Legislature Passes SB 45, to Authorize
Veterans’ Cemetery in Interior Alaska

JUNEAU – The Alaska House today unanimously approved legislation to authorize the establishment and maintenance of a veterans’ cemetery to serve the Interior and northern Alaska. The State Senate passed the bill on March 30.

Senate Bill 45, sponsored by Sen. Charlie Huggins, R-Wasilla, and Sen. Gene Therriault, R-North Pole, gives the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs the authority to establish veterans’ cemeteries and to set up a fund to provide for maintenance of the cemeteries. The bill also allows the Legislature to appropriate revenue generated by the sale of veterans’ commemorative license plates to the cemetery fund. Another section of the bill, unrelated to the cemetery provisions, clarifies veterans’ hiring preferences in state statutes.

“Providing for a final resting place for our veterans is an obligation that stretches back to America’s Revolutionary War and has continued through every conflict since then,” Huggins said. “I am proud that the Legislature has stepped up to this obligation, and appreciate the expedited passage of the bill by the House.”

“Alaska has the highest proportion of military veterans per capita, compared with other states,” said Therriault. “Out of an estimated 100,000 veterans statewide, about 11,000 of them live in the Interior and northern Alaska. We should be prepared to honor them as they deserve for their sacrifices made in defense of our state and nation. I appreciate the quick action by the Legislature in passage of this important piece of legislation.”

Senators Therriault and Huggins expressed their thanks to Representative Bill Thomas (R-Haines), Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Veterans’ Caucus, who advocated for SB 45 on the floor of the House of Representatives.

“A veterans’ cemetery in the Fairbanks area will complement the national cemeteries in Sitka and on Ft. Richardson, so veterans from the Interior and northern Alaska can be interred closer to their homes and families,” Thomas said.
The law takes effect 90 days after the Governor signs it. Once a suitable location has been identified for the cemetery, the federal government has agreed to pay for its initial construction, while the state has agreed to be responsible for ongoing operation and maintenance.

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