[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 21, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6856-S6857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CAMPBELL:
  S. 1092. A bill to authorize the establishment of a national database 
for purposes of identifying, locating, and cataloging the many 
memorials and permanent tributes to America's veterans; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

[[Page S6857]]

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation, the 
National War Permanent Tribute Historical Database Act, which would 
establish a permanent database to catalogue, identify, and locate the 
thousands of permanent veterans' memorials on public land.
  Right now, an individual can go online and access a network of all 
railway mainlines, railroad yards, and major sidings in the continental 
U.S. through the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. If someone wants 
to search all scenic byways--by location or keyword--he or she can 
easily access this database through the Federal Highway Administration. 
Through the National Park Service, one can access the inventory of 
historic light stations and publicly accessible lighthouses.
  But if one of my constituents, a veteran, or a young person working 
on a school project, wants to access a comprehensive list of veterans' 
memorials, they can't.
  Currently, there is no central catalogue of information on structures 
commemorating an individual or group in the Armed Forces available to 
the public--maintained either by the Federal Government or by a non-
governmental entity. Unfortunately, many of these structures are in a 
terrible state of disrepair and rest in unknown storage facilities 
around the country. Through the Department of Veterans' Affairs, an 
individual can look up a list of all State cemeteries and their contact 
information. But, as I understand it, that's the extent of the 
database. And that's simply not enough.
  Admittedly, I am not an expert on navigating through the Internet, 
but I know that many of my constituents are. The ultimate purpose of 
this bill is to compile and classify the myriad of information that 
exists and make it available for anyone to access. Even those not 
proficient on a computer will benefit from a standardized database, 
because hopefully it will be operative from a number of means.
  In fact, under my bill, this database would be established by the 
Department of the Interior with the assistance of other agencies, non-
profits, tribal governments, and any other entities the Secretary of 
the Interior deem appropriate. Since the Department of the Interior 
already maintains several databases, I believe it already has the 
infrastructure and the proven capability to maintain a catalogue of 
veterans' memorials. The Secretary would also have to report back to 
Congress three years after enactment to assess the feasibility of 
establishing a permanent fund to repair, maintain, and restore 
memorials that need help.
  Several years ago, Congress passed a law which expressed the need for 
cataloguing and maintaining these public veterans' memorials. When 
similar legislation, upon which this bill is based, was reported 
favorably out of the House Committee on Resources last Congress, staff 
from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that enacting this bill 
would not have a significant impact on the budgets of State, local, or 
tribal governments. It would also not preempt authority of State, 
local, or tribal law. Let's work together to get this common-sense, low 
cost effort off the ground and working for the millions of people who 
have so courageously defended our freedom.
  I have said this before, but I truly believe that veterans' memorials 
often serve as the only tangible reminders we have of their service to 
this country. Not only have we lost many of these brave men and women 
during conflict, we are losing thousands of them forever, each year, as 
the veteran population ages. A common-sense first step to making sure 
that the sites and structures honoring them are properly maintained is 
also making sure we know where each of them is. Future generations 
depend on it.
  Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed another veterans' bill 
of mine, the Veterans' Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act of 
2003, which is on its way to the President's desk. This bill, S. 330, 
would make a Federal crime, the destruction of veterans' memorials and 
would permit guide signs to veterans' cemeteries on Federal-aid 
highways. I cannot think of a better way to make this law more 
effective than to have a national database to identify these veterans' 
memorials.
  Having said that, it is my hope that we can work swiftly together to 
move this legislation introduced today. This weekend, we will be 
commemorating our veterans with festive celebrations and somber vigils. 
Let us honor what they have done to preserve our freedom by protecting 
and recognizing the sites which commemorate them.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1092

       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 War Permanent 
     Tribute Historical Database Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) on November 13, 2000, Congress agreed to a resolution 
     expressing the sense of Congress regarding the need for 
     cataloging and maintaining public memorials;
       (2) there are many thousands of public memorials and 
     permanent tributes throughout the United States and abroad 
     that commemorate military conflicts of the United States and 
     the service of individuals in the Armed Forces;
       (3) many of these memorials suffer from neglect and 
     disrepair, and many have been relocated or stored in 
     facilities where the memorials are unavailable to the public 
     and subject to further neglect and damage; and
       (4) there exists a need to collect and centralize 
     information regarding the identification, location, and 
     description of these memorials, as no such catalog is 
     available to the public from either the Federal Government or 
     any nongovernmental entity.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF DATABASE.

       (a) Establishment.--In order to locate, identify, and 
     catalog the many thousands of permanent tributes that 
     commemorate the military conflicts of the United States, and 
     the service and sacrifice of individuals in the Armed Forces 
     of the United States, and to make such information readily 
     available for the educational benefit of the public, the 
     Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary 
     of Veterans Affairs, may establish and maintain a database 
     known as the National War Permanent Tribute Historical 
     Database.
       (b) Content.--The database shall contain information on--
       (1) the location, history, and background of the permanent 
     tributes;
       (2) photographs and other information to enhance the 
     understanding of the permanent tributes;
       (3) information about the veterans in whose honor the 
     permanent tributes are dedicated; and
       (4) any other information the Secretary considers 
     appropriate and necessary.
       (c) Public Access.--The database shall be made accessible 
     to the public, through the Internet or by other means, in a 
     format that permits the public to submit information on 
     permanent tributes for the purpose of updating and expanding 
     the database.
       (d) Assistance.--The Secretary of the Interior may seek the 
     assistance of other Federal agencies and the States and their 
     political subdivisions, tribal governments, public or private 
     educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and 
     individuals or other entities that the Secretary considers 
     appropriate in carrying out this Act, and may enter into 
     contracts and cooperative agreements to obtain information or 
     services that assist in the development and implementation of 
     the database.
       (e) Definition.--As used in this section, the term 
     ``permanent tribute'' means any statue, structure, or other 
     monument on public property commemorating the service of any 
     person or persons in the Armed Forces.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
     the Interior such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
     Act.

     SEC. 5. REPORT.

       Within 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Secretary of the Interior shall transmit to Congress a report 
     assessing the efficacy and desirability of establishing a 
     permanent fund within the Treasury for the repair, 
     restoration, and maintenance of the memorials identified and 
     catalogued under section 3. The report shall include 
     recommended criteria regarding appropriate recipients of 
     expenditures from such a fund as well as proposed funding 
     mechanisms and any other information considered by the 
     Secretary to be relevant.
                                 ______