[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROBB (for himself and Mr. Warner):
  S. 423. A bill to extend the legislative authority for the Board of 
Regents of Gunston Hall to establish a memorial to honor George Mason; 
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.


          THE GEORGE MASON MEMORIAL ESTABLISHMENT ACT OF 1997

 Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I introduce a bill to extend the 
legislative authority for the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall to 
establish a memorial to honor a distinguished Virginian, George Mason.
  In 1776, George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the 
first document in America calling for freedom of the press, freedom of 
religion, proscription of unreasonable searches, and the right to a 
speedy trial. The Virginia Declaration of Rights not only served as a 
model for our national Bill of Rights; but historians believe that 
Mason's refusal to sign the Constitution for its failure, initially, to 
include a declaration of rights was a major impetus for eventual 
adoption of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
  George Mason sacrificed friendships by insisting that a strong 
national government could not be purchased at the cost of individual 
rights, and Mason inevitably chose his family over politics. He retired 
from public office following the Constitutional Convention and died 
just a few years later in 1792. His contemporaries, Thomas Jefferson 
and James Madison, lived decades longer and were elected Presidents of 
the United States, and thus Mason's contributions were soon 
overshadowed.
  Efforts were combined during the 101st Congress to at last honor 
America's ``Forgotten Founder.'' Legislation authorizing a private, 
nonprofit organization to establish a memorial to George Mason on 
Federal land in the District of Columbia passed and was signed by then-
President George Bush. In the 102d Congress, a resolution concurred 
that George Mason was an individual ``of preeminent historical 
significance to the nation,'' and authorized the placement of the 
memorial within select area I lands, in sight of the memorials of two 
of Mason's closest friends: George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The 
legislation was signed into law on April 28, 1992, and approved by the 
National Capital Memorial Committee in December 1993.
  To pay homage to a man whose ideas played a prominent role in the 
founding of the American Republic, a fitting memorial has been designed 
for this supreme site, located between Ohio Drive and the 14th Street 
Bridge, overlooking the Tidal Basin. The memorial designs have been 
completed and submitted for review to all necessary advisory and review 
boards and by agreement, the United States Park Service is to maintain 
the memorial once completed. In accordance with the Commemorative Works 
Act of 1986, $1 million must be raised in non-Federal funds to 
construct this gift to Washington and all Americans and ground-breaking 
is ordered to occur no later than August 1997. The Board of Regents of 
Gunston Hall Plantation, a historical organization that oversees 
Mason's family home in Fairfax County, is dedicated to raising the 
necessary funds for the monument and seeing this important project 
through to its completion, however, the August 1997 deadline is rapidly 
approaching. At this time, it seems that the fundraising effort will 
not be completed and that's why today I introduce the necessary 
legislation granting an extension until August 2000.
  The Commemorative Works Act, passed into law to prevent overcrowding 
on the Mall, requires two separate acts of Congress before a memorial 
may be placed in area I lands, and both of these hurdles have been 
cleared. The final battle is a fundraising one and the Board of Regents 
of Gunston Hall has a plan of attack. Last year, they launched Liberty 
2000, a campaign to share George Mason's legacy of liberty. The Board 
of Regents hope to build an endowment fund to ensure a secure future 
for Gunston Hall and attain the necessary non-Federal funds to break 
ground and complete their efforts to bring George Mason's legacy to the 
Mall. I ask that you join me in swiftly supporting this 3-year 
extension so we may properly commemorate this great statesman and 
Virginian, George Mason.
                                 ______