What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, after notifying his next of kin. The VA must relinquish the remains to the next of kin or, if no next of kin responds to the notification, arrange for the disposition of the remains. Cota was interred prior to the enactment of regulations that would have barred his interment due to a 1975 rape conviction.
Action Timeline
2025-12-04
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
2025-12-04
Introduced in House
2025-12-04
Introduced in House
Frequently Asked Questions
Did HR.6456 pass?
HR.6456 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: pending.
What does HR.6456 do?
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, after notifying his next of kin. The VA must relinquish the remains to the next of kin or, if no next of kin responds to the notification, arrange for the disposition of the remains. Cota was interred prior to the enactment of regulations that would have barred his interment due to a 1975 rape conviction.
Who sponsored HR.6456?
HR.6456 was sponsored by Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas).
Full Bill Text
119 HR 6456 IH: To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes. U.S. House of Representatives 2025-12-04 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 6456 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 4, 2025 Mr. Luttrell (for himself, Mr. Self , and Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs A BILL To require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas, and for other purposes. 1. Disinterment of remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas (a) Disinterment Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas. (b) Notification The Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not carry out subsection (a) until after notifying the next of kin of Fernando V. Cota. (c) Disposition After carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall— (1) relinquish the remains to the next of kin described in subsection (b); or (2) if no such next of kin responds to the notification under subsection (b), arrange for disposition of the remains as the Secretary determines appropriate.
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