[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8136-H8139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           9/11 MEMORIAL ACT

  Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 6287) to provide competitive grants for the operation, 
security, and maintenance of certain memorials to victims of the 
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6287

       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 ``9/11 Memorial Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Covered memorial.--The term ``covered memorial'' means 
     a memorial located in the United States established to 
     commemorate the events of, and honor the victims of, the 
     terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, 
     and United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, at the 
     site of the attacks.
       (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means 
     the official organization, as in existence on the date of 
     enactment of this Act--
       (A) the focus of which is the operations and preservation 
     of a covered memorial; and
       (B) which is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) 
     of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 
     under 501(a) of that Code.
       (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of the Interior.

     SEC. 3. COMPETITIVE GRANTS FOR COVERED MEMORIALS.

       (a) In General.--Subject to the availability of 
     appropriations, the Secretary shall award to eligible 
     entities competitive grants of varying amounts, as determined 
     by the Secretary, to be used by the eligible entity solely 
     for the purposes described in subsection (b).
       (b) Purposes.--A grant awarded under subsection (a) shall 
     be used by an eligible entity for the operation, security, 
     and maintenance of a covered memorial.
       (c) Deadline for Award.--If the Secretary, after review of 
     an application from an eligible entity, determines to award a 
     grant to the eligible entity, the Secretary shall award the 
     grant not later than 60 days after the date of receipt of the 
     completed application.
       (d) Availability.--Grant funds made available under this 
     section shall remain available until expended.
       (e) Criteria.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
     Secretary shall give greatest weight in the selection of 
     eligible entities using the following criteria:
       (1) The needs of the eligible entity, and ability and 
     commitment of the eligible entity to use grant funds, with 
     respect to ensuring the security and safety of visitors of 
     the covered memorial.
       (2) The ability of the eligible entity to match the amount 
     of the grant, on at least a 1-to-1 basis, with non-Federal 
     assets from non-Federal sources, including cash or durable 
     goods and materials fairly valued, as determined by the 
     Secretary.

[[Page H8137]]

       (3) The greatest number of visitors that would benefit.
       (4) The ability and commitment of an eligible entity to use 
     grant funds--
       (A) to preserve the grounds at the covered memorial; and
       (B) to educate future generations.
       (5) The ability and commitment of an eligible entity to use 
     grant funds to increase the numbers of economically 
     disadvantaged visitors to the covered memorial.
       (f) Limitation.--No grant shall be awarded under this 
     section--
       (1) for use at a covered memorial that does not provide 
     for--
       (A) free admission to all facilities and museums associated 
     with the covered memorial for active and retired members of 
     the military, registered first responders to the attacks of 
     September 11, 2001, and family members of victims of the 
     attacks of September 11, 2001; and
       (B) dedicated free admission hours for the general public 
     at least once a week; or
       (2) to an eligible entity that does not allow for annual 
     Federal audits of the financial statements of the eligible 
     entity, including revenues associated with ticket sales, 
     charitable donations, grants, and all expenditures on 
     salaries and operations, which shall be subject to review by 
     the Secretary and made available to the public.
       (g) Reports.--Not later than 90 days after the end of each 
     calendar year for which an eligible entity obligates or 
     expends any amounts made available under a grant under this 
     section, the eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary 
     and the appropriate committees of Congress a report that--
       (1) specifies the amount of grant funds obligated or 
     expended for the preceding fiscal year;
       (2) specifies any purposes for which the funds were 
     obligated or expended; and
       (3) includes any other information that the Secretary may 
     require to more effectively administer the grant program 
     under this section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Montana (Mr. Gianforte) and the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. 
Tsongas) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Montana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6287, offered by Congressman Tom MacArthur of New 
Jersey, honors and memorializes the victims and heroes of September 11, 
2001.
  The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award grants 
through a competitive process to nonprofit organizations for the 
operation and maintenance of memorials to commemorate the events and 
honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
  It has been 17 years since that dark day in American history. The 
National September 11th Memorial in New York City, the National 9/11 
Pentagon Memorial just across the Potomac River in Virginia, and the 
Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, stand as 
solemn tributes and remembrances to the thousands of victims of those 
attacks.
  H.R. 6287 authorizes a competitive grant program for operation, 
security, and maintenance of these memorials.
  Throughout our Nation's history, Congress has stepped forward to 
authorize operating funds in public-private partnership with 
nongovernmental organizations for memorials and museums of national 
significance. Like congressional authorizations of the Oklahoma City 
National Memorial and Museum, the United States Holocaust Memorial 
Museum, and the Kennedy Center, a Federal authorization for grants in 
support of 9/11 memorials at the sites of the attacks will help to 
operate and maintain these sites of national remembrance and 
reflection.
  We should always remember and forever honor those who lost their 
lives on that fateful day.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Representative MacArthur for his work on 
this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.

