LET OUR VETERANS REST IN PEACE ACT OF 2008

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia: Mr. Speaker, Memorial Day is a solemn time when we, as a Nation, commemorate the ultimate sacrifice that our brave men and women in uniform have made for us. Sadly, there are those who, despicable as it may be, desecrate the grave sites of these heroes. In cemeteries across our Nation, thieves have even looted the metal parts of grave markers and sold them for scrap metal.

Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3480, the Let Our Veterans Rest in Peace Act, which will protect and honor the final resting places of our Nation's veterans. This bill will ensure that penalties are in place so that these despicable thieves are appropriately punished and would-be thieves are effectively deterred.

Specifically, the bill directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review its guidelines in order to provide a fitting sentence for all offenses involving the desecration of, theft of, or trafficking in a grave marker, monument, headstone, or other object that had permanently marked a veteran's grave site.

I commend our colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Carney), for his leadership in this unfortunately necessary measure.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, particularly as we prepare for the solemn observance of Memorial Day. These veterans have sacrificed greatly for us, and they deserve no less than the highest honor and dignity for their final resting places.