[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 133 (Friday, September 9, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5477-S5478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
By Mr. INOUYE (for himself, Mr. Schumer, and Mrs. Gillibrand):
S. 1537. A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to accept
from the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial and
Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc., the donation of
title to The National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World
Trade Center, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources.
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, on the morning of September 11, 2001,
nearly 3,000 people who would lose their lives in the most horrific
attack on America since the bombing of Pearl Harbor began their day
like it was any other.
Many got dressed and headed for work. Others packed their bags and
went to the airport. All would leave their loved ones that morning
believing they would be home soon to continue the lives they worked so
hard to create.
Instead these innocents were murdered by terrorists at the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, PA. This
despicable act forever changed our great nation and the world. Families
were shattered, a war began, and the relative peace and security we
enjoyed was ripped away.
I recently toured the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan and
although the rubble has been cleared and great structures are rising
from the earth, there is a solemn air that permeates the place.
Despite the bustling crews and the towering cranes stacking metal and
shaping the new towers it is still the spot where husbands, wives,
fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers died in fiery fashion.
Being there reminded me of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the
formative years that followed.
I was a boy of 17 when I heard the announcer shout over the radio
that Japanese planes were attacking Pearl Harbor. I remember running
outside with my father to see the bright red suns painted on the wings
of the Zeroes as they raced toward their target amid black puffs of
anti-aircraft fire.
I knew at that moment that my country and my life would never be the
same. Six decades later that moment came again when I watched passenger
jets crash into the side of the World Trade Center.
After Pearl Harbor I put on the uniform and went off to fight for
this country as did thousands of my brave brothers from the Greatest
Generation. Our nation was shocked into action by the events of
December 7, 1941 and a generation of Americans fought and died to shape
the new world that came after the bombs fell.
America was awakened in similar fashion on the morning of September
11, 2001 and 10 years later we are still fighting and dying to create a
future better than the one we lost that day.
Today, next to the new towers at the World Trade Center site, is the
National September 11 Memorial and Museum at Ground Zero. It is a
magnificent structure. Two waterfall rimmed pools, situated in the
original foot prints of the fallen towers, sit side by side. The names
of the fallen are engraved in panels that form a railing around each
pool.
It is a fitting memorial for those who died but we must honor their
memory by telling their story and educating the world about what
happened on September 11, 2001.
Yes, it was America that was attacked, but the world changed forever
that day and this memorial and museum is much more than a collection of
artifacts, it is a symbol of America reborn and a reminder that the
world order is always changing.
Today, I rise to introduce a bill that will allow the United States,
through the Secretary of the Interior, to take ownership of the lands,
the Memorial and the Museum, after the appropriate approvals are
secured from the Governor of the State of New York, the Governor of the
State of New Jersey, and the Mayor of New York City.
The Department of the Interior will enter into a cooperative
agreement with the Board of the non-profit National September 11
Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center, Inc., which may provide
technical and financial assistance to the Memorial and Museum relating
to its operations and maintenance.
The legislation would authorize appropriations of $20 million in
fiscal year 2013, the first full fiscal year after which the Museum is
scheduled to open to the public, and in subsequent years.
All funds appropriated must be matched by non-Federal sources, such
as admission fees, gifts and fundraising, with the resulting Federal
share being about 33 percent or less of the overall budget of the
Memorial and Museum.
It is our duty to help perpetuate this seminal moment in American
history.
Let us take responsibility for preserving our past and driving our
future by honoring the fallen and their families with this lasting
tribute.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1537
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 September 11
Memorial and Museum Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) on September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked
and our world was changed forever when terrorists murdered
nearly 3,000 innocent people at the World Trade Center, at
the Pentagon, and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in
the largest terrorist attack ever committed in the United
States;
(2) millions of people from every State and every country
have visited Ground Zero to pay their respects;
(3) established in 2003, the National September 11 Memorial
and Museum at the World Trade Center Foundation, Inc., a
nonprofit organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, has been dedicated to raising
funds for and overseeing the design, construction, and
operation of the Memorial and Museum at the World Trade
Center site;
(4) the Memorial will ensure that future generations never
forget the thousands of people who were killed by the
terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001, in New York,
Pennsylvania, and Virginia as well as those who died in the
terrorist bombing at the World Trade Center on February 26,
1993;
[[Page S5478]]
(5) the Memorial--
(A) will further recognize the thousands who survived the
terrorist attacks and all who demonstrated extraordinary
compassion in the aftermath;
(B) will ensure, through educational programs, that the
history of September 11, 2011, and the implications of that
day, continue to be told, especially to the youth of the
United States; and
(C) will be a resource to the more than 600 September 11
Memorials being established throughout the United States;
(6) the Memorial is scheduled to open on the 10th
anniversary of the terrorist attacks, while the Museum is
scheduled to open in 2012;
(7) it is projected that the Memorial will be one of the
most visited venues in the United States, with millions of
visitors each year, reflecting the enormous impact the
terrorist attacks had on the United States and the world;
(8) throughout the history of the United States, Congress
has stepped forward to authorize operating funds, in public
and private partnership with private donors, for memorials
and museums of national significance;
(9) the Memorial is a true public and private partnership,
recognized as a public charity under the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986; and
(10) of the funds raised for the Memorial and Museum--
(A) nearly 60 percent have come from over 300,000 private
donations; and
(B) 40 percent have come from public sources.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to promote the
purposes of the Memorial, including--
(1) remembering and honoring the thousands of innocent men,
women, and children murdered by terrorists in the horrific
attacks of February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001;
(2) respecting the site made sacred through tragic loss;
(3) recognizing--
(A) the endurance of the individuals who survived the
terrorist attacks;
(B) the courage of the individuals who risked their lives
to save others; and
(C) the compassion of the individuals who supported the
people of the United States in our darkest hours;
(4) ensuring, through educational programs, that the
history of September 11, 2001, and the implications of that
day continue to be told, especially to the youth of the
United States; and
(5) ensuring that the Memorial will be a resource to the
more than 600 September 11 Memorials being established
throughout the United States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the Board of Directors
of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World
Trade Center Foundation, Inc.
(2) Memorial.--The term ``Memorial'' means The National
September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center in
New York City, New York.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 4. DONATION OF MEMORIAL.
(a) In General.--The Secretary may accept from the Board
the donation of title to the Memorial, subject to--
(1) any terms and conditions that the Secretary and the
Board may mutually agree to;
(2) the approval of the donation by the Governor of the
State of New York, the Governor of the State of New Jersey,
and the Mayor of the City of New York; and
(3) the requirement that title to the Memorial be in a form
satisfactory to the Secretary.
(b) Technical and Financial Assistance.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may provide technical and
financial assistance to the Board relating to the operation
of the Memorial.
(2) Consultation.--The Secretary may consult with, and seek
technical assistance from, the Secretary of Defense,
Secretary of Education, Secretary of Homeland Security,
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and Administrator
of General Services in providing assistance to the Board
under paragraph (1).
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
Act not more than $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2013 and each
fiscal year thereafter, subject to the requirement that any
funds appropriated to carry out this Act shall be matched
with funds from non-Federal sources.
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