                              {time}  1630

  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, 17 years ago, two planes crashed into the World Trade 
Center in my district, killing thousands of people. A third plane 
slammed into the Pentagon, and a fourth plane, likely destined for the 
very Capitol complex in which we now stand, was brought down by a group 
of courageous passengers in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
  As I do today, I represented Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. I was 
at the World Trade Center 4 hours after the towers fell. The scene was 
horrible: fire, smoke, debris, human remains, and twisted metal created 
an apocalyptic scene. Dust and debris filled the air, but even in that 
moment of deep despair and overwhelming horror, I saw signs of hope.
  Firefighters, police, and emergency medical technicians traveled to 
Lower Manhattan from around the country. Steel workers, construction 
workers, and hundreds of other men and women rushed to the pile to 
help. As the last fires were extinguished, 99 days after the attack, 
and the last pieces of metal were removed from Ground Zero, those 
feelings of hope, perseverance, and solidarity remained.
  In the years since the attacks, I have been grateful and inspired by 
how Congress has come together to help rebuild New York, and I have 
worked with my colleagues to support the responders, survivors, and 
families of the victims.
  In 2010, Congress passed, and in 2015 reauthorized, the James Zadroga 
9/11 Health and Compensation Act. More than 88,000 9/11 responders and 
survivors have enrolled in the program to receive healthcare and 
support for 9/11-related illnesses. The law has also provided over $4.3 
billion in compensation to responders and survivors through the Victim 
Compensation Fund, a program that Congress will have to reauthorize in 
the coming years.
  In addition to making our responders and survivors whole, Congress 
invested millions of dollars to help rebuild Lower Manhattan. One World 
Trade Center now fills the hole left in our skyline when the towers 
fell, and businesses shattered after the attack are reopened and 
thriving. In what was once the shadow of the towers, there now stands a 
comprehensive museum dedicated to sharing stories of September 11th and 
the bravery of those who risked everything to protect their fellow 
Americans that day.
  In place of the smoking hole I saw day after day in Lower Manhattan, 
there now sits a somber and inspiring memorial. It is a site of 
remembrance and hope; a place for every American to come and reflect on 
what happened that September morning, and to renew our promise, never 
to forget the events of that day.
  It is the national memorial for a national tragedy. Similarly, 
memorials built at the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 
provide places to remember and reflect, solemn reminders of the tragedy 
and bravery we saw on September 11th. That is why I am pleased to 
cosponsor legislation introduced by my colleague from New Jersey which 
will create a competitive grant program to provide Federal support for 
security operations and maintenance for 9/11 memorials.
  This legislation will help ensure the memorials continue to provide 
sacred and inspiring spots, accessible to millions of visitors for 
generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the bipartisan support of the members of 
the Natural Resources Committee and the House leadership for bringing 
the bill to the floor today. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, 
and to achieve our shared goal of providing a memorial that allows our 
Nation to mourn, to reflect, and to renew our promises never to forget 
September 11th.
  Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. MacArthur).
  Mr. MacARTHUR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Montana for 
yielding and for his work on the committee. As my colleague from New 
York has just said, this has been a bipartisan effort, and I appreciate 
that. It is bipartisan in the Senate, as well.
  Seventeen years ago yesterday, our world changed forever. Every one 
of us

[[Page H8138]]

remembers where we were that day. It is getting harder to remember life 
before 9/11. We have a whole generation that doesn't know what it is 
like to go to an airport and not take off their shoes, or not sit on 
board a plane and wonder if somebody is meaning them harm.
  I was working in New York City in 2001, right up the block from the 
Trade Center, and on that terrible, sunny Tuesday when terrorists flew 
two planes into the New York World Trade Center, we lost nearly 3,000 
of our fellow citizens. Like others, I lost people who I knew. Some 
lost those dearest to them: their husbands, their wives, their mothers 
and fathers, their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and close 
friends.
  We were also moved that day by stories of heroism, and we all watched 
as New York's finest and first responders from elsewhere in the region 
ran toward danger, not away from it.
  In the months that followed, I had to take the ferry to New York each 
morning because the tunnel was closed. And I think it seared on my 
memory for life the look and the smell of going past Lower Manhattan 
and seeing the rubble still smoldering and smelling the electrical 
fires still burning.
  Mr. Speaker, 10 years later to the day, on 9/11/2011, the memorial at 
the World Trade Center opened. It was erected to remember those who 
fell; to recognize the endurance of the survivors; to honor the bravery 
of those who risked their lives to save others; and above all, to 
remember the power of our free Nation to overcome evil with good.
  It stands as a reminder to every generation: Never forget. Never 
falter.
  Mr. Speaker, most Americans probably don't know that that memorial 
was erected with donations from privat citizens, and it has continued 
for 7 years now with donations from private citizens. I commend them 
for their good work.

