BATON ROUGE (AP) — House lawmakers have agreed to authorize a $745 fee for burials in Louisiana's veterans cemeteries, but veterans won't be expected to pay the price.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says the federal government has been paying the $745 toward the cost of each burial. But the agency says a recent attorney general's opinion suggested the fee rate needed to be set by state lawmakers.
The same charge would be set for a veteran's spouse or relative to be buried in the veterans cemetery. That fee, too, already has been charged by the state veterans department. The department could waive the fee if the family member can't afford it.
The bill by Rep. Jerry "Truck" Gisclair was sent to the Senate with an 87-2 vote Monday.
For more information about House Bill 966 click here.