1.This Act may be cited as the
9/11 First Responders History Project
Act of 2011
.
2.
(a)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)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.
3.Establishment of
project at Library of Congress to collect video and audio recordings of
histories of 9/11 first responders
(a)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 entitiesThe 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
PaymentsIn 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)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)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).
4.Private support
for Project
(a)Encouraging
Solicitation and Acceptance of donationsThe 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 CongressNotwithstanding 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.
5.Authorization of
appropriationsThere 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.