[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 91 (Thursday, June 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4615. Mr. GRAHAM submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2017 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle E of title XXVIII, add the 
     following:

     SEC. 2853. CONGRESSIONAL DESIGNATION OF THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF 
                   HONOR MUSEUM.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Medal of Honor Museum will be the only museum in 
     the United States that exists for the exclusive purpose of 
     interpreting the story of the Medal of Honor and all of its 
     recipients.
       (2) The Medal of Honor Museum will be the only museum to 
     educate a diverse group of audiences through its collection 
     of artifacts, photographs, letters, documents, and first-hand 
     personal accounts of Medal of Honor recipients and the wars 
     they fought in during United States conflicts since the Civil 
     War.
       (3) The Medal of Honor Museum mission is--
       (A) to preserve and present the extraordinary stories of 
     individuals who reached the highest levels of recognition, 
     ``above and beyond the call of duty,'' in service to the 
     Nation;
       (B) to inspire current and future generations about the 
     ideals of the Medal of Honor six columns of character--
     Courage, Commitment, Integrity, Citizenship, Sacrifice, and 
     Patriotism;
       (C) to help visitors understand the meaning and price of 
     freedom and what it means to put service above self; and
       (D) to serve as an education center that, through various 
     programs, reaches out across the country to further the Medal 
     of Honor's ideals among all Americans, especially our 
     Nation's youth.
       (4) The Medal of Honor was established by an Act of 
     Congress in 1861 and is awarded in its name. The Medal of 
     Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an 
     enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving 
     in the Armed Forces of the United States and is generally 
     presented to its recipient by the President in the name of 
     Congress.
       (5) The total number of Medal of Honor recipients from the 
     Civil War through the current War on Terrorism is 3,495 (19 
     individuals are double recipients). Since World War II, the 
     vast majority of recipients from WWII, the Korean War, and 
     Vietnam have been awarded posthumously.
       (6) As of May 3, 2016, there are only 76 living Medal of 
     Honor recipients, whose average age is 77, creating an urgent 
     need to preserve the stories, artifacts, and heroic 
     achievements of these individuals.
       (7) The United States has a need to preserve forever the 
     stories, knowledge, and history of the 3,495 recipients of 
     the Medal of Honor to portray that history and the courage, 
     commitment, integrity, citizenship, sacrifice, and patriotism 
     of the recipients to citizens, visitors, and school children 
     for centuries to come.
       (8) Therefore, it is appropriate to designate The Medal of 
     Honor Museum as ``National Medal of Honor Museum''.
       (b) Designation of the National Medal of Honor Museum.--The 
     Medal of Honor Museum is hereby designated as ``The National 
     Medal of Honor Museum''.
       (c) Funding.--The amount authorized to be appropriated 
     under section 2403 for military construction, land 
     acquisition, and military family housing functions of the 
     Department of Defense (other than the military departments), 
     as specified in the finding table in section 4601, is 
     increased by $10,000,000, with the amount of such increase to 
     be allocated for planning and construction of the National 
     Medal of Honor Museum.
                                 ______