A. At the direction of the Director, the Comptroller of the Commonwealth is instructed and empowered to draw annual warrants upon the State Treasurer from any sums that may be provided in the general appropriation act, in favor of the treasurers of the Virginia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (VASSAR) and the Revolutionary War memorial associations caring for cemeteries as set forth in subsection B. Such sums shall be expended by the associations for the routine maintenance of their respective Revolutionary War cemeteries and graves and for the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers and sailors not otherwise cared for in other cemeteries and in erecting and caring for markers, memorials, and monuments to the memory of such soldiers, sailors, and persons rendering service to the Patriot cause in the Revolutionary War. All such associations, through their proper officers, are required after July 1 of each year to submit to the Director a certified statement that the funds disbursed to the association or organization in the preceding fiscal year were or will be expended for the routine maintenance of cemeteries and graves specified in this section and in erecting and caring for markers, memorials, and monuments to the memory of such soldiers, sailors, and persons rendering service to the Patriot cause in the Revolutionary War. If a cemetery association fails to comply with any of the requirements of this section, such association shall be prohibited from receiving moneys allocated under this section for all subsequent fiscal years until the association fully complies with the requirements. No retroactive disbursement of funds for any preceding year shall be made. The Director shall deposit any appropriated funds that are not disbursed during the same fiscal year into the Revolutionary War Cemeteries and Graves Fund created pursuant to § 10.1-2211.1:1.

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B. Allocation of appropriations made pursuant to this section shall be based on the number of graves, monuments, and markers as set forth opposite the cemetery name, or as documented by each association multiplied by the rate of $5 or the average actual cost of routine maintenance, whichever is greater, for each grave, monument, or marker in the care of a cemetery association. For the purposes of this section, the “average actual cost of care” shall be determined by the Department in a biennial survey of at least four properly maintained cemeteries, each located in a different geographical region of the Commonwealth.

C. In addition to any sums that may be provided in favor of the associations as set forth in subsection B, the Director shall disburse funds at the same rate to VASSAR to fund its maintenance of no more than 6,000 additional Revolutionary War graves in the Commonwealth, as documented and certified by VASSAR and set forth in a list submitted annually to the Director.

D. Any of the associations and societies set forth in subsection B or C may apply to the Director for grants to perform extraordinary maintenance, renovation, repair, or reconstruction of any of their respective Revolutionary War cemeteries and graves and to erect and care for markers, memorials, and monuments to the memory of such soldiers, sailors, and persons rendering service to the Patriot cause in the Revolutionary War. These grants shall be made from any appropriation made available by the General Assembly for such purpose or from the Revolutionary War Cemeteries and Graves Fund created pursuant to § 10.1-2211.1:1. In making such grants, the Director shall give full consideration to the assistance available from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or other agencies, except in those instances where such assistance is deemed by the Director to be detrimental to the historical, artistic, or architectural significance of the site.

E. Local matching funds shall not be required for grants made pursuant to this section.

2002, c. 256; 2007, c. 349; 2018, cc. 639, 641.