[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4800 Introduced in House (IH)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 4800

To require the Secretary of the Interior to identify appropriate lands 
within the area designated as section 1 of the Mall in Washington, DC, 
as the location of a future memorial to former President Ronald Reagan, 
to identify a suitable location, to select a suitable design, to raise 
private-sector donations for such a memorial, to create a Commission to 
          assist in these activities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 29, 2000

     Mr. Young  of Alaska (for himself, Mr. Hansen, and Mr. DeLay) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to identify appropriate lands 
within the area designated as section 1 of the Mall in Washington, DC, 
as the location of a future memorial to former President Ronald Reagan, 
to identify a suitable location, to select a suitable design, to raise 
private-sector donations for such a memorial, to create a Commission to 
          assist in these activities, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Ronald Reagan Recognition Act of 
2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (a) Ronald Reagan is an American hero deserving of 
        recognition by this and future generations of Americans and 
        visitors from around the world;
            (b) as President, Ronald Reagan initiated policies that won 
        the Cold War, protected and restored freedom and Democracy 
        around the globe, lowered taxes on American citizens, tamed the 
        economic threats of inflation and economic stagnation, and 
        ushered in an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity across 
        the nation, and his contributions merit permanent 
        memorialization;
            (c) the legacies of Ronald Reagan include restoring faith 
        in our system of Democracy and capitalism, returning pride in 
        being an American, and renewing the honor and decency of the 
        American Presidency, and are deserving of national recognition; 
        and
            (d) the contributions of former President Ronald Reagan, 
        and his status as a preeminent twentieth-century American 
        statesman and one of the greatest American Presidents, merit 
        and require a permanent memorialization alongside the other 
        great American leaders memorialized on the Mall in Washington, 
        DC.

SEC. 3. IDENTIFICATION AND LOCATION OF THE SITE AND SELECTION OF THE 
              DESIGN FOR A FUTURE RONALD REAGAN MEMORIAL.

    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Federal 
regulations, or policy, the National Capitol Memorial Commission is 
hereby directed:
            (1) to create and recognize an exception to the moratorium 
        on new memorials on the Washington, DC, mall for a future 
        memorial to former President Ronald Reagan;
            (2) to work with the members of the Ronald Reagan Memorial 
        Commission created under section 4 of this Act, and the 
        Secretary of the Interior, to recommend to the Congress a 
        permanent location for a memorial to former President Ronald 
        Reagan, to be situated in the area on the mall west of the 
        United States Capitol and east of the Lincoln Memorial within 
        the area designated by section 2 of the Commemorative Works Act 
        as Area I; and
            (3) to cooperate with the members of the Ronald Reagan 
        Memorial Commission and the Secretary of the Interior in 
        designing and locating a suitable memorial and grounds for the 
        Ronald Reagan memorial.
    (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, Federal 
regulations, or policy, the Secretary of the Interior is hereby 
directed:
            (1) to create an exception to any moratorium on new 
        memorials on the Washington, DC, mall for a future memorial to 
        former President Ronald Reagan;
            (2) to work with the members of the National Capitol 
        Memorial Commission and the members of the Ronald Reagan 
        Memorial Commission created under section 4 of this Act to 
        recommend to the Congress a permanent location for a memorial 
        to former President Ronald Reagan, to be situated in the area 
        on the mall west of the United States Capitol and east of the 
        Lincoln Memorial within the area designated by section 2 of the 
        Commemorative Works Act as Area I;
            (3) to cooperate with the members of the National Capitol 
        Memorial Commission and the members of the Ronald Reagan 
        Memorial Commission in designing and locating a suitable 
        memorial and grounds for the Ronald Reagan memorial; and
            (4) to assign by detail such support staff as are necessary 
        to assist the members of the Ronald Reagan Memorial Commission 
in carrying out its responsibilities.
    (c) Designation of a permanent location for a future memorial to 
former President Ronald Reagan under this Act shall be made in a report 
to the Congress and to the President no later than February 6, 2002.
    (d) The process of selection of a suitable design for a future 
memorial to former President Ronald Reagan under this Act shall begin 
no later than six months after passage of this Act, and a final design 
for the Ronald Reagan Memorial shall be selected and reported to the 
Congress and the President no later than February 6, 2002.
    (e) A marker--to be no smaller than three feet square, and to be 
constructed of durable material suitable to the outdoor environment--
shall be erected at the future site of the memorial by the Secretary of 
the Interior, designating the area as the ``Future Site of the Ronald 
Reagan Memorial'' no later than three months after selection of the 
site, and such marker shall remain at the site and be maintained by the 
Secretary until the Memorial is completed, dedicated, and open to the 
public.
    (f) Construction of the memorial will be completed according to the 
schedule set forth in, and in accordance with, the Commemorative Works 
Act.

SEC. 4. CREATION AND OPERATION OF THE RONALD REAGAN MEMORIAL 
              COMMISSION.

    (a) There is hereby created a federal commission, to be known as 
the Ronald Reagan Memorial Commission, which shall:
            (1) be exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
        (FACA);
            (2) be comprised of three members, including:
                    (A) the Chairman of the National Capitol Memorial 
                Commission;
                    (B) one member appointed by the Speaker of the 
                House no later than September 1, 2000; and
                    (C) one member appointed by the Majority Leader of 
                the Senate no later than September 1, 2000;
            (3) be chaired by one of its members, to be so designated 
        jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader of 
        the Senate;
            (4) meet no later than one month after its members are 
        appointed, and at such other times as may be necessary;
            (5) raise appropriate funds from private sector sources 
        necessary to design, construct, and maintain a memorial to 
        former President Ronald Reagan;
            (6) work with the members of the National Capitol Memorial 
        Commission and the Secretary of the Interior to recommend to 
        the Congress a permanent location as described in section 3 of 
        this Act for a future memorial to former President Ronald 
        Reagan;
            (7) cooperate with the members of the National Capitol 
        Memorial Commission and the Secretary of the Interior in 
        determining a suitable location and grounds for the Ronald 
        Reagan Memorial;
            (8) select a design from proposals solicited and accepted 
        from qualified American architects; and
            (9) issue a report to Congress and the President on its 
        activities every six months from its first meeting, and issue a 
        final report to the Congress and the President including the 
        proposed final design and location for the Ronald Reagan 
        Memorial no later than February 6, 2002.
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