Skip to main content
CivicGate

HR 3583
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

To amend title 4, United States Code, to ensure that a funeral honors detail recites the 13 Folds of Honor when presenting a flag of the United States in connection with the death of a member of the Armed Forces or veteran.

To amend title 4, United States Code, to ensure that a funeral honors detail recites the 13 Folds of Honor when presenting a flag of the United States in connection with the death of a member of the Armed Forces or veteran.

Introduced May 23, 2025

Latest action (May 23, 2025) Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Referred to
Judiciary Committee
Policy area
Armed Forces and National Security
Issues
Defense

Summary

This bill amends the Flag Code to require that when a funeral honors detail presents a folded flag in connection with the death of a member of the Armed Forces or veteran, a specific recitation known as the "13 Folds of Honor" must be provided. The 13 Folds of Honor is a series of statements describing the meaning of each fold in the flag presentation, referencing themes such as life, faith, country, sacrifice, and religious trust. The recitation can be waived if the next of kin or other agent of the deceased elects not to have it recited. The bill is dedicated to 13 members of the Armed Forces killed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan in August 2021.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)
15 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Mario Diaz-Balart’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

  • NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE $17,200
  • INNOVATIVE FEDERAL STRATEGIES, LLC $13,800
  • HILLWOOD $9,900
  • AEG FUELS $8,600
  • STUDENT $7,600

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Mario Diaz-Balart → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)
  1. May 23, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
  2. May 23, 2025 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • HR 3999 — American Flags to Honor Our Veterans Act of 2025 · Introduced Jun 12, 2025 · Cong. 119 80%
  • HR 4013 — To amend title 4, United States Code, to permit the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of the Mayor of the District of Columbia. · Introduced Jun 13, 2025 · Cong. 119 75%
  • HR 1363 — Honor and Remember Flag Recognition Act · Introduced Feb 14, 2025 · Cong. 119 71%
  • HR 3594 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to ensure compliance with veterans preference requirements at the Department of Veterans Affairs. · Introduced Jun 11, 1996 · Cong. 104 67%
  • HR 790 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize an individual who is awarded the Purple Heart for service in the Armed Forces to transfer unused Post-9/11 Educational Assistance to a family member, and for other purposes. · Introduced Mar 4, 2025 · Cong. 119 65%
  • HR 984 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide timely equitable relief to an individual who suffers a loss based on an administrative error by the Secretary, and for other purposes. · Introduced Jun 11, 2025 · Cong. 119 65%

Text versions (1)
  • Introduced in House · May 23, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 23, 2025

Mr. Diaz-Balart (for himself, Mr. Rutherford, and Mr. Panetta) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To amend title 4, United States Code, to ensure that a funeral honors detail recites the 13 Folds of Honor when presenting a flag of the United States in connection with the death of a member of the Armed Forces or veteran.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. RECITATION OF 13 FOLDS OF HONOR.

(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that this Act be dedicated to the 13 members of the Armed Forces who were killed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021.

(b) Requirement.—Chapter 1 of title 4, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section (and conforming the table of sections for such chapter accordingly): “Sec. 11. Recitation of 13 Folds of Honor

“(a) Requirement.—Except as provided by subsection (b), a funeral honors detail that presents a folded flag of the United States in connection with the death of a member of the Armed Forces or veteran under section 1491 of title 10, section 2301 of title 38, or other applicable provision of law, shall recite the following (to be known as the ‘13 Folds of Honor’) as part of such presentment: “The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life. “The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life. “The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing the ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of the country to attain peace throughout the world. “The 4th fold represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in the time of war for His divine guidance. “The 5th fold is a tribute to the country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, ‘Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.’. “The 6th fold is for where people’s hearts lie. It is with their heart that they pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. “The 7th fold is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that they protect their country and their flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of their republic. “The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day. “The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty, and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded. “The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of their country since they were first born. “The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. “The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. “The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of their Nation’s motto, ‘In God We Trust.’.

“(b) Exception.—The next of kin or other agent of a deceased member of the Armed Forces or veteran may elect to not have the 13 Folds of Honor recited under subsection (a).”. <all>

Comments

Comments

Loading comments…