Senate bill would bar military burial for Rader

Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, both R-Kansas, introduced a bill Monday to prohibit anyone convicted of a capital offense, including convicted BTK serial killer Dennis Rader, from being buried in a national cemetery.

U.S. Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, has introduced a similar bill in the House.

The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee in late September reviewed ways to close a "parole" loophole in a 1997 law designed to keep Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, an Army veteran, from being buried in a military cemetery after his execution.

That 1997 law allows those eligible for parole -- even those serving longer-than-life sentences -- to receive full military honors and be buried in a national cemetery, such as Arlington.

Rader, an honorably discharged Air Force veteran, is listed by the state as being eligible for parole in 175 years.

-- Eagle staff