Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5942

National Cemetery Access Act

National Cemetery Access: Open on Holidays

Nov 17, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 8 months

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by a subcommittee. It was recently sent to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs for further study. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

The bill has been sent to three different committees, which makes the path to passing much harder. It also currently lacks a matching bill in the Senate.

Key Points

This bill requires all national cemeteries to be open to the public on every federal holiday. This includes sites managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and the National Park Service.
The policy aims to help families visit the graves of their loved ones on days when they are most likely to have time off from work or school. It ensures that important days of remembrance are not blocked by gate closures.
If passed, this would apply to all 11 official federal holidays, such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas. It removes the risk of visitors arriving at a national cemetery only to find it closed for the holiday.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

3 milestones3 actions

Nov 17, 2025House

Referred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Nov 7, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Nov 7, 2025

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

National Cemetery Access Act

Bill NumberHR 5942

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(17)

D: 2R: 15

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.