[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 32 (Thursday, February 27, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S2925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mr. Warner, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. 
        Lugar, and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 470. A bill to extend the authority for the construction of a 
memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I am pleased to join today with Senators 
Warner, Lugar, Mikulski and Durbin in introducing legislation that 
would extend the legislative authority for the Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Memorial for an additional three years. The monument to Martin Luther 
King, Jr., which will be built on the Mall, will honor one of this 
Nation's most treasured citizens. Dr. King challenged us to live by the 
principles set forth at this Nation's inception, and forever changed 
the fabric of this country.
  Despite the enormous dedication of the Martin Luther King, Jr. 
National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., additional time is 
necessary for the Foundation to erect a fitting tribute to Dr. King. 
The Commemorative Works Act currently requires that construction of the 
Memorial begin by November 2003. However, meeting the administrative 
procedures and fundraising requirements of the Act has been a very slow 
process.
  On November 12, 1996, legislation was enacted authorizing 
construction of the Memorial within a seven-year period. It then took 
Congress another two years to pass legislation authorizing placement of 
the Memorial in Area I of the Capital. Then the Foundation worked with 
the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission for Fine 
Arts for over a year to locate an appropriate site for the Memorial 
within Area I. As a result, the Foundation was unable to select a 
design for the Memorial until September 2000.
  This consultative process has been challenging, but it has resulted 
in a design for a Memorial on the Tidal Basin that will fittingly 
reflect the legacy of the greatest civil rights leader of our time. 
Initial estimates indicate that the construction costs of the Memorial 
alone could be as much as $60 million, and the Foundation is actively 
engaged in fundraising for the Memorial. However, it does not expect to 
have the necessary funds to receive the construction permit by the 
deadline of November 2003 as dictated by the Commemorative Works Act. 
One hundred percent of the funding must be privately financed, and the 
total cost of the project could near $100 million. Our legislation 
would give the Foundation an additional three years to raise the 
necessary funds to obtain the construction permit, and would ensure 
that work on the Memorial is completed. This extension of legislative 
authority has been done before for other memorials, given the length of 
time it usually takes to embark on a project of this magnitude, and it 
should be done for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.
  Dr. King serves as a reminder that change is brought about most 
powerfully when it is done by non-violent means. This country owes much 
to Dr. King, most notably his legacy of non-violent protest that has 
informed and influenced subsequent rights campaigns in our nation. 
Visitors will come to the Memorial from every part of this country and 
indeed the world, to be inspired anew by Dr. King's words and deeds, 
and the extraordinary story of his life. Mr. President, I ask my 
colleagues to support this important legislation and grant the 
Foundation the additional time it needs to complete this significant 
monument.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the legislation be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 470

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. MEMORIAL TO MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

       Section 508(b) of the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands 
     Management Act of 1996 (110 Stat. 4157) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``The establishment'' and all that follows 
     through the period at the end and inserting the following:
       ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
     establishment of the memorial shall be in accordance with 
     chapter 89 of title 40, United States Code.''; and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as designated by 
     paragraph (1)) the following:
       ``(2) Exception.--Notwithstanding section 8903(e) of title 
     40, United States Code, the authority provided by this 
     section terminates on November 12, 2006.''.
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