REFERENCE TITLE: veterans' home; tribal lands

State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-first Legislature First Regular Session 2013

HCM 2004

Introduced by Representatives Hale, Campbell, Cardenas, Contreras, Gonzales, Hernández, Miranda, Peshlakai, Steele, Stevens, Wheeler, Senators Cajero Bedford, Farley, Jackson Jr., Landrum Taylor, Lopez, McGuire, Pancrazi, Tovar: Representatives Alston, Barton, Escamilla, Gabaldón, Gallego, Gowan, Larkin, Livingston, McCune Davis, Meyer, Orr, Otondo, Quezada, Saldate, Shope, Tobin, Senator Ableser

 

A CONCURRENT memorial

 

urging the united states congress to enact legislation that would extend construction reimbursement and per diem to veterans' homes on tribal lands.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 

To the Congress of the United States:

Your memorialist respectfully represents:

Whereas, under current law, tribal governments are not eligible for reimbursement of costs to build a veterans' home on tribal land or to receive per diem for care provided to eligible veterans in such a veterans' home; and

Whereas, 38 United States Code section 101 restricts such reimbursement and per diem to state veterans homes that are located on land owned by the states, territories and possessions of the United States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and

Whereas, the Navajo Nation has approved funding to construct a veterans nursing care home for eligible veterans in Chinle, Arizona, yet such a home would not qualify for construction reimbursement or per diem that a similar home on nontribal would receive; and

Whereas, the disadvantage facing proposed tribal veterans' homes can be rectified by changing the current rules to extend the 65% construction reimbursement and per diem to tribal homes that are certified by the veterans administration and that meet the same standards as a "state" veterans' home.

Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:

1.  That the United States Congress enact legislation that would change the applicable law to allow construction reimbursement and per diem to veterans' homes on tribal lands.

2.  That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, United States Department of the Interior, and each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona.