Bill Text: TX HB4945 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to establishing a grant program for junior reserve officer training programs to provide military funeral honors for veterans.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-23 - Referred to Defense & Veterans' Affairs [HB4945 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB4945-Introduced.html
| 88R15229 SCP-D | ||
| By: Garcia | H.B. No. 4945 | |
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| relating to establishing a grant program for junior reserve officer | ||
| training programs to provide military funeral honors for veterans. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 434.0073 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 434.0073. GRANT PROGRAM FOR VETERAN FUNERAL SERVICES | ||
| IN CIVILIAN CEMETERY. (a) In this section: | ||
| (1) "JROTC program" means a junior reserve officer | ||
| training corps program for students in grades 6 through 12 | ||
| established under 10 U.S.C. Section 2031. | ||
| (2) "Military funeral honors" means the services | ||
| described by 10 U.S.C. Sections 1491(b) and (c). | ||
| (3) "ROTC program" means a reserve officer training | ||
| corps program established under 10 U.S.C. Section 2101. | ||
| (4) "Veteran" means a person who has served in: | ||
| (A) the army, navy, air force, coast guard, or | ||
| marine corps of the United States; or | ||
| (B) the Texas national guard as defined by | ||
| Section 437.001. | ||
| (b) The commission shall establish a grant program for JROTC | ||
| programs to provide military funeral honors at funeral services for | ||
| veterans being buried in a cemetery other than a national military | ||
| cemetery or other military cemetery in this state. | ||
| (c) A JROTC program may receive training on the requirements | ||
| and performance of military funeral honors at funerals of veterans | ||
| from a local organization that has the necessary training to | ||
| perform military funeral honors, including: | ||
| (1) an ROTC program; | ||
| (2) a military honor guard; | ||
| (3) a Veterans of Foreign Wars post; | ||
| (4) a law enforcement agency; | ||
| (5) a fire department; or | ||
| (6) another nonprofit organization that is composed of | ||
| or serves veterans and is qualified to provide training on the | ||
| requirements and performance of military funeral honors. | ||
| (d) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a JROTC | ||
| program must submit an application on the form prescribed by the | ||
| commission. The commission shall make the application form | ||
| available on the commission's publicly available Internet website. | ||
| An application for a grant under this section must include: | ||
| (1) the name of the local organization that trained | ||
| the JROTC program in the performance of military honors at veteran | ||
| funerals or, if the JROTC program was not able to obtain training | ||
| from a local organization, the names of the organizations the JROTC | ||
| program contacted to obtain training; and | ||
| (2) a detailed plan for how the JROTC program will | ||
| spend grant money awarded under this section, including, if the | ||
| program intends to purchase air rifles, details on whether the | ||
| JROTC program is authorized to make the purchase and a plan for the | ||
| safe use and storage of the air rifles. | ||
| (e) A JROTC program awarded a grant under this section shall | ||
| work with local organizations in the community to spread awareness | ||
| among veterans and the families of veterans of the program's | ||
| availability to perform military funeral honors in the community. | ||
| (f) Grant money awarded under this section may be used for: | ||
| (1) uniforms; | ||
| (2) air rifles, if: | ||
| (A) the purchase and use of air rifles is | ||
| approved by the school district in which the JROTC program is | ||
| located; and | ||
| (B) the JROTC program includes in the grant | ||
| application a safe storage and use plan that is approved by the | ||
| school district; | ||
| (3) American flags in a size approved for the purpose | ||
| of providing military honors, if one has not been provided to a | ||
| veteran's family free of charge; | ||
| (4) bugles; | ||
| (5) audio recordings of and equipment to play TAPS; or | ||
| (6) tuition and fees for a JROTC program instructor to | ||
| enroll in a training course offered by an honor guard academy, if | ||
| the program is unable to receive training from a local | ||
| organization. | ||
| (g) A grant awarded under this section may not exceed | ||
| $3,500. | ||
| (h) The commission and the Veterans' Land Board may | ||
| publicize a JROTC program that received a grant under this section | ||
| as a resource to perform military funeral honors at the funeral of a | ||
| veteran in the community in which the JROTC program is located and | ||
| the JROTC program shall make its best effort to perform military | ||
| funeral honors when requested. | ||
| (i) The commission may accept gifts, grants, and donations | ||
| from any source to administer the grant program established under | ||
| this section. | ||
| SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date | ||
| of this Act, the commission shall adopt rules to implement the grant | ||
| program established under Section 434.0073, Government Code, as | ||
| added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
