[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 124 (Thursday, September 28, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H7737-H7738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         WOODROW WILSON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 4846) to authorize a grant for contributions toward the 
establishment of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4846

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

     SECTION 1. GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WOODROW WILSON 
                   PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY.

       (a) Grants Authorized.--Subject to subsections (b), (c), 
     and (d), the Archivist of the National Archives and Records 
     Administration may make grants to contribute funds for the 
     establishment in Staunton, Virginia, of a library to preserve 
     and make available materials related to the life of President 
     Woodrow Wilson and to provide interpretive and educational 
     services that communicate the meaning of the life of Woodrow 
     Wilson.
       (b) Limitation.--A grant may be made under subsection (a) 
     only from funds appropriated to the Archivist specifically 
     for that purpose.
       (c) Conditions on Grants.--
       (1) Matching requirement.--A grant under subsection (a) may 
     not be made until such time as the entity selected to receive 
     the grant certifies to the Archivist that funds have been 
     raised from non-Federal sources for use to establish the 
     library in an amount equal to at least double the amount of 
     the grant.
       (2) Relation to other woodrow wilson sites and museums.--
     The Archivist shall further condition a grant under 
     subsection (a) on the agreement of the grant recipient to 
     operate the resulting library in cooperation with other 
     Federal and non-Federal historic sites, parks, and museums 
     that represent significant locations or events in the life of 
     Woodrow Wilson. Cooperative efforts to promote and interpret 
     the life of Woodrow Wilson may include the use of cooperative 
     agreements, cross references, cross promotion, and shared 
     exhibits.
       (d) Prohibition of Contribution of Operating Funds.--Grant 
     amounts may not be used for the maintenance or operation of 
     the library.
       (e) Non-Federal Operation.--The Archivist shall have no 
     involvement in the actual operation of the library, except at 
     the request of the non-Federal entity responsible for the 
     operation of the library.
       (f) Authority Through Fiscal Year 2011.--The Archivist may 
     not use the authority provided under subsection (a) after 
     September 30, 2011.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  Woodrow Wilson was this Nation's 28th President, and today I rise in 
support of a bill that honors his life and his legacy.
  As both a statesman and a scholar, President Wilson was a champion of 
democracy and freedom. He was a fierce advocate of using diplomacy as a 
tool for foreign policy, and when he led America to fight against 
Germany in World War I, he did so saying, ``The world must be safe for 
democracy.''
  H.R. 4846, as amended, will enable the construction of a Presidential 
Library and Museum at President Wilson's birthplace in Staunton, 
Virginia. This facility would provide educational services honoring the 
ideals and beliefs President Wilson promoted throughout

[[Page H7738]]

his life, and I urge all Members to join me in supporting it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would yield myself such time as 
I might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill creates, for the first time, a matching grant 
program administered by the National Archives for the construction of a 
private Presidential library. I am pleased that the Woodrow Wilson 
Library Foundation is expanding, and I hope it can develop into a vital 
research center.
  While I fully support the private Presidential libraries and will not 
oppose this bill, I do, however, want to raise two concerns about this 
method of funding these libraries.
  First, I want us to be clear that we are not establishing a precedent 
here. Private Presidential libraries have always sought funds from 
private donors and have been successful in doing so. I do not want 
passage of this bill to encourage them to turn away from these sources 
of funding in favor of the Federal Government. The Federal Government 
simply does not have the resources to support all private Presidential 
libraries.
  Secondly, I have been concerned that this grant would cut into the 
operating funds of the Archives. The National Archives is the Nation's 
depository of all valuable and preserved documents and materials 
created in the course of business conducted by the Federal Government. 
This is a huge responsibility that must be met with its limited budget.
  The bill before us is different from the introduced version, and I 
want to thank the sponsors of the bill for revising the bill to give 
the Archivist discretion regarding the provision of the grant. This 
provision ensures that any grant made to the Woodrow Wilson Library 
Foundation does not jeopardize any of the Archives' important work 
because it ensures that any grant to the library must be from funds 
appropriated specifically for that purpose.
  Mr. Speaker, with these expressions of concerns and provisions, I 
would support this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from the Commonwealth of Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).
  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4846, the 
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Authorization Act, which will 
authorize grants from the National Archives for the establishment of a 
Presidential library to provide educational and interpretive service to 
honor the life of Woodrow Wilson.
  As a statesman, scholar and President, Woodrow Wilson faced economic 
crisis, democratic decay, and a world war. Presidential historians 
agree that World War I and President Wilson's leadership radically 
altered the role of diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy, a policy 
that established a new path for America's role in promoting democracies 
throughout the world. So, too, did Wilson's high-minded ideals craft a 
legacy that shaped the powers and responsibilities of the executive 
branch in times of war.
  Mr. Speaker, as a professor and President of Princeton University, 
Wilson created a more selective and accountable system for higher 
education. By instituting curriculum reform, Wilson revolutionized the 
roles of teachers and students and quickly made Princeton one of the 
most renowned universities in the world.
  Due to Wilson's legacy at Princeton, I am pleased to have the support 
of the current Princeton President, Shirley Tilghman, as we establish 
this library.
  H.R. 4846 gives the National Archives the authority to make pass-
through grants for the establishment of a Presidential library in 
Staunton, Virginia, Woodrow Wilson's birthplace, and does not create a 
new program.
  In addition, to ensure that a public-private partnership exits, this 
legislation mandates that no grant shall be available for the 
establishment of this library until a private entity has raised at 
least twice the amount to be allocated by the archives.
  Quite frankly, more Federal public-private programs should operate in 
this manner.
  Finally, and to ensure that the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library 
is not part of the Presidential library's system, this legislation 
states that the Federal Government shall have no role or responsibility 
for the ongoing operation of the library.
  I am also pleased to have the support of several other Presidential 
sites throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, known as the Birthplace 
of Presidents, including Monticello, Poplar Forest, Montpelier, Ash-
Lawn, and Mount Vernon.
  Mr. Speaker, in order to increase the awareness and understanding of 
the life and principles and accomplishments of the 28th President of 
the United States, I ask that you join me in voting for this 
legislation in the 150th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson's birth year.
  I would also like to thank the Woodrow Wilson Library Foundation for 
their help in this cause, including Eric Vettel, Don Wilson, honorary 
officers, board members, and trustees. I want to thank House leadership 
for scheduling this bill today, cosponsors, which includes the entire 
Virginia delegation and the staff of the Government Reform Committee 
and the Office of Legislative Counsel for their assistance in crafting 
this bill.
  Mr. GOODE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4846, which 
authorizes a grant for contributions toward the establishment of the 
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in Staunton, Virginia.
  Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia on December 28, 
1856. He later lived in Charlottesville, Virginia while studying law at 
the University of Virginia. When elected President of the United States 
in 1912, Wilson became the eighth person born in Virginia to ascend to 
the Presidency, more than any other state in the nation.
  As President, Wilson promoted numerous social and economic reforms 
including the Federal Reserve Act of 1913.
  H.R. 4846 authorizes a matching grant program to establish the Wilson 
Library at the President's birthplace in Staunton. I have had the 
pleasure of visiting the museum there on many occasions and my nephew, 
Brett, especially enjoyed seeing the fully restored Pierce-Arrow 
limousine that was used to transport President Wilson from New York to 
Washington upon his return from France in 1919 after negotiating the 
Treaty of Versailles.
  I commend the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Goodlatte, for this 
legislation and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4846.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the 
passage of H.R. 4846, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4846, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
authorize grants for contributions toward the establishment of the 
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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