also falls under Congress's power to provide for the common defense and to raise and support armies (Article I, Section 8).
Impact Assessment: Things You Care About ⓘ
This action has been evaluated across 19 key areas that matter to you. Scores range from 1 (highly disadvantageous) to 5 (highly beneficial).