[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 71 (Tuesday, May 22, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H2391-H2396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPEDITING CONSTRUCTION OF WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL IN DISTRICT OF 
                                COLUMBIA

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the 
Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1696) to expedite the construction 
of the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Senate amendment:
       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. APPROVAL OF WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL SITE AND DESIGN.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the World War 
     II memorial described in plans approved by the Commission of 
     Fine Arts on July 20, 2000 and November 16, 2000, and 
     selected by the National Capital Planning Commission on 
     September 21, 2000 and December 14, 2000, and in accordance 
     with the special use permit issued by the Secretary of the 
     Interior on January 23, 2001, and numbered NCR-NACC-5700-
     0103, shall be constructed expeditiously at the dedicated 
     Rainbow Pool site in the District of Columbia in a manner 
     consistent with such plans and permits, subject to design 
     modifications, if any, approved in accordance with applicable 
     laws and regulations.

     SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF COMMEMORATIVE WORKS ACT.

       Elements of the memorial design and construction not 
     approved as of the date of enactment of this Act shall be 
     considered and approved in accordance with the requirements 
     of the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

     SEC. 3. JUDICIAL REVIEW.

       The decision to locate the memorial at the Rainbow Pool 
     site in the District of Columbia and the actions by the 
     Commission of Fine Arts on July 20, 2000 and November 16, 
     2000, the actions by the National Capital Planning Commission 
     on September 21, 2000 and December 14, 2000, and the issuance 
     of the special use permit identified in section 1 shall not 
     be subject to judicial review.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin). Pursuant to the 
rule, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Evans) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump).


                             General Leave

  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the legislation under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. STUMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, last week the House passed legislation to 
expedite construction of the World War II memorial by a vote of 400-15.
  With the bipartisan help of the Senate leadership and the Committee 
on Energy, the Committee on Resources, the Committee on Appropriations, 
and the Committee on Government Affairs, we achieved that goal and now 
bring back H.R. 1696 to the House with a Senate amendment.
  The compromise language accomplishes our objectives of declaring the 
major design elements to be approved by Congress and finalized, thus 
bringing the bureaucratic delay to an end, and rendering moot the 
current litigation brought by the memorial's opponents.
  Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that this is the last legislative 
action Congress will have to take before the dedication of the World 
War II memorial in 2004. However, let me say that no one should 
question our resolve to see this through. I believe Congress will do 
whatever it takes, because it is time to build the World War II 
memorial.
  Mr. Speaker, the action Congress takes today is an extraordinary 
step, based in large part on frustration over the slow progress being 
achieved by the relevant commissions under the Commemorative Works Act.
  I hope everyone involved in the remaining administrative process will 
become true advocates of getting this memorial back on track.
  No one should question our desire to see this memorial begun and 
finished expeditiously, nor should they question our resolve to 
overcome any further bureaucratic delay and legal wrangling by the 
memorial's opponents.
  A lengthy democratic process, in the best traditions of our Nation, 
has been conducted and all sides have been given more than ample 
opportunity to have their voices heard.
  Just as WWII veterans fought 60 years ago for the right of the 
memorial's opponents to be part of the process, those opponents of the 
memorial should now respect that democratic process and the final 
decisions that have been made.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to honor the sacrifices of the World War II 
generation. Eight years after Congress authorized the construction of 
this memorial, and six years from the first of 22 public hearings on 
its site and design, the memorial's construction remains delayed by a 
procedural issue involving the National Capital Planning Commission 
(NCPC), one of the agencies required by law to approve the memorial, 
and a lawsuit filed by a small group of opponents. This legislation 
would remove those obstacles and require the construction process to 
promptly go forward.
  The legislation accomplishes that goal as follows:
  Through sections one and three, the site and design for the World War 
II Memorial are finalized, expeditious construction is directed, and 
the prospect of further delay through judicial challenges or other re-
considerations of the selected site and design are eliminated. Section 
one also includes a provision regarding design modifications which is 
solely intended to address the highly unlikely event that a technical 
impossibility could occur in the course of construction that might 
require a limited deviation from the selected design. In light of the 
careful review the existing plans have already been subject to by the 
memorial's design, engineering, and construction management 
professionals, the General Services Administration (GSA), the American 
Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), the National Park Service (NPS), 
the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) and the National Capital Planning 
Commission (NCPC), no exercise of this authority is expected. Moreover, 
as a result of these provisions, funds donated for the Memorial would 
not be diverted to preparation of the additional mock-up of the 
Memorial or further presentations on the selected design that have

