Upper Peninsula lawmakers announced legislation Tuesday to establish a state veterans cemetery in the U.P., allowing local veterans to be laid to rest closer to home.

State Reps. Dave Prestin, Greg Markkanen and Karl Bohnak introduced House Bills 5843-5844, which provide funding to identify, construct and operate the proposed cemetery.

The plan includes $5.7 million in state funding to support construction and operation, along with a feasibility study to determine the best location. The legislation also creates a U.P. veterans cemetery fund to support future operational costs.

It has been referred to the House Appropriations Committee for further consideration.

In a news release, Markkanen, R-Hancock, said the plan puts “significant state resources” behind honoring the service of Upper Peninsula veterans.

“There is still work to do, but this legislation creates a clear path forward to get this project moving and ensure U.P. veterans and their families receive the recognition and support they deserve,” he said.

“Our veterans answered the call to serve this country, and we have a responsibility to honor that service,” said Bohnak, R-Deerton. “Establishing a state veterans cemetery in the U.P. is a lasting way to support veterans and their families while showing our gratitude for the sacrifices they made to protect our freedoms.”

Prestin, R-Cedar River, said veterans from the U.P. “should be able to be laid to rest in the place they proudly called home.”

While Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s original budget proposal included a $5 million plan to build the first state-operated veterans’ cemetery in northern Michigan in Crawford County, the funding did not make it into the final budget signed in October, WCMU Public Media at Central Michigan University reported.

According to state data, the highest concentration of Michigan veterans lives in the northern lower and the Upper Peninsula, yet there are no open burial sites in the northern Michigan region. The closest options are federally operated sites downstate and in Rhinelander in Wisconsin, WCMU reported.