House OKs Curbs on Veterans’ Burials

Veterans sentenced to death or life imprisonment for capital crimes could not be buried or memorialized in federal cemeteries under a bill the House passed. The measure is Congress’ response to the conviction of Timothy J. McVeigh, the Persian Gulf War veteran recently sentenced to death for bombing an Oklahoma City federal building and killing 168 people in 1995. Lawmakers have said would be unseemly for him to be buried alongside the nation’s military heroes, if he so desired. The House also approved legislation authorizing a 2.1% cost-of-living adjustment for 2.6 million veterans who receive disability payments, effective Dec. 1.