[[Page H2392]]

been requested of the NPS by NCPC to administratively redress that 
agency's procedural issue resolved by this legislation.
  The second section directs that the procedural steps of the 
Commemorative Works Act shall be used for the approval of those few 
aspects of the Memorial not already finalized. These items are 
essentially the color of the granite, the flag poles, sculptural 
elements, the wording of the inscriptions to be placed on the memorial, 
and final adjustments to the level of lighting. These matters will be 
presented in due course by the NPS, representing the Secretary of the 
Interior and acting on behalf of the ABMC, to the two approving 
commissions designated by the Commemorative Works Act: the CFA and the 
NCPC.

  To further place this legislation in context it is important to 
briefly describe the extensive, democratic deliberative process through 
which the site and design were selected.
  After receiving Congressional approval in October 1994 to locate the 
Memorial within the National Monumental Core, many public hearings 
regarding site selection were conducted including meetings of the 
National Capital Memorial Commission (NCMC), (May 9 and June 20, 1995), 
the CFA (July 27 and September 19, 1995), and the NCPC (July 27 and 
October 5, 1995). In the course of these meetings, the CFA and NCPC, in 
consultation with the ABMC and NCMC, reviewed eight proposed sites for 
the Memorial. Through review of these proposals, the possibility of 
including the Rainbow Pool in the site for the Memorial arose at the 
June 20, 1995, NCMC public meeting. As the deliberations continued 
pursuant to the Commemorative Works Act, the appropriateness and 
potential of the Rainbow Pool as a site for the Memorial became readily 
apparent. The Rainbow Pool site was approved at an open, public meeting 
of the CFA on September 19, 1995, and the NCPC on October 5, 1995. 
President Clinton formally dedicated the Rainbow Pool site on Veterans' 
Day 1995.
  In 1996, a national two-stage competition to select the designer for 
the Memorial was conducted in accordance with the GSA's Design 
Excellence program. Over four hundred entries were reviewed by a 
distinguished Evaluation Board that selected six competition finalists. 
From these six finalists, a design jury composed of outstanding 
architects, landscape architects, architectural critics and WWII 
veterans, independently and unanimously recommended a design team 
headed by Friedrich St. Florian of the Rhode Island School of Design. 
The Evaluation Board concurred and ABMC approved the recommendation on 
November 20, 1996. On January 17, 1997, President Clinton announced the 
Friedrich St. Florian team as the winning design team, with Leo A. 
Daly, a pre-eminent national firm, serving as architect-engineer.
  Through the Commemorative Works Act process, the World War II 
Memorial design underwent three general phases of public review and 
approval: design concept, preliminary design and final design. The 
Memorial design has evolved through input and participation by the 
reviewing commissions and the public. In particular, at public hearings 
held in July of 1997, both the CFA and the NCPC considered Friedrich 
St. Florian's initial design concept and reconsidered the approvals of 
the Rainbow Pool Site. Both commissions reaffirmed selection of the 
Rainbow Pool site on more than one occasion; however, both also 
requested the consideration of substantial changes to the design 
concept. The design team subsequently undertook extensive efforts to 
address all concerns raised by the reviewing commissions and the 
public. Over the course of three years and nine more public meetings, 
the Memorial design continued to evolve to its finally approved form. 
As a result of the extensive public participation and careful review by 
the respective commissions and other governmental agencies, the final 
design is one which enhances the site, preserves its historic vistas, 
and preserves the Rainbow Pool by restoring it and making it a part of 
a national commemorative work.
  Finally, in the course of authorizing this Memorial, Congress asked 
the American people to support the project through voluntary donations. 
They certainly responded. The memorial fund-raising campaign, under the 
leadership of Senator Bob Dole and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman and CEO 
of FedEx Corporation, received financial support from half a million 
individual Americans, hundreds of corporations and foundations, dozens 
