[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 181 (Tuesday, November 7, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8554-H8556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM ACT

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1900) to designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in 
Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1900

       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 Veterans Memorial 
     and Museum Act''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM.

       (a) Designation.--Subject to the condition described in 
     subsection (b), the memorial and museum that is, as of the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, being constructed on an 
     approximately 7-acre area on West Broad Street, Columbus, 
     Ohio, bounded by the Scioto River and the Scioto Greenway, 
     shall be designated as the ``National Veterans Memorial and 
     Museum''.
       (b) Withdrawal of Designation.--The designation under 
     subsection (a) may be withdrawn no earlier than five years 
     after the date on which the museum opens the public, pursuant 
     to an Act of Congress, if the progress and operation of the 
     museum are found to be unsatisfactory based on the report 
     submitted under subsection (c).
       (c) Report to Congress.--
       (1) In general.--As a condition of the designation under 
     subsection (a), the director of the memorial and museum 
     described in that subsection shall submit to Congress a 
     report on the memorial and museum by not later than the date 
     specified in paragraph (2). Such report shall include each of 
     the following:
       (A) The projected budget for the memorial and museum for 
     the five-year period beginning on the date the memorial and 
     museum is expected to open to the public.
       (B) A description of the outreach conducted by the memorial 
     and museum to veterans across the United States to receive 
     input about the design and contents of the memorial and 
     museum.
       (C) A description of the process by which decisions are 
     made about the contents of the exhibits displayed at the 
     memorial and museum.
       (D) A description of the organizational structure of the 
     memorial and museum.
       (E) A copy of the bylaws and rules of the memorial and 
     museum.
       (F) A list of any organizations or entities that have 
     accredited the memorial and museum.
       (2) Deadline for report.--The date specified in this 
     paragraph is the earlier of the following dates:
       (A) The date that is 90 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.
       (B) The date that is 30 days before the date on which the 
     memorial and museum is first open to the public.
       (d) Effect of Designation.--The national memorial and 
     museum designated by subsection (a) is not a unit of the 
     National Park System, and the designation of the national 
     memorial and museum shall not be construed to require Federal 
     funds to be expended for any purpose related to the national 
     memorial and museum.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 1900, as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1900, as amended.
  H.R. 1900, as amended, would designate the Veterans Memorial and 
Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. 
The national designation is appropriate because this will be the only 
memorial and museum in the Nation that will honor our veterans 
throughout our Nation's history.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank our distinguished ranking member, Mr. Walz, of 
course, for working with the bill sponsor; and our chairman, Chairman 
Roe; and, of course, Mr. Stivers, who is the bill's sponsor; and me, to 
ensure that the Veterans Memorial and Museum will maintain the highest 
standards after it receives the national designation.
  H.R. 1900, as amended, will require the museum to provide a report to 
Congress that would include information on its organizational and 
financial projections.
  The bill specifically states that, after 5 years, if the memorial and 
museum is not operating satisfactorily, then Congress may withdraw the 
national designation. We hope that doesn't happen.
  Moreover, H.R. 1900, as amended, makes it clear that the museum and 
memorial is not affiliated with the National Park System, and that the 
bill does not authorize Federal funds for the museum.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting 
H.R. 1900, as amended, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the manager's amendment to H.R. 
1900, as amended, the National Veterans Memorial and Museum Act.
  I would also like to say that when I came to Congress, this is how I 
thought things were supposed to work: citizens

[[Page H8555]]

come together, they come up with a great idea, they decide that they 
are going to honor our Nation's veterans, they talk to their Members of 
Congress, they bring it here, we all work together, we come up with a 
plan to put it in place, and we come to the floor to pass a piece of 
legislation.

