[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3658 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3658

To require the Secretary of Defense to change the name of any military 
installation or other property under the jurisdiction of the Department 
  of Defense that is currently named after any individual who took up 
  arms against the United States during the American Civil War or any 
           individual or entity that supported such efforts.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 18, 2017

  Ms. Clarke of New York (for herself, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. Meeks, Mr. 
 Jeffries, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Ms. Meng, 
Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Pallone, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Lee, 
Mr. Huffman, Ms. Norton, Mr. Richmond, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Engel, Ms. 
  Wilson of Florida, Ms. Barragan, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Eddie 
 Bernice Johnson of Texas, and Mr. Hastings) introduced the following 
      bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Defense to change the name of any military 
installation or other property under the jurisdiction of the Department 
  of Defense that is currently named after any individual who took up 
  arms against the United States during the American Civil War or any 
           individual or entity that supported such efforts.

    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 ``Honoring Real Patriots Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The American Civil War of 1861-1865 was fought over the 
        desire of the seceding States to keep human beings enslaved 
        based upon their race.
            (2) The Confederacy was so committed to preserving the 
        institution of slavery that it killed more than 360,000 
        American soldiers in its failed effort to achieve this goal.
            (3) This act of treason was a direct attack on the 
        existence of the United States and merits no honor to the 
        Confederacy as an institution or its leaders as individuals by 
        the United States Armed Forces.
            (4) Nonetheless, United States military installations and 
        other property under the jurisdiction of the Department of 
        Defense, including General Lee Avenue and Stonewall Jackson 
        Drive at Fort Hamilton, New York, remain named after rebels who 
        took up arms against the United States.
            (5) The United States Armed Forces are essential to 
        defending the United States and protecting American values of 
        freedom, equality, and democratic governance.
            (6) This role is undermined when military installations, 
        facilities, roads, equipment, and other property are named 
        after enemy combatants who took up arms during the Civil War to 
        challenge the very values for which the United States stands.
            (7) Naming military property after armed insurrectionists 
        with American blood on their hands is an affront to members of 
        the Armed Forces, many of whom are people of color, who take an 
        oath to protect and defend the Constitution.
            (8) There are an ample number of meritorious members of the 
        Armed Forces, who loyally served the United States, for whom 
        military property could and should be named.

SEC. 3. REDESIGNATION OF MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AND OTHER PROPERTY 
              UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NAMED 
              AFTER INDIVIDUALS WHO TOOK UP ARMS AGAINST THE UNITED 
              STATES DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.

    (a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States 
that no military installation or other property under the jurisdiction 
of the Department of Defense shall be or remain named after any 
individual who took up arms against the United States during the 
American Civil War or any individual or entity that supported such 
efforts.
    (b) Redesignation of Property.--Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
change the name of each military installation and other property under 
the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense that, as of the date of 
the enactment of this Act, is named after any individual who took up 
arms against the United States during the American Civil War or named 
after any individual or entity that supported such efforts.
    (c) Implementation Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
Committees on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate a report containing a plan to comply with this section by the 
deadline specified in subsection (b). The report shall include the 
following:
            (1) A comprehensive list of all military installations and 
        other property under the jurisdiction of the Department of 
        Defense whose name needs to be changed to comply with this 
        section.
            (2) An estimate of the funding necessary to implement this 
        section, including costs associated with new signage, maps, 
        documents, and other materials to reflect changes in names.
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