of civic, fraternal and professional organizations, 48 state 
legislatures, 1,100 schools, and more than 450 veterans groups 
representing 11 million veterans providing the funds necessary to 
construct the Memorial. With this legislation, we will ensure that the 
Memorial is created within the lifetimes of a significant number of 
those we honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, last week this body overwhelmingly approved H.R. 1696 by 
a vote of 400-15. The Members of this body clearly want the 
construction of a World War II memorial in the District of Columbia to 
be expedited.
  I am pleased that Members of the other body have taken the action to 
expedite the memorial construction. H.R. 1696, as approved by the 
Senate, will expedite construction of the World War II memorial at the 
dedicated Rainbow Pool site on the Mall.
  Mr. Speaker, let us approve this measure now and send it back to the 
President, and move forward with the construction of the World War II 
memorial in the District of Columbia.
  The National World War II Memorial will honor all Americans who 
served in the Armed Forces during World War II, as well as the millions 
of other Americans who contributed in so many different ways.
  Mr. Speaker, the time to construct this memorial is now. More than 50 
years after the end of World War II, there still is no fitting memorial 
for the service and sacrifices of millions of Americans who preserved 
democracy and defeated totalitarianism in World War II. Mr. Speaker, 
the time to construct this memorial is now.
  I again commend my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Arizona 
(Mr. Stump), for his effective leadership on this issue. I urge every 
Member of the House to support this resolution. The gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Stump) is one of the heroes of World War II. To the 
gentleman and the others of his generation, we thank them for their 
service and sacrifice. It is time to build a memorial to honor their 
actions. We appreciate them very much.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to 
me, and for bringing this back so quickly to the House floor after a 
Senate amendment.
  Mr. Speaker, as we approach Memorial Day, I think there are two 
things that we can keep in mind. Actually, there are countless things 
we should keep in mind, but there are two things that I always try to 
emphasize when I am talking to schoolkids.
  One is, we should remember in our memorial to our war dead that they 
were kids themselves. As I look at a group of high school students, and 
say, ``Think about the graveyards of all the war heroes that we see, 
and remember, they were closer to your age than the white-haired man in 
the bleacher who is back here alive today. The people who fought so 
hard for our freedom and sacrificed their lives, they were yet kids 
themselves, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 years old; very, very young people.''
  We should also remember that they were hometown. There is not a 
county or city in America that we cannot go to that did not have people 
who died in World War II. In most towns, they had somebody who died in 
Vietnam, North Korea, World War I, or any one of other conflicts that 
have been fought in the name of freedom around our country. As we do 
this, keep in mind that they were young, and that they were our 
neighbors and friends.
  What we need to do in honoring them is to get this monument built. We 
have had all kinds of hearings. It has met the approval of the National 
Environmental Policy Act and the Commemorative Works Act. It has the 
approval of all the appropriate commissions. It has gone through 
countless hearings, site and design work has been approved, and the 
construction permit has already been issued. It is time to move 
forward.
  If we think about it in these terms, 16 million people were involved 
in World War II. Today, only about 5 million are left alive, and we 
lose about 1,000 a day. It is time to move forward for the honor of 
these very brave, very historically significant men and women of such 
worth to our country.
  The fact that we have not already built a monument, to me, is 
atrocious. I am glad that Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are 
united on this. Let us pass this bill and let us break ground by 
Memorial Day.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the gentlewoman from the 
District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