                              {time}  1515

  This is one of those times where that little cartoon, ``I am just a 
bill sitting on Capitol Hill,'' actually worked that way. For that, I 
am grateful for the work that has been done.
  I would especially like to thank Chairman Roe for his willingness, as 
we looked at this bill, to put some guardrails in place making sure 
that before we designate the memorial and museum to U.S. veterans of 
all eras, that it truly is the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
  The materials provided to Members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee 
clearly demonstrate the intent to create an architecturally stunning, 
state-of-the-art institution in the heart of the country that honors 
veterans and educates the country about those sacrifices. That is an 
incredibly noble cause.
  Just as important to the eventual success of this effort is the 
responsibility of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee to ensure that 
it be established and operated to the highest possible standards 
forever, as are the museums and cemeteries under its jurisdiction run 
by the National Cemetery Administration and the American Battle 
Monuments Commission. I feel the legislation we are voting on today 
does exactly that.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the efforts of the gentlewoman 
from Columbus, Ohio (Mrs. Beatty). I would also like to thank the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers) for working with us on this. The 
gentleman truly represents the best of what it means to be a 
representative. His good-faith effort to continue to improve on a piece 
of legislation, taking in the concerns that people had to make it work, 
it is, to me, incredibly encouraging. I thank the gentleman for that. 
His work is going to ensure that this is going to be a spectacular 
museum and monument to our Nation's veterans.
  Under the bill before us today, the museum will submit a report to 
Congress before it opens. The report will address the issues of budget, 
governance, operations, vision, and veteran outreach.
  There is a provision we are adding as part of the manager's amendment 
that allows Congress to remove that designation after 5 years. We will 
not need to do that. This will be a wonderful facility. We put this in 
place as part of our responsibility of oversight.
  With the addition of these provisions, I believe the committee has 
done its due diligence before recommending the House to confer this 
national designation.
  In addition, it has put in place the necessary guardrails to ensure 
that this will be built in Columbus, Ohio, to the highest standards. I 
am proud to say this will be the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the ranking member. We 
had a little issue in committee, but we didn't stall the bill. We 
worked that out and moved forward. So let's get the Senate to pass it 
now after we pass it today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Stivers), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. STIVERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for 
everything he is doing to lead this bill on the floor today. I would 
like to also thank the ranking member from Minnesota for his good-faith 
effort and his work. We worked in a collaborative way to address his 
concerns.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank my colleague from Columbus, 
Joyce Beatty; and my other colleague from Columbus, Pat Tiberi, for 
their work in a bipartisan fashion for making this bill better, helping 
this bill pass the House. I hope we can get it passed in the Senate 
here shortly as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak today in support of the bill that 
will designate the National Veterans Memorial and Museum being built in 
Columbus, Ohio, as America's National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
  The National Veterans Memorial and Museum will serve as a civic 
landmark to honor, connect, inspire, and educate all Americans about 
the service and sacrifice of our Nation's 22 million veterans. It will 
be the only public museum of its kind that exists for the exclusive 
role of sharing the experiences of veterans across all eras, conflicts, 
and branches of military service.
  You might ask: Why would we want to do this in Columbus, Ohio?
  Well, first and foremost, Ohio has the sixth largest veterans 
population in the United States, and it is easily accessible to almost 
anyone in the United States. We are within a 10-hour's drive of almost 
60 percent of the veterans in the United States.
  I believe that it is going to be a great opportunity to have not 
everything in Washington, D.C., but have it out in the rest of the 
country.
  Ohio is a great place of military history. Ohio was recently selected 
to be the future home of the United States Veterans Affairs National 
Archives in Dayton, and that will make sure that military records 
dating back to the Revolutionary War are kept there.
  Ohio is the birthplace of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and that is 
one of the earliest adopted veterans service organizations.
  This museum will also be, and is, supported by veterans service 
organizations around the country, and we want to thank them for that.
  A lot of veterans have worked hard to make that happen. For example, 
Colonel Tom Moe, a Vietnam veteran and a POW who flew 85 missions, is 
leading Veterans' Outreach for the National Veterans Memorial and 
Museum, and he is part of the Veterans' Advisory Committee working 
closely with the VSOs across the country to make sure this museum is 
truly a national reflection of veterans and their stories.
  Additionally, the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation is 
managing this project. They are a 501(c)(3) that will operate, fund, 
and manage the museum, led by a national board of directors, including 
veterans, veterans service organizations, and the families of America's 
veterans. This 501(c)(3)'s mission will remain focused on ensuring that 
the museum conveys the reverence owed to our veterans of yesterday and 
today, as well as tomorrow.

  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chairman 
Roe for his leadership in this legislation and allowing this to go 
through regular order through the Veterans' Affairs Committee. There 
were hearings. It was a collaborative process, and we worked to address 
some issues from the other side of the aisle. We worked in a good-faith 
effort.
  I think we came up with a good solution that ensures that this museum 
will have the highest standards and will be representative of the 
national designation in a way that we can all be proud of.
  I am convinced that both the minority and majority staff wanted to 
make this museum the greatest it can be, and I want to thank them for 
all their efforts.
  We were able to hear from VSOs testifying in support of this museum 
that included The American Legion, the VFW, the Paralyzed Veterans of 
America. I believe that through their testimony and our work, there was 
a lot of great information that was exchanged, and we are excited to 
move forward with the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
  One last point is that this museum was funded with private donations. 
It requires no Federal funding to open the doors. I believe that is 
another competitive advantage.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Roe, Ranking Member 
Walz, Chairman Bilirakis, the members of the Veterans' Affairs 
Committee, and, most importantly, my co-lead and colleague on this 
effort, Joyce Beatty and Pat Tiberi from Columbus.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his words. I 
appreciate his work.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. 
Beatty), a staunch and truly effective advocate for her constituents 
and for veterans across this Nation. This museum will reside in her 
district.

