United States 116th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 30 R · 21 D cosponsors

HR 497 — BRAVE Act of 2019

Last action — ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Kinzinger asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 497, a bill originally introduced by Representative Hunter, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there are no live odds of enactment. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

In plain language

The bill increases certain veteran funeral benefits administered by the VA.

The BRAVE Act of 2019 aims to increase funeral expenses for veterans. It adjusts these benefits based on the Consumer Price Index to keep pace with inflation.

What this means for you
  • Veterans: This means increased financial support for funeral costs for veterans and their families.

Summary

Burial Rights for America’s Veterans’ Efforts Act of 2019 or the BRAVE Act of 2019 This bill increases the amounts payable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for (1) burial and funeral expenses of veterans, and (2) such expenses in connection with a veteran's death due to a service-connected disability. The VA shall also increase such amounts each fiscal year to account for inflation.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

6 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill increases certain veteran funeral benefits and ties future increases to the Consumer Price Index.

  • Section 2302(a) of title 38, United States Code

    $300 → $780 (as increased from time to time under subsection (c))

    The maximum funeral expenses payable for veterans are increased from $300 to $780.

  • Section 2302 of title 38, United States Code

    (c) With respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide a percentage increase (rounded to the nearest dollar) in the maximum amount of burial and funeral expenses payable under subsection (a) equal to the percentage by which-- (1) the Consumer Price Index (all items, United States city average) for the 12-month period ending on the June 30 preceding the beginning of the fiscal year for which the increase is made, exceeds (2) the Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period preceding the 12-month period described in paragraph (1).

    A mechanism is established for regular increases in funeral benefits based on the Consumer Price Index.

  • Section 2307 of title 38, United States Code

    In any case → (a) In General.--In any case

    Clarifies the heading of the section regarding deaths from service-connected disability.

  • Section 2307 of title 38, United States Code

    $2,000 → $2,000 (as increased from time to time under subsection (b))

    The maximum amount of burial benefits for veterans who die from service-connected disabilities is updated to $2,000 with a provision for future increases.

  • Section 2307 of title 38, United States Code

    (b) With respect to any fiscal year, the Secretary shall provide a percentage increase (rounded to the nearest dollar) in the maximum amount of burial and funeral expenses payable under subsection (a) equal to the percentage by which-- (1) the Consumer Price Index (all items, United States city average) for the 12-month period ending on the June 30 preceding the beginning of the fiscal year for which the increase is made, exceeds (2) the Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period preceding the 12-month period described in paragraph (1).

    Similar to Section 2302, this creates a mechanism for regular increases in burial benefits tied to the Consumer Price Index.

  • The amendments made by this Act shall apply to deaths that occur after the day that is one year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

    Established a one-year delay for the implementation of the new benefits amendments.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

  4. Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

  5. ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Kinzinger asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 497, a bill originally introduced by Representative Hunter, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 50 co-sponsors · 496 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (50)

Not signed on (496)

496 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 496 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

veterans
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 497 do?
Burial Rights for America’s Veterans’ Efforts Act of 2019 or the BRAVE Act of 2019 This bill increases the amounts payable through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for (1) burial and funeral expenses of veterans, and (2) such expenses in connection with a veteran's death due to a service-connected disability. The VA shall also increase such amounts each fiscal year to account for inflation.
Who sponsors HR 497?
HR 497 is sponsored by Hunter, Duncan D. (Republican), Scott, Austin (Republican), Demings, Val Butler (Democratic), Gaetz, Matt (Republican), Jones, Walter B., Jr. (Republican), McGovern, James P. (Democratic), Bustos, Cheri (Democratic), Kuster, Ann M. (Democratic), DeFazio, Peter A. (Democratic), Marshall, Roger (Republican), Luetkemeyer, Blaine (Republican), Abraham, Ralph Lee (Republican), Graves, Sam (Republican), Katko, John (Republican), Quigley, Mike (Democratic), Peterson, Collin C. (Democratic), Cole, Tom (Republican), Smith, Jason (Republican), Stivers, Steve (Republican), Kind, Ron (Democratic), Hartzler, Vicky (Republican), Cicilline, David N. (Democratic), Banks, Jim (Republican), Norman, Ralph (Republican), Grothman, Glenn (Republican), Pappas, Chris (Democratic), Courtney, Joe (Democratic), LaMalfa, Doug (Republican), Pingree, Chellie (Democratic), Rutherford, John H. (Republican), Guthrie, Brett (Republican), Bergman, Jack (Republican), King, Steve (Republican), Watkins, Steve (Republican), Gosar, Paul A. (Republican), Cunningham, Joe (Democratic), Barr, Andy (Republican), Rush, Bobby L. (Democratic), Walorski, Jackie (Republican), Massie, Thomas (Republican), Byrne, Bradley (Republican), Johnson, Bill (Republican), Langevin, James R. (Democratic), Delgado, Antonio (Democratic), Davis, Rodney (Republican), Gottheimer, Josh (Democratic), Crist, Charlie (Democratic), Beatty, Joyce (Democratic), Lee, Susie (Democratic), Kelly, Mike (Republican), and Slotkin, Elissa (Democratic).
What is the current status of HR 497?
This bill died with 116th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track HR 497?
Track HR 497 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on HR 497

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of HR 497

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →