[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1455 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1455

 To direct the Librarian of Congress to carry out a project to collect 
 video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of 
emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to 
               the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2011

   Mr. Israel (for himself and Mr. King of New York) introduced the 
     following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Librarian of Congress to carry out a project to collect 
 video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of 
emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to 
               the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

    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 ``9/11 First Responders History 
Project Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Over 410,000 people were exposed to the site of the 
        September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center 
        (WTC) in New York City, including 50,000 workers from across 
        the Nation who traveled to the site to lend their support.
            (2) Of these over 410,000 people, 91,000 were rescue and 
        recovery workers.
            (3) Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was one of the 
        major health effects for individuals who responded to the WTC 
        attacks.
            (4) Nineteen percent of adult enrollees (about 71,000 
        people) in the WTC Health Registry report new PTSD symptoms, 4 
        times the rate typically seen in adults in the United States.
            (5) Of the more than 10,000 rescue and recovery workers 
        monitored for a study at the Mount Sinai WTC Consortium over a 
        five-year period from 2002 to 2007, 11% met criteria for 
        probable PTSD, 8.8% had probable depression, 5.0% had probable 
        panic disorder, and 62% had substantial stress reaction.
            (6) According to the Mount Sinai study, the rate of PTSD 
        among responders to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks 
        at the WTC is significantly greater than in the general 
        population and is on par with the rate experienced by veterans 
        of the war in Afghanistan. For example, 15.5% of firefighters 
        report probable post-9/11 PTSD and firefighters who worked at 
        Ground Zero lost an average of 12 years of lung function.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to create a new 
federally sponsored, authorized, and funded project that will 
coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio 
recordings of personal histories and testimonials of emergency 
responders and recovery and cleanup workers who responded to the 
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that will build upon and 
complement previous and ongoing documentary work on this subject, and 
to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve the memories of such 
individuals so that Americans of all current and future generations may 
hear from them directly and better appreciate the sacrifices they made.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROJECT AT LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO COLLECT 
              VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS OF HISTORIES OF 9/11 FIRST 
              RESPONDERS.

    (a) Establishment of Project.--Within the limits of available 
funds, the Librarian of Congress (hereafter referred to as the 
``Librarian'') shall establish an oral history project--
            (1) to survey, during the initial phase of the project, 
        collections of audio and video recordings of the reminiscences 
        of 9/11 first responders that are housed in archives, 
        libraries, museums, and other educational institutions, as well 
        as ongoing documentary work, in order to augment and complement 
        these endeavors and avoid duplication of effort;
            (2) to solicit, reproduce, and collect--
                    (A) video and audio recordings of personal 
                histories and testimonials of 9/11 first responders; 
                and
                    (B) visual and written materials (such as letters, 
                diaries, photographs, and ephemera) relevant to the 
                personal histories of individuals;
            (3) to create a collection of the recordings and other 
        materials obtained, and to catalog and index the collection in 
        a manner the Librarian considers appropriate; and
            (4) to make the collection available for public use through 
        the Library of Congress, as well as through such other methods 
        as the Librarian consider appropriate.
    (b) Use of and Consultation With Other Entities.--The Librarian may 
carry out the activities described in 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 project under this Act.
    (c) Services of Experts and Consultants; Acceptance of Volunteer 
Services; Advance Payments.--In carrying out activities described in 
subsection (a)(1), the Librarian may--
            (1) procure temporary and intermittent services under 
        section 3109 of title 5, United States Code;
            (2) accept and utilize the services of volunteers and other 
        uncompensated personnel and reimburse them for travel expenses, 
        including per diem, as authorized under section 5703 of title 
        5, United States Code; and
            (3) make advances of money and payments in advance in 
        accordance with section 3324 of title 31, United States Code.
    (d) Timing.--As soon as practicable after the enactment of this 
Act, the Librarian shall begin collecting video and audio recordings 
and other materials under subsection (a), and shall attempt to collect 
the first such recordings from the oldest individuals involved.
    (e) Definition.--In this Act, the term ``9/11 first responders'' 
means emergency responders and recovery and cleanup workers who 
responded to the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, 
in New York City, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon 
(including the aftermath of such attacks).

SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT FOR PROJECT.

    (a) Encouraging Solicitation and Acceptance of Donations.--The 
Librarian of Congress is encouraged to solicit and accept donations of 
funds and in-kind contributions to support activities under section 3.
    (b) Dedication of Funds Provided to Library of Congress.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law--
            (1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to 
        support the activities of the Librarian under section 3 shall 
        be deposited entirely into an account established for such 
        purpose;
            (2) the funds contained in such account shall be used 
        solely to support such activities; 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 supporting such 
        activities.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
            (1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
            (2) $150,000 for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
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