[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13730-13731]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   VETERANS DAY MOMENT OF SILENCE ACT

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration 
of the bill (S. 1004) to amend title 36, United States Code, to 
encourage the nationwide observance of two minutes of silence each 
Veterans Day, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 1004

       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 ``Veterans Day Moment of 
     Silence Act''.

     SEC. 2. OBSERVANCE OF VETERANS DAY.

       (a) Two Minutes of Silence.--Chapter 1 of title 36, United 
     States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 
     new section:

     ``Sec. 145. Veterans Day

       ``The President shall issue each year a proclamation 
     calling on the people of the United States to observe two 
     minutes of silence on Veterans Day in honor of the service 
     and sacrifice of veterans throughout the history of the 
     Nation, beginning at--
       ``(1) 3:11 p.m. Atlantic standard time;
       ``(2) 2:11 p.m. eastern standard time;
       ``(3) 1:11 p.m. central standard time;
       ``(4) 12:11 p.m. mountain standard time;
       ``(5) 11:11 a.m. Pacific standard time;
       ``(6) 10:11 a.m. Alaska standard time; and
       ``(7) 9:11 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian standard time.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
     1 of title 36, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
     the end the following new item:

``145. Veterans Day.''.

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1004, the 
Veterans Day Moment

[[Page 13731]]

of Silence Act. I am proud to have introduced the House version of this 
bill, H.R. 995.
  This bipartisan legislation calls for two minutes of silence every 
Veterans Day. The set time of 2:11 P.M., Eastern Standard Time, will 
allow all Americans from coast to coast and Puerto Rico to come 
together as one nation to reflect on the service of our veterans, past 
and present. Generations of brave men and women have served the United 
States of America with honor, risking their lives to keep us safe and 
free. They deserve our support and, especially, our gratitude.
  Mr. Speaker, our servicemembers have made, and continue to make, 
immense sacrifices. They leave their loved ones behind, operate in some 
of the most dangerous places in the world, and put themselves in harm's 
way to defend our nation. I have had the honor and pleasure of meeting 
with servicemembers during my Congressional Delegations abroad. I am 
always moved by their professionalism, courage, and most especially, 
their dedication to their families, fellow service members, and 
country. This Moment of Silence legislation will send a powerful 
message of appreciation to our veterans for all that they do on behalf 
of our nation.
  I would like to express my thanks to the leadership of the Veterans 
Affairs Committee, as well as to the bipartisan group of cosponsors who 
were steadfast in their support of H.R. 995. I am grateful to Senators 
Kirk and Durbin for their leadership and stewardship of this initiative 
on the Senate side. I also wish to thank Daniel and Michael Bendetson, 
along with their father, Dr. Peter Bendetson, who first approached me 
with the concept of this tribute and have worked tirelessly for years 
to bring this proposal to fruition. Finally, I would like to thank all 
the veterans in the Eighth District of Massachusetts and across 
America, in whose honor I am proud to have introduced and supported the 
Veterans Day Moment of Silence Act.
  The bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third 
time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________