[House Report 106-351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
106th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session 106-351
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NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR MEMORIAL ACT
_______
September 30, 1999.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be
printed
_______
Mr. Stump, from the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1663]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Veterans' Affairs, to whom was referred the
bill (H.R. 1663) to designate as a national memorial the
memorial being built at the Riverside National Cemetery in
Riverside, California to honor recipients of the Medal of
Honor, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon
with amendments and recommends that the bill as amended do
pass.
The amendments are as follows:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu
thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Medal of Honor Memorial
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration
which the Nation bestows.
(2) The Medal of Honor is the only military decoration given
in the name of Congress, and therefore on behalf of the people
of the United States.
(3) The Congressional Medal of Honor Society was established
by an Act of Congress in 1958, and continues to protect,
uphold, and preserve the dignity, honor, and name of the Medal
of Honor and of the individual recipients of the Medal of
Honor.
(4) The Congressional Medal of Honor Society is composed
solely of recipients of the Medal of Honor.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR SITES.
(a) Recognition.--The following sites to honor recipients of the
Medal of Honor are hereby recognized as National Medal of Honor sites:
(1) Riverside, california.--The memorial under construction
at the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California, to
be dedicated on November 5, 1999.
(2) Indianapolis, indiana.--The memorial at the White River
State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, dedicated on May 28, 1999.
(3) Mount pleasant, south carolina.--The Congressional Medal
of Honor Museum at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, South
Carolina, currently situated on the ex-U.S.S. Yorktown (CV-6).
(b) Interpretation.--This section shall not be construed to require
or permit Federal funds (other than any provided for as of the date of
the enactment of this Act) to be expended for any purpose related to
the sites recognized in subsection (a).
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to recognize National Medal of Honor sites in
California, Indiana, and South Carolina.
Introduction
Mr. Calvert and 69 cosponsors introduced H.R. 1663, a bill
to designate as a national memorial the memorial being built at
the Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California to
honor recipients of the Medal of Honor, on May 4, 1999. On June
16, 1999 the Subcommittee on Benefits met to receive testimony
on H.R. 1663. On September 22, 1999, the full Committee met
and, after adopting by unanimous voice vote an amendment
proposed by Ms. Carson, the Committee ordered the bill reported
favorably to the House.
Summary of the Reported Bill
H.R. 1663, as amended, would recognize National Medal of
Honor sites in Riverside, California; Indianapolis, Indiana;
and Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Nothing in this legislation
would require or permit Federal funds (other than any provided
for as of the date of enactment of this Act) to be expended for
any purpose related to the sites recognized in the bill.
Background and Discussion
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration the
Nation bestows. The Medal has its origins in the Civil War era.
In December 1861, Congress passed legislation signed by Abraham
Lincoln establishing the Medal of Honor. Since that time our
Nation has awarded 3,429 Medals of Honor. Originally, only
enlisted men were eligible, but Congress soon expanded
eligibility to include officers as well.
Congress chartered the Congressional Medal of Honor Society
in 1958. The purposes of the Society are to:
Lform a bond of friendship and comradeship
among all holders of the Medal of Honor;
Lprotect, uphold, and preserve the dignity
and honor of the medal at all times and on all
occasions;
Lprotect the name of the medal and individual
holders of the medal from exploitation;
Lprovide appropriate aid to all persons to
whom the medal has been awarded, their widows, and
their children;
Lserve our country in peace as in war;
Linspire and stimulate our youth to become
worthy citizens of our country; and
Lfoster and perpetuate Americanism.
The Society's theme under Mr. Paul W. Bucha, its president
since 1995, is that ordinary persons can do extraordinary
things. The Society desires to recognize the unlimited
potential of the ordinary individual in all aspects of American
life. One hundred fifty five recipients of the Medal of Honor
are alive today.
H.R. 1663, as amended, recognizes Medal of Honor recipients
by designating three national Medal of Honor sites.
1. Riverside, California.--The memorial under construction at the
Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California, to be
dedicated on November 5, 1999.
A Medal of Honor Memorial is being built with $1.3 million
in private donations on Department of Veterans Affairs land at
the Riverside, California VA National Cemetery. The purpose of
the Memorial is to:
Lperpetuate the names of Medal of Honor
recipients in a national shrine;
Lhelp exalt and glorify one of the busiest--
and prospectively one of the largest--national
cemeteries in VA's 117-cemetery system, which in turn
will;
Lfurther honor all of those who have paid for
the freedoms and liberties we enjoy.
Aspects of the design of the Memorial:
LThe Memorial will be a partially enclosed
contemplative setting situated within Riverside
National Cemetery. It will not interfere with the
burial capabilities of the cemetery, occurring at a
rate of approximately 29 burials per day;
LThe interior of the Memorial will include a
waterfall and a polished granite wall on which will be
inscribed the names of all 3,417 recipients of the
Medal of Honor. Space will be provided for additional
names;
LFor each Medal of Honor recipient, the
Society will plant an Italian Cypress. An initial
grouping of 300 trees will be planted in the immediate
vicinity of the memorial. The remaining number will be
planted throughout the cemetery; and
LA computer kiosk will provide detailed
information on the history of the Medal of Honor, the
congressional legislation associated with the
decoration, and the citation for each recipient
(including the 20 who were decorated twice).