[[Page H2393]]

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from 
Illinois, for yielding time to me.
  May I begin by thanking the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) for 
his work on this bill, and for his work with the Senate in getting a 
bill that I think is one that we all appreciate for what it will mean 
for the memorial that has been under discussion.
  I honor the gentleman from Arizona for his service, and understand 
and appreciate his anxiety to get on with the memorial. Let me say, as 
a child of World War II who grew up during the war here in the city, I 
understand why this memorial means so much to the men who fought this 
war.
  It is the case, however, that anyone who loves the city and admires 
the uniqueness of Washington and the Mall could not possibly want the 
particular memorial that will go up. The memorial, of course, as I said 
in my own remarks on the House floor on last Tuesday, was pretty much a 
done deal, in any case. At least we will not be adding to the injury 
that many Americans feel about having any man-made object in the midst 
of one of Washington's great vistas, especially a very controversial 
design that does not begin to do justice to the men and women of World 
War II, who brought justice to the world.
  At least now we have understood that no memorial can rise without 
administrative review and oversight. The bill assures us that there 
will be experts from the National Capital Planning Commission to 
wrestle with the many problems that remain when we are putting a 
football field-sized memorial where no object was ever meant to be. 
This poses unprecedented challenges that I hope the NCPC will meet.
  What we are doing is putting a huge memorial below the water table, 
and we have to have somebody there, for example, to figure out how to 
pump water, which will need to be pumped out continuously, and how to 
make sure that it is treated and does not go into the Potomac River and 
the Chesapeake Bay.
  Let me put everybody on notice now, they had better not put a 
contraption on the Mall that looks like some kind of machinery in order 
to do that. We have to find a way to do that.
  We were very concerned about the wooden foundations on which the 
Washington Monument is built. In those days, that is how one built a 
monument. Disturbing the subsoil when the water is pumped out presents 
a real challenge to the NCPC. Nobody has ever figured out how to do 
that. They had better figure out how to do that.
  What do we do to deal with the old growth trees that are a proxy for 
the beauty of the Mall itself? We had certainly better not knock them 
down. If the NCPC had not already been there, the National Park 
Service, in preparation for the memorial, would already have concrete 
helicopter pads on the Mall. The NCPC, I thank them very much, stopped 
that. That is but one indication of why we do need administrative 
oversight.
  For those who come in from Maryland and Virginia, for the millions of 
tourists who come every day, the NCPC still has to figure out how this 
memorial, with its tour buses, with its traffic, can go up without 
closing 17th Street to traffic. That is a challenge I would not want to 
have.
  Many of the elements of the Mall now, such as the lighting and 
sculptural elements, will be in the hands of the NCPC, so not just 
anything the builders choose will go up.
  I struggled very hard to have this wonderful memorial put in a unique 
spot. I want Members to go to Constitutional Gardens. Constitutional 
Gardens is a huge space hidden right off from the Mall. The reason 
nobody knows about it is because there is a line of trees as one 
marches toward the Lincoln Memorial, and we have to go up over a hill 
to see it, but then we come upon a huge space with a wonderful pool and 
we say, why is there nothing here?
  There is nothing there, and that was the first site that everybody 
wanted for the World War II memorial. I am very, very sorry that that 
was not the site chosen. Then it would not have been in competition 
with anything else. It would have been the first memorial to rise 
there. It is a huge and wonderfully undiscovered space.
  Mr. Speaker, I worry about what we are doing to our Mall, quite apart 
from the World War II memorial, because everybody knew that the World 
War II memorial, if any memorial deserved to be on the Mall, the World 
War II memorial did.
  I just want to use my 3 minutes left to warn the Congress away from 
fooling with the Mall. We who live in the District have, in essence, 
been left by the Framers to be guardians of our city. The Framers 
always wanted people to live here, people who did not come and go, like 
Members of Congress or tourists.
  I am a fourth-generation Washingtonian for whom this city and its 
history, not just the city as it is today, means everything. The Mall, 
Mr. Speaker, is the urban equivalent of the Grand Canyon. There should 
never be anything in the middle of the Grand Canyon. There should never 
be anything planted straight in the middle of the Mall.
  That is done now. What we have to remember, though, is that the Mall 
is a very small, centrally-located spot. There is a huge competition to 
continue to put things on the Mall. It is already crowded. We are 
grateful that President Reagan signed the Commemorative Works Act, 
which keeps us from willy-nilly putting anything that comes to mind on 
the Mall to any person whom we happen to admire.
  There was opposition to this memorial, and that opposition has done 
an important service. Without that opposition, the memorial design 
would not have been scaled down. There was opposition in the Senate, 
there was opposition throughout the country. What we would have had was 
a gargantuan embarrassment to all Americans, and especially to our 
veterans.
  In a democracy, opposition of this kind matters, and often can and in 
this case has resulted in improvement. Here, unfortunately, we have had 
a redesign which, like so many redesigns, is pedestrian and will be, 
unfortunately, invidiously compared with the evocative simplicity of 
the Vietnam Memorial.
  Let this memorial be the last of its kind on the Mall. The NCPC has 
thoughtfully suggested many other locations in and around the Mall for 
future memorials.
  Finally, let me ask Members to take a walk before the construction 
begins. Go up to the Washington monument site and look at that 
unobstructed vista for the last time. I ask Members to see it while 
they can still contemplate our two great Presidents whose monuments lie 
at either end of that axis.
  And please remember this, that the only eternal cities in the world 
are not located abroad. They are not only Rome and Paris. Washington is 
meant to be an eternal city because it is the home of our eternal 
democratic values.