  But it is now our turn, the United States Congress, to do our part to 
preserve and protect this hallowed ground, and to answer this national 
tragedy with national support. I introduced this bill to start a 
process for providing funding for this memorial and other memorials of 
what happened on 9/11, and it will provide, ultimately, funding for 
security, for maintenance, for operations, and still allow those who 
run the museum there and who have poured their hearts and souls into 
this, to continue to do that.
  I commend the private citizens for doing what they have done, but it 
is now our solemn duty to not only honor the fallen, but make sure that 
we protect the living, and that this site is a safe place for people to 
go and to remember.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the 9/11 Memorial Act. Again, I want 
to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for coming together 
to introduce and, hopefully, pass this bill today.
  I want to thank my colleague in the Senate, Cory Booker, for 
introducing similar legislation so that we can do our part to honor 
those who fell.
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne), my colleague.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from 
Massachusetts for giving me the opportunity to speak on what we all 
consider a national tragedy, but are trying to do something here that 
will help us remember those lost on that fateful day.
  Yesterday morning, like many of my colleagues, I was back in my 
district to reflect on the tragic events of September 11, 2001. My 
district borders on New York City. Across the river, I can see the 
World Trade Center building from my district office. Every single day 
thousands of my constituents travel to and from New York City for work.
  The 9/11 attacks were deeply personal for New Jersey's 10th 
Congressional District, as we lost 57 residents from my home county in 
which I live in Newark, New Jersey, the County of Essex, and we have 
erected a beautiful memorial in Essex County at Eagle Rock Reservation, 
which is a mountaintop where you can see over into New York City, where 
many people ventured to see what had happened on that fateful day.
  And so it has become a beautiful memorial there at Eagle Rock 
Reservation, and it is a pristine, beautiful symbol of never 
forgetting. The names of all of the people who perished that day are 
printed on a marble wall that overlooks New York.
  H.R. 6287 will ensure that ``never again'' is more than a slogan. It 
will help protect memorials in my district and across the country for 
future generations.
  The men and women who lost their lives on 9/11 and in the aftermath 
of the attacks are American heroes. I am proud to support this bill 
which will make sure that the memorials to those heroes are preserved 
for future generations.
  Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Suozzi), my colleague.
  Mr. SUOZZI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Tsongas and my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle for rising in support of this 
bill.
  Yesterday, on September 11th, in small towns and large cities and 
country fields, Americans paused to remember September 11th. I think 
there are two goals to each of these ceremonies, including the ones I 
participated in.
  First, is to remember all those who have suffered so much because of 
the September 11th attacks; and second, is to rededicate ourselves to 
the promise that is America.
  Those who have suffered so much; those who were killed that day; the 
families that have been affected by it; and all those who responded and 
worked on that pile that was so huge. We saw the pictures on the front 
of the newspaper. I went there the day afterwards. The pile was 
massive. It looked like little ants, the firefighters and police 
officers and EMS personnel, that were crawling through the debris--it 
was so gigantic--and the acrid smell that was there.
  And every day we hear about other first responders who are dying of 
cancer related to 9/11 illnesses. We can never forget those who 
suffered that day and the people who worked so hard for months after 
that.
  And second, we need to rededicate ourselves to the promise of America 
that the terrorists tried to take away from us.
  This bill is an example of Democrats and Republicans working together 
to try and commemorate these brave souls. We need to remember that 
those who have gone off to foreign lands and have died on our behalf, 
have done so for freedom and democracy.

  Freedom and democracy is nothing more than politics and government, 
and our politics and government have become too small, too petty, and 
too cynical. These are big issues that are life-and-death issues and we 
need to raise up the conversation in this country.
  This bill is an example of working together to provide money so that 
people will continue to go to these facilities to remember the 
suffering that has been visited upon us, and to rededicate ourselves to 
the promise of America.
  Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Each year, we take time on this somber anniversary to mourn and 
remember those lost, and to honor and pay tribute to the extraordinary 
heroism displayed by firefighters, first responders, and ordinary 
citizens whose service and sacrifice prevented the loss of life from 
being even greater, and who continued to serve and protect our 
communities every day. We express our sincere gratitude to those 
serving overseas on our behalf.
  The 9/11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center provides our 
Nation a place of reflection and remembrance, not only for the 
September 11, 2001, attacks, but for an earlier attack at the World 
Trade Center in 1993 as well.
  I want to thank and commend the 9/11 Memorial Foundation for the work 
it has done since 2003 to bring the memorial and museum to fruition. 
This is an impressive and moving site in downtown Manhattan that will 
educate millions of visitors from all over the world for years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative MacArthur and 
Representative Nadler for bringing forward the legislation before us 
today, which would designate the memorial and museum as a national 
memorial and provide a grant to the Department of the

[[Page H8139]]

Interior for some of the resources needed to interpret the stories of 
that fateful day.
  Mr. Speaker, I support passage of this legislation. I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GIANFORTE. 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 Montana (Mr. Gianforte) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 6287, 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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