2. Indianapolis, Indiana.--The memorial at the White River State Park
in Indianapolis, Indiana, unveiled and dedicated on May 28,
1999.
Features of the design of the memorial include the
following:
LThe memorial is composed of 27 curved walls
of glass, each between 7 and 10-feet high and
representing specific conflicts in which the medal was
awarded; and
LThe glass walls feature the names of the
recipients, along with their branch of service and the
location of their heroic action. Each day at dusk, the
sound system of the memorial plays recorded stories of
medal winners or of the conflicts in which they fought.
Most of the stories have been recorded by living Medal
of Honor recipients.
As a gift to the Nation to honor the acts of Medal of Honor
recipients, Indiana Power and Light Company (IPALCO) donated
$2.5 million for the memorial, including design, construction,
and future maintenance. Ninety-six of the 155 living members of
the Society participated in the dedication. Located on the
north bank of the Central Canal in White River State Park in
downtown Indianapolis, the site is adjacent to Military Park.
During the Civil War, the park was a military camp used for
recruitment and training of troops. The city held its first
recorded Fourth of July celebration there in 1822.
``As a symbol of heroism, the Medal of Honor has no equal
in American life,'' said IPALCO Chairman John Hodowal at the
dedication. ``The individuals who received the medal for acts
of valor have been singled out not to glorify war, but to
recognize that, for all its destructiveness, war often is the
backdrop for extraordinary acts of bravery.''
3. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.--The Congressional Medal of Honor
Museum at Patriot's Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina,
currently situated on the ex-U.S.S. Yorktown.
The Museum is located on the hangar deck of the ex-U.S.S.
Yorktown (CV-6) at Patriot's Point in Charleston Harbor. The
Yorktown is the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval and
Maritime Museum:
LThe Medal of Honor Museum details the eight
eras of Medal of Honor history: Civil War; Indian
Campaigns; Wars of American Expansion; Peacetime; World
War I; World War II; Korea; and Vietnam;
LPanels list all of the Medal of Honor
recipients to date and include such well-known names as
Audie Murphy, Sergeant Alvin York, and Jimmy Doolittle;
and
LExhibits include memorabilia and artifacts
relating to Medal of Honor recipients and archives of
important documents.
The Committee notes that H.R. 1663, as amended, shall not
be construed to require or permit Federal funds (other than any
provided for as of the date of enactment of this Act) to be
expended for any purpose related to the sites recognized by the
bill.
Section-By-Section Analysis
Section 1 states that the title of the Act is the
``National Medal of Honor Memorial Act''.
Section 2 makes findings with respect to the Medal of Honor
and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Such findings
include that the Medal of Honor is the only military decoration
given in the name of Congress and, therefore, on behalf of the
people of the United States. The Society continues to protect,
uphold, and preserve the dignity, honor, and name of the Medal
of Honor and of the individual recipients of the Medal of
Honor. The Society is composed solely of recipients of the
Medal of Honor.
Section 3 recognizes three sites to honor recipients of the
Medal of Honor to be recognized as National Medal of Honor
sites: the memorial under construction at the Riverside
National Cemetery in Riverside, California, to be dedicated on
November 5, 1999; the memorial at the White River State Park in
Indianapolis, Indiana, dedicated on May 28, 1999; the
Congressional Medal of Honor Museum at Patriots Point in Mount
Pleasant, South Carolina, currently situated on the ex-U.S.S.
Yorktown.
Oversight Findings
No oversight findings have been submitted to the Committee
by the Committee on Government Reform.
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
The following letter was received from the Congressional
Budget Office concerning the cost of the reported bill:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, September 24, 1999.
Hon. Bob Stump,
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1663, the
National Medal of Honor Memorial Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Evan W.
Christman who can be reached at 226-2840.
Sincerely,
Dan L. Crippen,
Director
Enclosure.
congressional budget office cost estimate
H.R. 1663, National Medal of Honor Memorial Act, As ordered reported by
the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs on September 22, 1999
H.R. 1663 would recognize three sites in California,
Indiana, and South Carolina as National Medal of Honor sites.
CBO estimates that this bill would have no budgetary impact
because it would only confer recognition on these sites and
would not authorize any additional federal action or spending.
Because H.R. 1663 would not affect direct spending or
receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. This bill
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates. Any
costs to state or local governments as a result of enactment of
this bill would be incurred voluntarily.
This estimate was prepared by Evan W. Christman, who can be
reached at 226-2840. This estimate was approved by Robert A.
Sunshine, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Inflationary Impact Statement
The enactment of the reported bill would have no
inflationary impact.
Applicability to the Legislative Branch
The reported bill would not be applicable to the
legislative branch under the Congressional Accountability Act,
Public Law 104-1, because the bill simply designates National
Medal of Honor sites.
Statement of Federal Mandates
The reported bill would not establish a federal mandate
under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, Public Law 104-4.
Statement of Constitutional Authority
Pursuant to Article I, section 8 of the United States
Constitution, the reported bill is authorized by Congress'
power to ``provide for the common Defence and general Welfare
of the United States''.