{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://poliquin.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-poliquin-s-third-bill-passes-house-year", "Rep. Poliquins Third Bill Passes the House This Year", "2017-11-08", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "ME", "Bruce Poliquin", "P000611", "poliquin.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Congressman Bruce Poliquin (ME-02), a member of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, has had his third bill pass the U.S. House of Representatives this year, with broad, bipartisan support. The commonsense legislation will ensure that Veterans\u2019 family members who are buried at tribal Veterans cemeteries\u2014such as the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians Tribal Veterans Cemetery in Aroostook County\u2014are provided government furnished headstones, the same treatment as those buried at national and state Veterans cemeteries.\n\u00a0\nCongressman Poliquin, who represents the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and their Tribal Veterans Cemetery in Aroostook County, spoke on the House Floor this week and released the following statement:\n\u00a0\n\u201cI am tremendously proud to have my third piece of legislation pass through the House this year with bipartisan support to help our Maine families and Veterans,\u201d said Congressman Poliquin. \u201cVeterans laid to rest in tribal Veterans cemeteries should have the honor of being buried with their families and all should have access to headstones commemorating their sacrifices. I\u2019m proud of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians for creating the first Tribal Veterans Cemetery not only in Maine, but on the entire East Coast. It is a great honor to serve them and to make this commonsense fix so all our Veterans and their families can be properly honored when they are laid to rest. I\u2019m going to continue to push until this legislation is on the President\u2019s desk for signature.\u201d\n\u00a0\nClarissa Sabattis, Chief of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, said, \u201cI would like to express our appreciation and support to Congressman Poliquin\u2019s for his efforts in addressing this existing inequity. This Bill will ensure that the family members who are buried in our Tribal Veteran\u2019s Cemetery, and others like ours, will be provided with headstones, as they are in state and national Veterans Cemeteries.\u201d\n\u00a0\nCongressman Poliquin speaks on the House Floor in support of his legislation, his third bill to pass the House this year.\n\u00a0\nBackground:\nUnder current law, government furnished headstones are only available to Veterans\u2019 eligible spouses and dependents buried in national and state Veterans cemeteries. This bill would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide headstones and markers to eligible spouses and dependents interred at tribal Veterans cemeteries.\n\u00a0\nClick HERE to view the Congressman\u2019s remarks on the House Floor.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://poliquin.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-poliquin-s-third-bill-passes-house-year"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5225601382553577, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}