This bill mandates that all national cemeteries managed by the Department of Defense, VA, or National Park Service remain open to visitors on all federal legal public holidays.
Steve Daines
Senator
MT
This bill mandates that all national cemeteries managed by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the National Park Service must remain open to the public on all federal legal public holidays. This ensures continuous access for visitors wishing to honor service members and veterans on these significant days.
National Cemeteries Must Stay Open on Federal Holidays: New Bill Mandates 365-Day Access
This piece of legislation is short and to the point: it requires that all national cemeteries managed by the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), or the National Park Service (NPS) must be open to visitors on every federal legal public holiday.
Essentially, if the government recognizes the day off—think Memorial Day, Veterans Day, or even Christmas—the gates to these cemeteries must be open for visitation. The goal is simple: ensure that families and the public can honor deceased service members on the days that often hold the most significance, without finding the cemetery closed because it’s a holiday.
No More Closed Gates on Memorial Day
For anyone who has ever tried to visit a national cemetery on a holiday, only to find restricted hours or closed access, this bill is a fix. It mandates consistent access based on the list of holidays defined in Title 5, U.S. Code, Section 6103(a). This removes any ambiguity; the agencies can no longer use the 'it’s a holiday' excuse to close down. For the spouse, child, or friend of a fallen service member, this means guaranteed access when they likely have the time off work or school to make the trip.
The Cost of Keeping the Lights On
While the benefit to the public is clear, mandates like this always come with a practical challenge: staffing. Keeping these cemeteries open 365 days a year—including holidays—means the DoD, VA, and NPS staff responsible for maintenance, security, and visitor services will need to be on the clock.
For the VA cemetery staff, or the NPS employees at a battlefield cemetery, this means more holiday shifts and increased operational costs for the agencies. While the bill doesn’t explicitly allocate new funding to cover holiday overtime or security, the mandate is firm. The agencies will need to figure out how to absorb these extra labor costs within their existing budgets, which is something to watch as they implement the new rules.