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Bill would bar fees for spouses buried in Nevada veterans cemeteries; agency warns of budget shortfall
Summary
Senate Bill 399 would prohibit charging a fee for interring the spouse of an eligible veteran in Nevada veterans cemeteries. The Department of Veterans Services said eliminating the fee would create an annual shortfall of about $380,000 unless replaced with general funds.
Senate Bill 399 would prohibit the Director of Nevada Department of Veterans Services from charging a fee for interment of a veteran's spouse at the state's veterans cemeteries, a sponsor said at a Senate Government Affairs Committee hearing. Senator Jeff Stone, sponsor of the bill, said eliminating the spousal fee is a gesture of appreciation for veterans' families.
"It is essential to recognize the immense sacrifices made by the spouses of veterans," Stone said as he described the bill’s intent to eliminate the $450 burial fee charged for spouses; the fee for a grave marker is separate and likewise not federally subsidized, he and witnesses said. The prohibition in SB 399 would apply to the two state veterans memorial cemeteries: Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley and Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.
Director Devine of the Nevada Department of Veterans Services testified in the neutral position and said the department would be negatively impacted if the fee were eliminated without an offset. The department projected a revenue shortfall of approximately $380,000 per fiscal year and up to $1.5 million across the next two biennia. Devine said those fees are applied to operating costs at both cemeteries, which are among the state's busiest, and that general‑fund support would be required to backfill the revenues if the fee is removed.
Supporters included Todd Inglesby, president of Professional Firefighters Nevada, who said veterans and their families deserve the change, and the Nevada State Education Association, whose representative Brian Wallace noted that the change would protect members enrolled in PERS who are affected when an employer or entity is delinquent in providing retirement contributions. No organized opposition appeared at the hearing.
Committee members asked whether the federal government subsidizes the spousal internment fee; witnesses said the $450 interment fee and marker cost are not covered by federal funding and would be paid by state voters if the state removes them. No committee action or vote was taken during the hearing; the committee closed the public hearing and kept the bill in committee for further consideration.
