Veterans

This bill designates September 22 of each year as "John Basilone Day" in New Jersey to honor the WWII Marine Corps hero John Basilone, a native of Raritan. It requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation encouraging public observance through activities and programs. The resolution commemorates Basilone's Medal of Honor and Navy Cross achievements for his actions at Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, with no new policies or funding created. As a purely commemorative measure, it has no direct regulatory impact.

This bill establishes a New Jersey grant program within the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to fund veteran gravesite maintenance. It provides grants to tax-exempt veterans' organizations (like 501(c)(3) groups or federally chartered veterans' service groups) for maintaining gravesites across the state. The program requires the department to create application guidelines, monitor grant use, and collect annual reports from recipients on how funds were spent. Implementation depends on future legislative funding, as the bill states the program would be subject to appropriation.