[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 841 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 841

To designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the 
     National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2017

Mr. Portman (for himself and Mr. Brown) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the 
     National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and for other purposes.

    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 Veterans Memorial and 
Museum Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Veterans Memorial and Museum is a civic landmark 
        and cultural institution being built in Columbus, Ohio, to 
        honor, connect, inspire, and educate all people of the United 
        States about the service and sacrifice of more than 40,000,000 
        veterans, over half of whom are living today, and 1,100,000 
        fallen who have bravely defended the freedoms enjoyed by all 
        citizens of the United States of America.
            (2) The Veterans Memorial and Museum is the only public 
        museum of its kind that exists for the exclusive purpose of 
        interpreting the collective experiences of veterans of the 
        United States of America across all eras, conflicts, and 
        branches of the military.
            (3) The Veterans Memorial and Museum would attract and 
        educate a diverse group of audiences from across the country 
        through its visitor-centered, interactive, and participatory 
        exhibits.
            (4) The Veterans Memorial and Museum would work to help 
        bridge the military-civilian gap that has increasingly isolated 
        veterans and their families and often made the journey from 
        civilian to soldier back to civilian more difficult to 
        navigate.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Veterans Memorial and Museum will preserve the 
        stories and legacy of service so that visitors can conduct a 
        critical evaluation of the history and evolution of our country 
        as seen through the lens of the military experience;
            (2) the Veterans Memorial and Museum will inspire civilians 
        to serve their communities and country as active and engaged 
        citizens;
            (3) the Veterans Memorial and Museum will be a beacon for 
        all veterans, veteran families, and civilians of this country 
        to ensure that the sacrifices of America's service men and 
        women are a guarantee to posterity;
            (4) the State of Ohio, Franklin County, and many more 
        private individuals, foundations, and corporations have 
        contributed millions of dollars to design and construct this 
        national destination, which broke ground in December 2015; and
            (5) it is fitting and proper to refer to the Veterans 
        Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the ``National 
        Veterans Memorial and Museum''.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM.

    (a) Designation.--The Veterans Memorial and Museum is hereby 
designated as the ``National Veterans Memorial and Museum''.
    (b) Veterans Memorial and Museum Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``Veterans Memorial and Museum'' means the memorial and museum 
that is, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, being constructed 
on an approximately 7-acre area on West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, 
bounded by the Scioto River and the Scioto Greenway.
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