Congress·In Committee·H.R. 5945

USS Frank E. Evans Act

Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Adding USS Frank E. Evans Crew Names

Nov 7, 2025·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committeeNo action in 8 months

This bill is currently sitting in the House Armed Services and Natural Resources committees. Nothing has happened with this proposal since November 2025, which means it has been stalled for about eight months. It will need to be reviewed by these committees before it can move any further in the legislative process.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

This bill has strong bipartisan support and addresses a long-standing request from veterans' families. However, similar efforts have struggled to pass in previous years due to limited time on the legislative calendar.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 3826 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 3826 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill would add the names of 74 sailors who died on the USS Frank E. Evans to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. These sailors were killed on June 3, 1969, when their ship collided with an Australian vessel during the Vietnam War.
The names were originally left off the wall because the accident happened just outside the official combat zone. For decades, families and survivors have argued that these sailors deserve the same recognition as others who died during the war.
If the bill becomes law, the Department of Defense would have one year to add the names. Officials would work with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to figure out how to fit the new names on the existing monument.
This action bypasses certain rules that usually make it hard to change national monuments. It focuses on honoring the specific crew members known as the Lost 74 to ensure their service is officially remembered.

Impact Analysis

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

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Nov 7, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 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

USS Frank E. Evans Act

Bill NumberHR 5945

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on 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.