[[Page H8556]]

  

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, first let me say I certainly want to join 
my colleague, Congressman Steve Stivers, in thanking Congressman 
Bilirakis and Congressman Walz for all of their work in allowing us to 
make this possible to be here today.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise to offer my enthusiastic support 
for the National Veterans Memorial and Museum Act, H.R. 1900, 
designating it as a public museum for the exclusive purpose of sharing 
the experience and voices of veterans across all eras, conflicts, and 
branches of the military.
  As you have heard, it will be housed in my district, so I am 
especially pleased that it is being built in a partnership with private 
pay, a partnership with government, and a partnership that is blessed 
by the veterans of central Ohio and across the Nation.
  The museum concept was the brainchild of the Nation's good friend: 
World War II veteran, legendary astronaut, and former U.S. Senator from 
Ohio, John Glenn, who was a dear friend and one of my constituents. 
John also chaired the Veterans Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, if Senator Glenn were here today, he would share with us 
how this museum will honor, connect, inspire, and educate all Americans 
about the unified service and sacrifices of our Nation's more than 40 
million veterans.
  I salute this Congress and my community for recognizing the need for 
veterans of all eras to have a museum to collectively call their own.
  Mr. Speaker, I could not stand here without again thanking my 
colleague and veteran, Congressman Steve Stivers, for his relentless 
work, for his leadership, and his partnership throughout the 
development of this project.
  This project certainly shares with us what bipartisan work can do.
  Mr. Speaker, I also would like to thank Congressman Tiberi for 
joining us. I greatly appreciate and want to personally thank the 
leadership of Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz, and also the 
subcommittee leadership, because they expressed their concerns. We 
addressed the concerns in a very constructive way. That is what 
partnerships and leadership is all about. Because of their good work, 
it has strengthened the operations of the project and the viability of 
the project.
  H.R. 1900 has the support of The American Legion, the Paralyzed 
Veterans of America, and the VFW.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to support this legislation 
and to come to Columbus when it is open to see it in person and how it 
honors the stories and the sacrifices of our Nation's veterans.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Davidson).
  Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, as an Army veteran and former Army Ranger, I am proud to 
join Representative Stivers, Representative Beatty, and really the Ohio 
delegation in today's designation of the Veterans Memorial and Museum 
in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. I am 
thankful to all my colleagues and the work of the committee to do this 
not just as something for Ohio, but something for our Nation and for 
our Nation's veterans.
  This museum is squarely focused on telling the personal stories of 
those who have served, including those who have lost their lives 
serving our country. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum will be 
the only one of its kind that uses personal belongings, letters, and 
memories to bring the stories of our servicemembers and their families 
to life.
  In addition to world class interactive exhibits that will serve to 
educate the next generation about the value of military service, this 
project will also be connected to an online database featuring the 
collection.
  The National Veterans Memorial and Museum will also serve to honor 
our men and women in uniform by providing space for celebrations, and 
veterans ceremonies and reunions.
  Ohio has a proud history of honoring our Nation's veterans and 
supporting our current men and women in uniform. Ohio is home to 
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Museum of the United 
States Air Force, and was recently selected as the United States 
Veterans Affairs National Archives. It is fitting that Ohio should be 
the place for telling these stories.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the bipartisan support on this bill and I 
urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I thank everyone who spoke here. It is the way it is supposed to 
work. I am very excited about this.
  Mr. Speaker, I would encourage you to go and look. This is going to 
be spectacular. It is at nationalvmm.org, if you want to see where they 
are and the progress that is being made. We are going to be open here 
soon in the spring. I am going to take Mrs. Beatty up on this as a 
veteran myself.
  I think of the countless families and veterans who will take their 
children and walk through the halls and tell the story. This is an 
important piece of our history. It is important to tell the story and 
it is important for us to preserve these stories.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this piece of 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, again, we need to teach our children the 
value of military service so they can appreciate it. These are our true 
American heroes. I am looking forward to visiting Mrs. Beatty in 
Columbus.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mrs. Beatty and, of course, General 
Stivers for doing such a wonderful job in getting this bill done, and I 
also thank the ranking member.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1900, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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