[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 92 (Tuesday, June 5, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H4758-H4759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      FREE VETERANS FROM FEES ACT

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 3997) to waive the application fee for any special use 
permit for veterans demonstrations and special events at war memorials 
on Federal land, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3997

       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 ``Free Veterans from Fees 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. WAIVER OF SPECIAL USE PERMIT APPLICATION FEE FOR 
                   VETERANS DEMONSTRATIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS.

       (a) Waiver.--The application fee for any special use permit 
     solely for a veterans demonstration or special event at war 
     memorials on Federal land shall be waived.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Demonstration; special event.--The terms 
     ``demonstration'' and ``special event'' have the meaning 
     given those terms in section 7.96 of title 36, Code of 
     Federal Regulations.
       (2) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given 
     that term in section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code.
       (3) Veterans demonstration or special event.--The term 
     ``veterans demonstration or special event'' means a 
     demonstration or special event whose primary purpose is to 
     commemorate, or honor either a group of people because of 
     their service as veterans or immediate family members of 
     veterans.
       (4) War memorial.--The term ``war memorial'' means any 
     tangible object which has been erected or dedicated to 
     commemorate--
       (A) war, conflict, victory, or peace;
       (B) casualties who served in, were affected by, or killed 
     as a result of war, conflict, or peacekeeping; or
       (C) those who died as a result of accident or disease while 
     engaged in military service.
       (c) Applicability.--This section shall apply to any special 
     use permit application submitted after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act.
       (d) Applicability of Existing Laws.--Permit applicants 
     remain subject to all other laws, regulations, and policies 
     regarding the application, issuance and execution of special 
     use permits for a veterans demonstration or special event at 
     war memorials on Federal land.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Bishop) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days 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 Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus), the author of 
this particular piece of legislation.
  Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. I also 
thank the chairman, as well as members on the Subcommittee on Federal 
Lands, especially Chairman  Tom McClintock, for their unanimous support 
of my bipartisan bill, the Free Veterans from Fees Act. I would also 
like to thank my colleague, the Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi 
Gabbard, in co-leading this bipartisan effort.
  Throughout the year, veteran groups visit our national war memorials 
to take part in honor buses and honor flights and other commemorations 
that require special use permits issued by the National Park Service. 
The permit application requires, without exception, that a fee be 
submitted along with the completed permit application. Specifically, 
here in our Nation's Capital, The National Mall charges $120 for public 
gatherings and special events. The Free Veterans from Fees Act would 
waive the application fee associated with special use permits for any 
veteran demonstration or special event at war memorials on Federal 
land.
  We have a solemn obligation to stand with our veterans. They stood 
for us. We must stand for them. This simple bill is about fostering a 
culture in which all veterans are valued for their service and 
sacrifice to our country. The least we can do is to make it easier for 
groups of veterans and their families to visit national war memorials 
so they can honor the contributions of our men and women in uniform.
  I have the privilege of serving the many military members and 
veterans who live and work in western Pennsylvania. Many of these 
veterans come together to help their fellow veterans and their families 
by pooling their time, energy, and financial resources to organize bus 
trips.
  In fact, a recent trip from western Pennsylvania happened just this 
past month. I had the privilege to welcome these veterans and their 
families to the World War II Memorial here in Washington, D.C. This 
honor bus was organized by a remarkable couple, Jerry and Lydian Fisher 
of Beaver County, who have a heart for service and a real commitment 
and devotion to these trips since 2006.
  Veterans want to help each other, and this is proof. I consider it a 
privilege to meet the men and women whom Jerry and Lydian bring to 
Washington. On the most recent trip, we even welcomed a 100-year-old 
World War II veteran, Charles Wiggins from Wilkinsburg.
  The men and women who are willing to die for this country should be 
given every opportunity to commemorate their service, the sacrifices of 
their fellow servicemembers, and the hardships faced by those left 
behind. Assessing fees from the very people these memorials were built 
to honor is unacceptable and unnecessary.
  Our veterans were willing to stop at nothing to defend our Nation. 
We, as a nation, should stop at nothing to ensure our obligation to 
honor them is fulfilled. Our veterans deserve this legislation. It is 
just one more simple step to honor them.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3997 waives the special use permit application fees 
for veterans' demonstrations and special events at national war 
memorials.
  I agree with my colleague. It is time that we recognize that our 
veterans deserve to be able to use this holy land for special events at 
national war memorials. This is a commonsense bill that will make it 
easier for veterans' groups to organize events at national memorials 
and other public lands.
  I thank Mr. Bishop from the majority for helping us work to ensure 
that the bill covers Gold Star families. I thank him very much for 
that.
  I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, this is a very good piece of 
legislation.
  For those who have served well, to subject them to another 
application fee is just ridiculous. If there was ever an example of a 
good idea, a no-brainer piece of legislation, this is it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume 
to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Gabbard).
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, our veterans, our servicemembers, and their 
families sacrificed greatly in service to our country, with some paying 
the ultimate price, sacrificing all.
  For those who do come home, there are often visible and invisible 
wounds that they carry with them for a very long time--if not for the 
rest of their

[[Page H4759]]

lives. It is our solemn responsibility as a country to stand by them, 
to ensure that they receive the care and the services and the respect 
that they have earned and that they deserve through their service.
  So the fact that, today, a veteran or a Gold Star family member who 
wants to use a national war memorial for a special event--whether it is 
a vigil, a religious service, a parade, or any other kind of event--is 
slapped with an application fee by the National Park Service costing 
anywhere from $70 to over $100 is, frankly, unacceptable.
  Our war memorials are often a place of healing, a place where our 
brothers and sisters in uniform, our fellow veterans, gather to 
remember those whom they served with who never made that trip home, for 
Gold Star family members to go and pay homage to and share new memories 
with their loved one that has been lost. This is a gathering place that 
is so important both for those who have served and those who remember 
and honor those who have sacrificed everything. It is unacceptable that 
our Nation's heroes have to pay a fee to honor our fallen brothers and 
sisters in this way. This legislation is necessary, and we have the 
opportunity to get it passed today.
  I appreciate the leadership of my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Rothfus), someone who I know personally is deeply committed to serving 
and honoring our veterans and never forgetting the cost of war and who 
pays the price.
  We introduced this legislation to waive the application fee for 
veterans and Gold Star families applying for a permit at war memorials 
on Federal land because this legislation honors the special bond 
between veterans that spans across conflicts and generations that we 
see displayed in this country, most prominently on Veterans Day and 
Memorial Day, but something that goes on throughout the year. We must 
continue to honor this into the future.
  This simple change in this legislation will lift this financial and 
bureaucratic burden that our veterans face as they pay their respects, 
remember the lives and sacrifices of their friends, and our Gold Star 
family members of their loved ones.
  I want to thank the men and women of the National Park Service who 
work to make sure that our war memorials are kept up and reflective 
places for healing, and I thank my colleague for his leadership and the 
support of the committee to bring this bill to the floor today. I urge 
my colleagues to support its passage.
  Mr. BISHOP of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, we have no more speakers, but may I add 
that I agree with what Ms. Gabbard said. It is unnecessary to bill any 
kind of fee to our veterans or the organizations that honor them.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3997, 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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