00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 31                                                                     
01 Urging the United States Congress to pass the Honor the Written Intent of our Soldier                                   
02 Heroes Act.                                                                                                             
03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
04       WHEREAS federal law under 10 U.S.C. 1482(c) prohibits a service member from                                     
05 designating a person other than a surviving spouse, blood relative, or adoptive relative to                             
06 direct the disposal of a service member's remains; and                                                                  
07       WHEREAS, before deploying on a combat operation, a service member is asked to                                   
08 designate a person who will be responsible for arranging the service member's memorial                                  
09 services and overseeing the service member's burial arrangements; and                                                   
10       WHEREAS service members fill out DD Form 93, on which they express their last                                   
11 wishes with the expectation that their last wishes regarding memorial services and burial                               
12 arrangements will be honored; and                                                                                       
13       WHEREAS, since 2003, more than 4,000 service members who have served                                            
14 honorably have given their lives in combat; and                                                                         
15       WHEREAS a service member deploying on a combat operation in defense of our                                      
16 country should be allowed to designate any person the service member wishes to direct the                               

01 disposition of the service member's remains; and                                                                        
02       WHEREAS H.R. 1633, the Honor the Written Intent of our Soldier Heroes Act, also                                 
03 referred to as the Honor the WISH Act, amends 10 U.S.C. 1482(c) to allow a service member                               
04 to designate any person the service member wishes to direct the disposition of the service                              
05 member's remains, regardless of the designated person's relationship to the service member;                             
06       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States                                        
07 Congress to pass H.R. 1633, the "Honor the Written Intent of our Soldier Heroes Act."