HB 138 Maryland House of Delegates · 2025 Regular Session

State Government – Veterans – Burial at State Veterans’ Cemeteries (Burial Equity Act)

HB 138, the Burial Equity Act, expands eligibility for burial at Maryland's state veterans' cemeteries to include National Guard and military reserves members, removing their previous residency requirements. The bill eliminates the need for these service members to have been Maryland residents when entering service, at death, or for two years prior. Instead, it establishes a burial fee equal to the federal annual plot allowance for National Guard/reserve members and their eligible spouses or dependents. This change directly affects National Guard and military reserves veterans and their families seeking burial at state cemeteries, aligning Maryland's policy with federal standards for these service categories.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Sep 2024
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Sep 28, 2024 Last action Feb 7, 2025
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What changed between versions

First - State Government – Veterans – Burial at State Veterans’ Cemeteries (Burial Equity Act) Third - State Government – Veterans – Burial at State Veterans’ Cemeteries (Burial Equity Act) · 4 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends the Burial Equity Act to clarify definitions and expand eligibility for burial in state veterans' cemeteries. The primary changes involve redefining 'reserve component' to explicitly list all military reserve branches, clarifying that National Guard and military reserves members are part of a reserve component, and adjusting the definition of 'veteran' to include specific reserve service terms. These changes aim to ensure consistent application of burial benefits across all reserve military categories.
Scope change
The bill's scope was expanded by explicitly including all reserve military branches (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Public Health Service reserves) in the definition of 'reserve component', ensuring uniform eligibility standards across all reserve categories.
DEFINITION

Added explicit list of all reserve military branches under the definition of 'RESERVE COMPONENT', including Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Reserve, and other reserve services under 28 U.S.C. § 101(24).

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the definition of 'veteran' to clarify that service as a member of the National Guard or military reserves must be completed as part of a 'reserve component' to qualify for burial benefits.

REQUIREMENT

Updated residency requirements for National Guard and military reserves members to specify that they must have been residents of the state when they entered uniformed services, when they died, or for 2 years (with potential waiver).

TECHNICAL

Added explanatory notes about formatting conventions (capitalization for additions, brackets for deletions, underlining for amendments, strike-through for deletions) to clarify how amendments should be interpreted.

Floor votes · House of Delegates Feb 6, 2025

How they voted

1290
Passed · 7 other
Total votes 136
Feb 6, 2025
D Democratic97
91 Yea 6
93% Yea
R Republican39
38 Yea 1
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
8
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Feb 7, 2025
Committee
Referred Education, Energy, and the Environment
upper
Feb 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading Passed
lower
Feb 4, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments {
lower
Feb 3, 2025
Lower · Passed
Favorable with Amendments Report by Health and Government Operations
lower
Jan 8, 2025
Committee
First Reading Health and Government Operations
lower
Sep 28, 2024
Introduced
Pre-filed
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.