                              {time}  1030

  One of those eternal places in this eternal city is our Mall. It is 
one of our last remaining spaces left to us by the framers. Let us 
remember what it was really meant to be.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Evans), who is the ranking member of the Committee on Veterans' 
Affairs. I know that for Members one of the most special times we have 
is when we get a chance to help World War II veterans receive the 
medals.
  Most of them decided not to wait around for them. They decided to get 
home. They received their couple dollars and change and got their train 
pass and skedaddled home so they could be with their loved ones and get 
back with everyday living.
  Now, in the waning years of their lives, they ask us for help to 
recover the medals that should have been handed over to them once they 
left the service.
  Many times I ask or they are asked by the media during these 
presentations ``why?'' They do not do it for themselves; that is the 
most striking thing. They ask for the medals so that they have 
something that can be held so they can give it to their children and 
then their children can give it to their grandchildren so that there is 
a memory of service before self, of people sacrificing their lives, of 
friends and loved ones in some very harsh and

[[Page H2394]]

cruel memories, of a very terrible time in this world's history.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been able to do these presentations in many 
locations. My most favorite ones are when we do the medal presentations 
in schools. I have done them in grade schools, and I have done them in 
high schools. The students really get involved. They ask pretty tough 
questions, and some of these stories are just historic in proportion, 
as far as what these individual men and women have done in service to 
their country.
  I have two uncles who served in World War II. My father served in the 
Korean War and hardly talked about the war his whole life until the 
memorial was built here in Washington, D.C., until the memorial was 
built in Springfield, Illinois, until he joined the Korean War Veterans 
Association and wears his little light blue hat.
  So building the World War II Memorial now rather than later is 
critical. It is critical for those remaining veterans who want to have 
a tribute to their fallen colleagues and friends. It is also important, 
as this is an eternal city, it is an eternal city that young men and 
young women, kids of all ages come to learn at the heart of democracy 
and freedom.
  Should they not also learn about the sacrifices made to preserve 
freedom in this great land? That is why it is so important to move 
expeditiously now in approving the memorial.
  I really applaud the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump), Chairman of 
the Committee on Armed Services, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Evans), the ranking member; and I ask all of my colleagues to join in 
support of this resolution.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the ranking member of the 
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Evans) so much for yielding me the time.
  Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) for his leadership on this bill and 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for doing this important legislation.
  It appears to me that after some 60 years, the veterans of what we 
now call the Second World War should be rightfully honored here in the 
District of Columbia. We have a memorial to the Vietnam veterans. We 
have a memorial to those who fought in Korea.
  It is the generation that Tom Brokaw, the NBC author and anchorman, 
calls the greatest generation, yet there is no memorial to them. This 
bill puts an end to the discussion, the disagreements.
  After 22 public hearings on its site and design, it is something that 
needs to be done. Growing up in the era of the Second World War, my 
heroes were those who fought, who came home, such as my best friend's 
older brother, Walter Savio, when he came over to the grade school with 
his uniform on and his gas mask attached to his side; others like 
Hector Polla, who did not come back; others like Raymond Howard, who 
was captured at Corregidor; George Steir, who was shot down while 
flying his B-17 over Europe. He was a prisoner of war.
  So many of them should be honored, and this will be an honor that 
will pass on to later generations. They will know them as the members 
of the greatest generation. It is time we put an end to the 
disagreement and the discussion and do something about it.
  Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly agree with the gentleman from Arizona 
(Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans); and I thank 
them for their efforts.
  I know there are many, many World War II veterans that will be 
pleased to know that finally the discussion is over. There will be a 
memorial to them, and I know they will be very grateful.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Moran).
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to say it is nice to have 
the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) precede me, because this is 
at a higher level than it normally is. I appreciate the gentleman's 
comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on a couple of points: the 
process and the policy.
  First, in terms of the process, it is important to bear in mind that 
the location and the design have already been decided. There have been 
three votes by the National Capital Planning Commission; all of them 
approved this design, and this site. They did scale it back from its 
original design.
  They did compromise, but they came to a conclusion three times. They 
had 22 public hearings that resulted in that conclusion. The only 
reason it is not being constructed is, in fact, a technicality. They 
are arguing that the Harvey Gantz membership, his tenure as chairman 
should have been expired, but he was not reappointed.
  In so many commissions all over the metropolitan area and, in fact, 
all over the country, people continue to serve until they are replaced. 
It is really a pure technicality on which this has been stopped.
  I think that contributed to the determination of the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Stump) to go forward with this legislation. That decision 
has been made by the appropriate bodies.
  Now, let me go to the second issue. Is it appropriate to put this 
large a memorial to World War II veterans on the Mall? I think the 
answer is yes, because we are not just talking about American history. 
We are talking about a turning point in world history. It was the 
veterans of World War II who did, in fact, save our world for 
democracy, for the freedoms that we today take for granted.
  Many of them lost their lives. Many are dying today at a rate of a 
thousand a day. My father has already passed away, but there are going 
to be very few left. This is important to them. This is important to 
the country. It is important to the world that it be in a visible place 
to show the importance that we attach to what they contributed to world 
history.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to pay some respect to the views of the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and those who 
are concerned about what we are doing to the Mall, because while I 
recognize that we need a memorial that is obvious, that makes a 
definitive statement with regard to how we feel about World War II 
veterans, we have to start thinking twice about what we decide should 
be on that Mall.
  This is a sacred national place. The fact is, it is arrogant for this 
generation to feel that everything that happened in our experience is 
all that matters.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to conclude by saying we see too many proposals 
to put too many things on the Mall. This is going to last for thousands 
of years, as it should. But there are other generations who also will 
have things that need to be memorialized on this sacred place, and I 
would urge some caution to those who have a dozen other memorials they 
want to put on the Mall.
  Let us pay some cognizance and respect to future generations. Let us 
go ahead with this memorial. The Senate compromise is a good one. It 
gives more latitude, but I think the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton) makes some good points that we ought to bear in 
mind, not just now, but in the future as well.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I will also yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin). The gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 6 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. 
Stump), Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, who is my good 
friend, and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the ranking member 
of the full committee, a member from my own class for whom I have the 
highest regard, for yielding the time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of the Senate resolution 
that has come back to us in support of constructing the World War II 
Memorial on our avenue of democracy where it belongs.
  I think it is especially historic in that this is the first year of 
the new century and the new millennium which allows us some perspective 
in looking

