[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 73 (Tuesday, June 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4266-H4267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ESTABLISHING MEMORIAL TO HONOR GEORGE MASON
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
Senate bill (S. 423) to extend the legislative authority for the Board
of Regents of Gunston Hall to establish a memorial to honor George
Mason.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. 423
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXTENSION OF LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY FOR MEMORIAL
ESTABLISHMENT.
The legislative authority for the Board of Regents of
Gunston Hall to establish a commemorative work (as defined by
section 2 of the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1002))
shall expire August 10, 2000, notwithstanding the time period
limitation specified in section 10(b) of the Commemorative
Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1010(b)).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Hansen) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr.
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen).
Mr. HANSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 423 and urge its adoption. The
bill grants a 3-year extension for the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall
to construct a memorial to honor George Mason on Federal land within
the District of Columbia.
In 1990, Congress passed public law 101-358 authorizing the Board of
Regents of Gunston Hall to construct a memorial to George Mason, the
American patriot who was the author of the Virginia Declaration of
Rights that later served as the model for the Bill of Rights in the
U.S. Constitution.
George Mason was a contemporary of George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, and James Madison. However, he died in 1792, years before
his colleagues; and his contributions to the drafting of the U.S.
Constitution are sometimes overlooked.
Mr. Speaker, section 10(b) of the Commemorative Works Act of 1986
provides that the legislative authorization to construct a memorial
expires 7 years after the date the memorial was authorized by Congress.
The date for the George Mason Memorial expired on August 10, 1997. This
bill extends the legislative authority for the George Mason Memorial
until August 10, 2000.
The Board of Regents of Gunston Hall, George Mason's historic
ancestral home, have committed to raising the estimated $1 million
necessary to construct this memorial and endow a maintenance fund.
The National Park Service has approved a site for this memorial
garden on Federal land within the District of Columbia, adjacent to the
span on the 14th Street Bridge, which has been named in George Mason's
honor, and within site of the memorial dedicated to his renowned
colleague, Thomas Jefferson.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support passage of S. 423.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, Senate bill 423 is a noncontroversial
[[Page H4267]]
measure, passed by the Senate last year, that would extend for 3 years
the legislative authority for the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall to
establish a memorial to George Mason.
Public law 101-358 authorized the Board of Regents of Gunston Hall to
establish a memorial to George Mason, who is widely recognized for his
role in events surrounding the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and
its first 10 amendments known as the Bill of Rights.
Plans for the memorial provide for its location on Federal land in
the district of Columbia, near the 14th Street Bridge, which was
previously named in his honor.
A 3-year extension of the memorial authorization is necessary in
order to allow planning and fund-raising to be brought to a successful
conclusion. Senate bill 423 was favorably reported from the committee
on Resources last October, without amendment. The bill does have the
support of the administration. I ask my colleagues to support this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S.
423, legislation 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 or 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 ten amendments of the Constitution.
George Mason sacrificed friendships by insisting that a strong
national government could not be secured without also firmly
establishing 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.
During the 101st Congress 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 102nd Congress, a resolution passed
concurring 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 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, one million dollars must be raised in non-federal funds to
construct this historic monument and ground breaking must occur no
later than August 1998. 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 1998 deadline is rapidly approaching. At this
time, fundraising efforts, while successful, will not be completed by
the August 1998 deadline. That's why I support this necessary
legislation granting an extension until August 2000.
The Commemorative Works Act requires two separate acts of Congress
before a memorial may be placed in Area I lands. This monument has met
both requirements. 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 20000, 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.
This is non-controversial legislation that passed the Senate and the
House Resources Committee unanimously. I ask my colleagues to join me
in supporting this three-year extension so we may properly commemorate
this great statesman and Virginian, George Mason. Mr. HANSEN. Mr.
Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Hansen) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the Senate bill, S. 423.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid upon the table.
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