[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 106 (Monday, June 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S4463]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 843. Mr. TILLIS (for himself and Mr. Durbin) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 1790, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 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 H of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1086. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE 
                   AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION AND THE 
                   GOVERNMENT OF BELGIUM BY WHICH THE COMMISSION 
                   WOULD ACQUIRE, RESTORE, OPERATE, AND MAINTAIN 
                   THE MARDASSON MEMORIAL IN BASTOGNE, BELGIUM.

       (a) Findings.--Congress make the following findings:
       (1) The Battle of the Bulge was one of the largest land 
     battles fought by the United States during World War II, 
     yielded more than 75,000 American casualties over the winter 
     of 1944-1945, and stopped the last major German offensive on 
     the Western Front.
       (2) The Battle of the Bulge is a legendary battle in the 
     history of the United States Army.
       (3) Following the war, Belgian groups raised funds to 
     construct the Mardasson Memorial in Bastogne, Belgium, to 
     honor Americans killed, wounded, and missing in action during 
     the Battle of the Bulge.
       (4) The Mardasson Memorial, inaugurated in 1950, is a five-
     pointed American star with the history of the battle, the 
     names of the units that fought, and the names of the States 
     engraved in gold letters throughout.
       (5) The Mardasson Memorial, owned and maintained by the 
     Government of Belgium, is in need of extensive repair to 
     restore it to a condition commensurate to the service and 
     sacrifice it honors.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress to 
     support an agreement between the American Battle Monument 
     Commission (hereinafter referred to as ``ABMC'') and the 
     Government of Belgium--
       (1) under the monument maintenance program of the ABMC, and 
     subject to the requirements of such program, by which the 
     ABMC would use its expertise and presence in Europe to 
     oversee restoration of the Mardasson Memorial in preparation 
     for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge; and
       (2) under the monument trust fund program of the ABMC, and 
     subject to the requirements of such program, by which the 
     ABMC assumes ownership and responsibility for the Mardasson 
     Memorial, ensuring that the Memorial stands for decades to 
     come, honoring American service and sacrifice, and inspiring 
     future generations.
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