[[Page H2395]]

back and recognizing that the victory of liberty over tyranny was the 
fulcrum of the 20th century.
  As we look at that Mall and we think about the history of this 
Nation, we have the Washington Monument; yes, a monument to a person, 
but, more importantly, a monument to the founding of our republic.
  Then not so far from it on the Mall, the Lincoln Memorial; yes, a 
memorial to a person, a great person, but also a memorial to the 
preservation of our union.
  Now, for the 20th century, we add to this expression of the history 
of the United States a memorial to the victory of liberty over tyranny.
  The 18th, 19th, and 20th century come together at one moment, in 
fact, in the revised design of this new memorial. There will be a light 
fixture in the central sculpture within the Rainbow Falls that will 
cast itself on the Reflecting Pool from the Lincoln Memorial at the 
exact place where the Washington Monument's shadow is cast in the 
reflecting pool in a way that the 18th, 19th, and 20th century all come 
together in celebration of freedom.
  This is exactly the place where this memorial belongs. In fact, if 
you walk the Mall today, the disrepair of the Rainbow Fountains is a 
disgrace. And so, the improvements that will be made with the refined 
design will elevate us all as a people and the expression of our own 
history.
  I believe, along with all the others who have spoken, that the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and those who 
have expressed some concerns about the design have been involved in the 
refinement and improvement of this expression of a free people. Thank 
goodness we have had over 22 public hearings, various approvals of the 
Fine Arts Commission and the National Capital Planning Commission, 
because with every step, it has become better, as it should.
  On this Memorial Day that we will celebrate next week, we honor all 
veterans, all freedom lovers, certainly the 16 million World War II 
veterans who made our freedom and our ability to stand on this floor 
today as a free people possible.

