[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1865 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1865

  To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the 
 construction of an addition to the American Merchant Marine Memorial 
            Wall of Honor located in San Pedro, California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 19, 1999

   Mr. Horn introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the 
 construction of an addition to the American Merchant Marine Memorial 
            Wall of Honor located in San Pedro, California.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Merchant Marine Memorial 
Wall of Honor Expansion Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States Merchant Marine has served the people 
        of the United States in all wars since 1775;
            (2) the United States Merchant Marine served as the 
        Nation's first navy and defeated the British Navy to help gain 
        the Nation's independence;
            (3) the United States Merchant Marine kept the lifeline of 
        freedom open to the allies of the United States during the 
        Second World War, making one of the most significant 
        contributions made by any nation to the victory of the allies 
        in that war;
            (4) President Franklin D. Roosevelt and many military 
        leaders praised the role of the United States Merchant Marine 
        as the ``Fourth Arm of Defense'' during the Second World War;
            (5) more than 250,000 men and women served in the United 
        States Merchant Marine during the Second World War;
            (6) during the Second World War, members of the United 
        States Merchant Marine faced dangers from the elements and from 
        submarines, mines, armed raiders, destroyers, aircraft, and 
        ``kamikaze'' pilots;
            (7) during the Second World War, at least 6,830 members of 
        the United States Merchant Marine were killed at sea;
            (8) during the Second World War, 11,000 members of the 
        United States Merchant Marine were wounded, at least 1,100 of 
        whom later died from their wounds;
            (9) during the Second World War, 604 members of the United 
        States Merchant Marine were taken prisoner;
            (10) 1 in 32 members of the United States Merchant Marine 
        serving in the Second World War died in the line of duty, 
        suffering a higher percentage of war-related deaths than any of 
        the other armed services of the United States; and
            (11) the United States Merchant Marine continues to serve 
        the United States, promoting freedom and meeting the high 
        ideals of its former members.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO CONSTRUCT ADDITION TO AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE 
              MEMORIAL WALL OF HONOR.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation may make grants to 
the American Merchant Marine Veterans Memorial Committee, Inc., to 
construct an addition to the American Merchant Marine Memorial Wall of 
Honor located at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro, 
California.
    (b) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of activities 
carried out with a grant made under this section shall be 50 percent.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $500,000 for fiscal year 2000.
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