[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5212 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  2d Session

                               H. R. 5212

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to 
 establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal 
  histories and testimonials of American war veterans, and for other 
                               purposes.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5212

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to 
 establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal 
  histories and testimonials of American war veterans, 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 ``Veterans' Oral History Project 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Military service during a time of war is the highest 
        sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country.
            (2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000 
        Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served in 
        the Korean Conflict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the Vietnam 
        Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian Gulf War, 
        and countless other Americans served in military engagements 
        overseas throughout the 20th century.
            (3) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there 
        are almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in this Nation today.
            (4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living 
        veterans of World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans of 
        World War II alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.
            (5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians, 
        researchers, authors, journalists, film makers, scholars, 
        students, and citizens of all walks of life.
            (6) War veterans possess an invaluable resource in their 
        memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can provide 
        a rich history of our Nation and its people through the 
        retelling of those memories, yet frequently those who served 
        during times of conflict are reticent to family and friends 
        about their experiences.
            (7) It is in the Nation's best interest to collect and 
        catalog oral histories of American war veterans so that future 
        generations will have original sources of information regarding 
        the lives and times of those who served in war and the 
        conditions under which they endured, so that Americans will 
        always remember those who served in war and may learn first-
        hand of the heroics, tediousness, horrors, and triumphs of war.
            (8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation's oldest Federal 
        cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library in 
        human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its multimedia 
        collection) is an appropriate repository to collect, preserve, 
        and make available to the public an archive of these oral 
        histories. The Library's American Folklife Center has expertise 
        in the management of documentation projects and experience in 
        the development of cultural and educational programs for the 
        public.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to create a new 
federally sponsored, authorized, and funded program that will 
coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio 
recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war 
veterans, and to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve the 
memories of this Nation's war veterans so that Americans of all current 
and future generations may hear directly from veterans and better 
appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who 
served in uniform during wartime.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM AT AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER TO COLLECT 
              VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS OF HISTORIES OF VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the American Folklife Center at 
the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program--
            (1) to collect video and audio recordings of personal 
        histories and testimonials of veterans of the armed forces who 
        served during a period of war;
            (2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained 
        (including a catalog and index) which will be available for 
        public use through the National Digital Library of the Library 
        of Congress and such other methods as the Director considers 
        appropriate to the extent feasible subject to available 
        resources; and
            (3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials 
        (such as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal 
        histories of veterans of the armed forces who served during a 
        period of war and to catalog such materials in a manner the 
        Director considers appropriate, consistent with and 
        complimentary to the efforts described in paragraphs (1) and 
        (2).
    (b) Use of and Consultation With Other Entities.--The Director may 
carry out the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (3) of 
subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships entered into with 
other government and private entities, and may otherwise consult with 
interested persons (within the limits of available resources) and 
develop appropriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting, 
acquiring, and making available recordings under the program under this 
Act.
    (c) Timing.--As soon as practicable after the enactment of this 
Act, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio recordings 
under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect the first such 
recordings from the oldest veterans.

SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT.

    (a) Acceptance of Donations.--The Librarian of Congress may solicit 
and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions to carry out 
the oral history program under section 3.
    (b) Establishment of Separate Gift Account.--There is established 
in the Treasury (among the accounts of the Library of Congress) a gift 
account for the oral history program under section 3.
    (c) Dedication of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law--
            (1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to carry 
        out the oral history program under section 3 shall be deposited 
        entirely into the gift account established under subsection 
        (b);
            (2) the funds contained in such account shall be used 
        solely to carry out the oral history program under section 3; 
        and
            (3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit into such 
        account any funds donated to the Librarian which are not 
        donated for the exclusive purpose of carrying out the oral 
        history program under section 3.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
            (2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding 
        fiscal year.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 4, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.