                              {time}  1045

  We also remember the 5 million who still are living today and whom we 
hope will see our seriousness in celebrating and commemorating what 
they have done for the world. Whoever would have thought that we would 
live at a time or we would have witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall, 
and brand new nations emerge with a chance, just a chance, for 
independence as Eastern and Central Europe come online. Imagine we are 
able to even e-mail people that we could not even talk to 20 years ago 
or 40 years ago. What an incredible new moment this is in the history 
of humankind.
  I want to thank all of the Presidents, and there have now been three: 
President George Bush back in the 1980s, who signed the original 
authorizing legislation for the memorial; President Bill Clinton, who 
signed the memorial coins that were minted to pay the costs for the 
beginning of the memorial's planning; and now, our new President George 
W. Bush, who has endorsed the construction of this memorial.
  President Clinton stood with us as we dedicated the ground. I am sure 
President George W. Bush will be there when the memorial is finally 
constructed.
  I want to thank the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs, Anthony Principi, 
for the good words that he spoke this morning in support of this 
memorial.
  So as we think about the importance of this place in American 
history, let us remember the significance of what these greatest 
Americans, this greatest generation of Americans, did for the freedom 
of humankind. Let us build this memorial in a timely way as the 21st 
century's way of saying thank you to the 20th century and its 
champions.
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all the Members of the House and the 
Senate that supported us; but I want to single out a few for special 
thanks: the chairmen, my two good friends, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Hansen) of the Committee on Resources, and the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and also 
their ranking members, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) of the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the gentleman from West Virginia 
(Mr. Rahall) of the Committee on Resources.
  I would also like to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), 
who began this effort some 12 years ago or more, and she still remains 
a steadfast champion of the World War II veterans. And I appreciate her 
support very much.
  On behalf of the House, I would like to extend our thanks and 
appreciation to Senators Lott and Daschle for moving this through the 
Senate so expeditiously, and also single out Senators Hutchinson, 
Thompson, Stevens, and Murkowski for their help on this bill.
  I would also like to express my appreciation to the following 
organizations, which sent in letters of support on H.R. 1696, they are: 
The American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US; Disabled 
American Veterans; Paralyzed Veterans of America; AMVETS; The Retired 
Officers Association; Non Commissioned Officers Association; Marine 
Corps Reserve Officers' Association; Blinded Veterans Association; 
Military Order of the Purple Heart; Jewish War Veterans of the USA; 
Association of the United States Army; Fleet Reserve Association; 
Veterans' Widows International Network, Inc.; National Association for 
Uniformed Services, and the Enlisted Association of the National Guard 
of the US.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank members of the American Battle 
Monuments Commission for their professionalism and dedication to 
building a memorial that will do justice to our Nation's veterans and 
our desire to honor those who participated in World War II.
  I am absolutely certain that the American Battle Monuments Commission 
will produce a memorial that all Americans can take pride in for 
generations to come.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
H.R. 1696, as amended, a bill that would expedite construction of the 
world War II Memorial in the District of Columbia. This memorial for 
the most significant event of the twentieth century is already long 
overdue, but today Congress is taking action to remove the roadblocks 
holding up construction of the memorial.
  I commend our Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle for 
expeditiously taking up H.R. 1696 after House passage on May 15, 2001, 
and for the thoughtful dialogue that led to the compromise language in 
the Senate amendment to the bill. I believe that we now have 
legislation that accomplishes the objectives we sought: to establish 
definitely that the memorial's location will remain the Rainbow Pool 
between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial; that the 
overall design already selected will be what is built; and that any 
pending lawsuits will be rendered moot.
  Again, I salute the leadership of my distinguished colleague, Bob 
Stump, in introducing H.R. 1696, managing its House passage, and 
negotiating with the Senate on an amendment acceptable to both bodies. 
I associate myself with his remarks in their substance and in 
recognizing the contributions of many Members to this legislation.
  President Bush's expression of support on May 16, 2001 for moving 
quickly to begin construction of the memorial gave our legislation a 
real boost and was much appreciated. He has made it clear he will sign 
this bill. And with Memorial Day approaching, how could we do less than 
ensure that our World War II veterans will be honored on this prominent 
site on the Mall?
  Mr. Speaker, the extraordinary action Congress is taking here is not 
the sort of thing we should do often, but I am convinced that in this 
instance it is appropriate and necessary. I hope it will serve as a 
reminder that the patience of Congress and the American people is not 
endless, and that the agencies and commissions of government are 
constitutionally accountable to Congress as well as the courts.
  The bill would allow the normal and necessary administrative 
decisions to be made in carrying out the design as memorial 
construction proceeds. However, I think it is obvious that Congress 
will not lose its keen interest in the progress of the memorial once 
this legislation is enacted into law.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senate having approved the compromise bill by 
unanimous consent, I urge every Member of the House to join in 
supporting our World War II veterans by giving favorable consideration 
to H.R. 1696, as amended.
  Mr. STUMP. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H2396]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) that the 
House suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, 
H.R. 1696.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was 
concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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