[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 120 (Tuesday, June 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2334. Mr. COTTON (for himself, Mr. Tillis, and Mr. Cruz) submitted
an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4049, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 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:
Strike section 377 and insert the following:
SEC. 377. COMMISSION ON THE NAMING OF ASSETS OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THAT COMMEMORATE THE
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA OR ANY PERSON WHO
SERVED VOLUNTARILY WITH THE CONFEDERATE STATES
OF AMERICA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a
commission relating to the naming or other commemorative
properties of assets of the Department of Defense that
commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person
who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America
(in this section referred to as the ``Commission'').
(b) Duties.--The Commission shall--
(1) develop procedures and criteria to assess whether an
asset of the Department of Defense commemorates the
Confederate States of America or any person who served
voluntarily with the Confederate States of America;
(2) using the procedures and criteria developed in
paragraph (1), develop a list of all assets of the Department
of Defense that commemorate the Confederate States of America
or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate
States of America; and
(3) for each asset identified under paragraph (2), gather
information relating to the history, heritage, and local
sensitivities regarding the naming or other commemorative
properties of such asset.
(c) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall be composed of eight
members, of whom--
(A) four shall be appointed by the President, one of whom
shall be designated by the President as the Chair of the
Commission;
(B) one shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee
on Armed Services of the Senate;
(C) one shall be appointed by the Ranking Member of the
Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(D) one shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Committee
on Armed Services of the House of Representatives; and
(E) one shall be appointed by the Ranking Member of the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
(2) Appointment.--Members of the Commission shall be
appointed not later than 45 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(d) Initial Meeting.--The Commission shall hold its initial
meeting at the call of the Chair, but not later than 60 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Other Procedures; Voting.--The Commission may establish
the procedures of the Commission by majority vote, except
that in the case of a tied vote the position of the Chair
shall be adopted as the majority vote of the Commission.
(f) Detail of Employees and Access to Information.--
(1) Detail of government employees.--Upon request by the
Commission, an employee of the Federal Government may be
detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such
detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service
status or privilege.
(2) Access to other resources.--
(A) In general.--The Commission shall have reasonable
access to materials, resources, and other information the
Commission determines necessary to carry out its duties
from--
(i) the Library of Congress;
(ii) the Department of Defense;
(iii) the National Archives and Records Administration;
(iv) the Smithsonian Institution; and
(v) any other agency of the executive or legislative branch
of the Federal Government.
(B) Requests for resources.--The Chair of the Commission
shall make requests for access to materials, resources, and
other information described in subparagraph (A) in writing
when necessary.
(g) Briefings and Reports.--
(1) Briefing.--Not later than October 1, 2021, the
Commission shall brief the Secretary of Defense and the
Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of
Representatives detailing the progress of the Commission in
carrying out the requirements of the Commission under
subsection (b).
(2) Final briefing and report.--Not later than October 1,
2022, the Commission shall brief and provide a written report
to the Secretary of Defense and the Committees on Armed
Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives
detailing the results of the work of the Commission under
subsection (b), including--
(A) a list of assets of the Department of Defense
identified by the Commission as commemorating the Confederate
States of America or any person who served voluntarily with
the Confederate States of America;
(B) a description of the criteria and procedures used to
identify such assets;
(C) information relating to the history, heritage, and
local sensitivities regarding the naming or other
commemorative properties of each such asset; and
(D) for each such asset, information relating to whether
the asset is a grave marker.
(h) Funding.--
(1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $2,000,000 to carry out this section.
(2) Offset.--The amount authorized to be appropriated by
this Act for fiscal year 2021 for Operation and Maintenance,
Army, sub activity group 434, other personnel support is
hereby reduced by $2,000,000.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Assets of the department of defense.--The term ``assets
of the Department of Defense'' includes any base,
installation, street, building, facility, aircraft, ship,
plane, weapon, equipment, plaque, monument, memorial, or any
other property owned or controlled by the Department of
Defense.
(2) Commemorative properties.--The term ``commemorative
properties'' includes any name, symbol, design, display, or
other property of an asset of the Department of Defense that
is intended to commemorate or has the effect of commemorating
an individual, group, idea, or historical event.
(3) Grave marker.--The term ``grave marker'' includes any
monument, memorial, plaque, or other item which, due to its
nature, location, or presentation, may be reasonably viewed
as commemorating the death or final resting place of war
dead.
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