PIERRE, SD (SDBA) — A proposal to end veteran burial benefits drew strong opposition from veterans groups today (Monday), leading lawmakers to recommend against it.
House Appropriations Committee voted 9-3 to give House Bill 1038 a “do not pass” recommendation.
The measure would end stipends for headstone etching and setting at private cemeteries.
“Veterans wrote a blank check to America, including giving their lives for our freedom,” said Gene Murphy, representing Disabled American Veterans.
The Bureau of Finance and Management sought to save $52,700 annually through the cuts.
“State revenues have not been as strong, so we had to take a hard look at services,” said Brandy Miesner from BFM.
An American Legion leader said private cemetery costs burden families.
“It costs between 200 and $350 to set a marble stone in a private cemetery,” said Doug Feltman with the South Dakota American Legion. “It’s a big financial hit to veterans’ families.”
The program aided 255 veterans’ families with burial costs last year.
The bill heads to the full Appropriations Committee. The committee vote means it does not agree with the Rhoden administration’s proposal to cut the funding.
