[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2136 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2136

   To establish a memorial in the State of Pennsylvania to honor the 
  passengers and crewmembers of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, 
  gave their lives to prevent a planned attack on the Capital of the 
                             United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 16, 2002

  Mr. Specter introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a memorial in the State of Pennsylvania to honor the 
  passengers and crewmembers of Flight 93 who, on September 11, 2001, 
  gave their lives to prevent a planned attack on the Capital of the 
                             United States.

    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 ``Flight 93 National Memorial Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) on September 11, 2001, passengers and crewmembers of 
        United Airlines Flight 93 courageously gave their lives to 
        prevent a planned attack on the Capital of the United States;
            (2) thousands of people have visited the crash site since 
        September 11, 2001, drawn by the heroic action and sacrifice of 
        the passengers and crewmembers aboard Flight 93;
            (3) many people in the United States are concerned about 
        the future disposition of the crash site, including--
                    (A) grieving families of the passengers and 
                crewmembers;
                    (B) the people of the region where the crash site 
                is located; and
                    (C) citizens throughout the United States;
            (4) many of those people are involved in the formation of 
        the Flight 93 Task Force, a broad, inclusive organization 
        established to provide a voice for all parties interested in 
        and concerned about the crash site;
            (5) the crash site commemorates Flight 93 and is a profound 
        symbol of American patriotism and spontaneous leadership by 
        citizens of the United States;
            (6) a memorial of the crash site should--
                    (A) recognize the victims of the crash in an 
                appropriate manner; and
                    (B) address the interests and concerns of 
                interested parties; and
            (7) it is appropriate that the crash site of Flight 93 be 
        designated as a unit of the National Park System.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to establish a memorial to honor the passengers and 
        crewmembers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 
        2001;
            (2) to establish the Flight 93 Advisory Commission to 
        assist in the formulation of plans for the memorial, including 
        the nature, design, and construction of the memorial; and
            (3) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
        administer the memorial, coordinate and facilitate the 
        activities of the Flight 93 Advisory Commission, and provide 
        technical and financial assistance to the Flight 93 Task Force.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Flight 
        93 Advisory Commission established by section (4)(b).
            (2) Crash site.--The term ``crash site'' means the site in 
        Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where 
        United Airlines Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001.
            (3) Memorial.--The term ``Memorial'' means the memorial to 
        the passengers and crewmembers of United Airlines Flight 93 
        established by section 4(a).
            (4) Passenger or crewmember.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``passenger or 
                crewmember'' means a passenger or crewmember aboard 
                United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
                    (B) Exclusions.--The term ``passenger or 
                crewmember'' does not include a terrorist aboard United 
                Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (6) Task Force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Flight 
        93 Task Force.

SEC. 4. MEMORIAL TO HONOR THE PASSENGERS AND CREWMEMBERS OF FLIGHT 93.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established as a unit of the National 
Park System a memorial at the crash site to honor the passengers and 
crewmembers of Flight 93.
    (b) Advisory Commission.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be 
        known as the ``Flight 93 Advisory Commission''.
            (2) Membership.--The Commission shall be composed of--
                    (A) the Director of the National Park Service; and
                    (B) 14 members, appointed by the Secretary, from 
                among persons recommended by the Task Force.
            (3) Term; vacancies.--
                    (A) Term.--A member of the Commission shall be 
                appointed for the life of the Commission.
                    (B) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission--
                            (i) shall not affect the powers of the 
                        Commission; and
                            (ii) shall be filled in the same manner as 
                        the original appointment was made.
            (4) Meetings.--
                    (A) In general.--The Commission shall meet at the 
                call of the Chairperson or a majority of the members.
                    (B) Frequency.--The Commission shall meet not less 
                than quarterly.
                    (C) Notice.--Notice of meetings and the agenda for 
                the meetings shall be published in--
                            (i) newspapers in and around Somerset 
                        County, Pennsylvania; and
                            (ii) the Federal Register.
                    (D) Open meetings.--Meetings of the Commission 
                shall be subject to section 552b of title 5, United 
                States Code.
            (5) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission 
        shall constitute a quorum.
            (6) Chairperson.--The Commission shall select a Chairperson 
        from among the members of the Commission.
            (7) Duties.--The Commission shall--
                    (A) not later than 3 years after the date of 
                enactment of this Act, submit to the Secretary and 
                Congress a report that contains recommendations for the 
                planning, design, construction, and long-term 
                management of the memorial;
                    (B) advise the Secretary on--
                            (i) the boundaries of the memorial; and
                            (ii) the development of a management plan 
                        for the memorial;
                    (C) consult with the Task Force, the State of 
                Pennsylvania, and other interested parties, as 
                appropriate;
                    (D) support the efforts of the Task Force; and
                    (E) involve the public in the planning and design 
                of the memorial.
            (8) Powers.--The Commission may--
                    (A) make expenditures for services and materials 
                appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section;
                    (B) accept donations for use in carrying out this 
                section and for other expenses associated with the 
                memorial, including the construction of the memorial;
                    (C) hold hearings and enter into contracts, 
                including contracts for personal services;
                    (D) by a vote of the majority of the Commission, 
                delegate any duties that the Commission determines to 
                be appropriate to employees of the National Park 
                Service; and
                    (E) conduct any other activities necessary to carry 
                out this Act.
            (9) Compensation.--A member of the Commission shall serve 
        without compensation, but may be reimbursed for expenses 
        incurred in carrying out the duties of the Commission.
            (10) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on the 
        dedication of the memorial.
    (c) Duties of the Secretary.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) administer the memorial as a unit of the National Park 
        Service in accordance with--
                    (A) this Act; and
                    (B) the laws generally applicable to units of the 
                National Park System;
            (2) provide advice to the Commission on the collection, 
        storage, and archiving of information and materials relating to 
        the crash or the crash site;
            (3) consult with and assist the Commission in--
                    (A) providing information to the public;
                    (B) interpreting any information relating to the 
                crash or the crash site;
                    (C) conducting oral history interviews; and
                    (D) conducting public meetings and forums;
            (4) participate in the development of plans for the design 
        and construction of the memorial;
            (5) provide to the Commission--
                    (A) assistance in designing and managing exhibits, 
                collections, or activities at the memorial;
                    (B) project management assistance for design and 
                construction activities; and
                    (C) staff and other forms of administrative 
                support;
            (6) acquire from willing sellers the land or interests in 
        land for the memorial by donation, purchase with donated or 
        appropriated funds, or exchange; and
            (7) provide the Commission any other assistance that the 
        Commission may require to carry out this Act.
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