[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2201 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 2201


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 18, 2004

   Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To authorize the establishment of a national database for purposes of 
identifying, locating, and cataloging the many memorials and permanent 
                    tributes to America's veterans.

    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 ``National War Permanent Tribute 
Historical Database Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     Congress finds that--
            (1) on November 13, 2000, Congress agreed to a resolution 
        expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for 
        cataloging and maintaining public memorials;
            (2) there are many thousands of public memorials and 
        permanent tributes throughout the United States and abroad that 
        commemorate military conflicts of the United States and the 
        service of individuals in the Armed Forces;
            (3) many of these memorials suffer from neglect and 
        disrepair, and many have been relocated or stored in facilities 
        where the memorials are unavailable to the public and subject 
        to further neglect and damage; and
            (4) there exists a need to collect and centralize 
        information regarding the identification, location, and 
        description of these memorials, as no such catalog is available 
        to the public from either the Federal Government or any 
        nongovernmental entity.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF DATABASE.

    (a) Establishment.--In order to locate, identify, and catalog the 
many thousands of permanent tributes that commemorate the military 
conflicts of the United States, and the service and sacrifice of 
individuals in the Armed Forces of the United States, and to make such 
information readily available for the educational benefit of the 
public, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Veterans' Affairs, may establish and maintain a database 
known as the National War Permanent Tribute Historical Database.
    (b) Content.--The database shall contain information on--
            (1) the location, history, and background of the permanent 
        tributes;
            (2) photographs and other information to enhance the 
        understanding of the permanent tributes;
            (3) information about the veterans in whose honor the 
        permanent tributes are dedicated; and
            (4) any other information the Secretary considers 
        appropriate and necessary.
    (c) Public Access.--The database shall be made accessible to the 
public, through the Internet or by other means, in a format that 
permits the public to submit information on permanent tributes for the 
purpose of updating and expanding the database.
    (d) Assistance.--The Secretary of the Interior may seek the 
assistance of other Federal agencies and the States and their political 
subdivisions, tribal governments, public or private educational 
institutions, non-profit organizations, and individuals or other 
entities that the Secretary considers appropriate in carrying out this 
Act, and may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements to obtain 
information or services that assist in the development and 
implementation of the database.
    (e) Definition.--As used in this section, the term ``permanent 
tribute'' means any statue, structure, or other monument on public 
property commemorating the service of any person or persons in the 
Armed Forces.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

     There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 
Interior such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

     Within 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of the Interior shall transmit to the Congress a report 
assessing the efficacy and desirability of establishing a permanent 
fund within the Treasury for the repair, restoration, and maintenance 
of the memorials identified and catalogued under section 3. The report 
shall include recommended criteria regarding appropriate recipients of 
expenditures from such a fund as well as proposed funding mechanisms 
and any other information considered by the Secretary to be relevant.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.