The Legislature on May 23 advanced Bill 49‑38 COR — a measure to expand the Tiguan Cemetery by adding Lot 258 to lands administered by the Department of Parks and Recreation — after lawmakers adopted several floor amendments and placed the measure on the third‑reading voting file.

The bill’s sponsor described the measure as a way to consolidate government‑owned Lot 273 and Lot 258 so the cemetery can be expanded and used to provide burial space, particularly for families with limited means. Committee documents and testimony cited a completed survey and review by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) clearing the parcels of historic constraints. On the floor, committee members also reported that Land Management had transmitted title‑related documents for both lots to the Office of the Attorney General for registration.

Why it matters: public testimony at the committee hearing said the cemetery has only about eight plots left, and committee members repeatedly described an urgent need for additional burial capacity. Supporters framed the transfer as the most tangible option ready for immediate implementation while acknowledging longer‑range land registration work would continue.

What changed on the floor: lawmakers adopted multiple amendments before advancing the bill. The body agreed to delete section 6 (the objection to striking the section was withdrawn on the floor). A floor amendment requires the bill language to "prioritize the construction of crypts" on the newly authorized acreage, changing an earlier, broader phrasing to stress vertical crypt construction over dispersed in‑ground burials.

A separate amendment requires the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) and the Department of Public Works (DPW) to execute a memorandum of understanding (MOU) delineating responsibilities for development, operation, maintenance and burials at the Vincent A. Limtiaco Memorial Park within 120 days of enactment (floor debate amended the original 60‑day deadline to 120 days). The MOU must allocate personnel, equipment and funding for ongoing maintenance and be filed with the Legislature and Land Management.

A third floor amendment directs DPR to develop and present a cemetery master plan and a statement of funding needs within one year of enactment; the version adopted requires DPR to present the plan to the Legislature and the committee’s report will include DPR correspondence and any draft plan provided at session.

Floor evidence and administration input: on a point of information, a floor speaker relayed that Land Management had submitted both Lots 273 and 258 to the Office of the Attorney General for registration and that the registration process was pending. Committee members also said DPR provided a draft plan for Lot 273 via WhatsApp and to oversight committee members; senators on the floor said that plan appears to increase usable acreage by reworking unusable parts of Lot 273 but that an equivalent plan for Lot 258 was not available during the public hearing.

Concerns and conditions: several senators supported the expansion but pressed for stronger accountability and clear deliverables from DPR — including stormwater management, standards for easements, and a requirement that DPR prioritize crypt construction to make efficient use of scarce land. Some senators said they would have preferred to see the final, certified master plan before authorizing a large transfer but accepted the package of amendments as a compromise to act on immediate needs while requiring DPR to deliver plans and an MOU.

What happens next: with no objections recorded on the floor, the bill as amended was ordered placed on the third‑reading voting file.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article come from the floor record and committee materials provided during session; where agency names were used in testimony, the article attributes statements to the agency or to documents provided to the Legislature.