[House Report 112-368]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


112th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  2d Session                                                    112-368

======================================================================



 
                WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL PRAYER ACT OF 2011

                                _______
                                

January 18, 2012.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

 Mr. Hastings of Washington, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 2070]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2070) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
install in the area of the World War II Memorial in the 
District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with 
the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the 
Nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day, having considered 
the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and 
recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 
2011''.

SEC. 2. PLACEMENT OF PLAQUE OR INSCRIPTION AT WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL.

  The Secretary of the Interior--
          (1) shall install in the area of the World War II Memorial in 
        the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription 
        with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with 
        the Nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day;
          (2) shall design, procure, prepare, and install the plaque or 
        inscription referred to in paragraph (1); and
          (3) may not use Federal funds to prepare or install the 
        plaque or inscription referred to in paragraph (1), but may 
        accept and expend private contributions for this purpose.

SEC. 3. COMMEMORATIVE WORKS ACT.

  Chapter 89 of title 40, United States Code, (commonly known as the 
``Commemorative Works Act'') shall not apply to this Act.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 2070, as ordered reported, is to direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the 
World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable 
plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin 
D. Roosevelt prayed with the Nation on June 6, 1944, the 
morning of D-Day.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, honors the 
service of 16 million members of the Armed Forces of the United 
States of America, the support of countless millions on the 
home front, and the ultimate sacrifice of 405,399 Americans. On 
May 29, 2004, a four-day reunion of veterans on the National 
Mall culminated in the dedication of the memorial.
    In recent years there has been some controversy regarding 
the omission of the phrase ``so help us God'' in an inscription 
with an excerpt of President Roosevelt's address to Congress 
following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Park Service 
responded with the explanation that the phrase was excluded 
because it was not spoken at the point in the address from 
which the excerpt was derived.
    H.R. 2070 directs the Secretary of the Interior to install 
in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of 
Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words 
that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the Nation on 
June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day. President Roosevelt's 
address included a prayer:

          With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy 
        forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of 
        greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of 
        our country, and with our sister nations into a world 
        unity that will spell a sure peace--a peace 
        invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a 
        peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping 
        the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be 
        done, Almighty God. Amen.

    During markup, the Natural Resources Committee adopted an 
amendment offered by Congressman Bill Johnson (R-OH) to 
prohibit the use of Federal funds for the project, but allowing 
the Secretary of the Interior to accept and spend donations. 
Additionally, because of the limited scope and scale of the 
proposal, the Commemorative Works Act will not apply to H.R. 
2070.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2070 was introduced on June 1, 2011, by Congressman 
Bill Johnson (R-OH). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. On November 3, 
2011, the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On November 
17, 2011, the Full Resources Committee met to consider the 
bill. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public 
Lands was discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Bill 
Johnson offered amendment designated .011 to the bill; the 
amendment was adopted by unanimous consent. The bill, as 
amended, was then ordered favorably reported to the House of 
Representatives by unanimous consent.

            COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and 
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII

    1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives requires an estimate and 
a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be 
incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) 
of that Rule provides that this requirement does not apply when 
the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted 
cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the 
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974. Under clause 3(c)(3) of rule 
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 
403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has 
received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

H.R. 2070--World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011

    H.R. 2070 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to 
install within the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., 
an inscription of the words President Roosevelt prayed with the 
nation on June 6, 1944. The legislation would direct the 
Secretary to design, procure, and install the inscription; 
however, federal funds could not be used to prepare or install 
the inscription. Under the bill, the proposed addition to the 
memorial would be exempt from the requirements of the 
Commemorative Works Act (CWA).
    CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have 
no significant impact on the federal budget. Based on 
information from the NPS, CBO estimates that the cost to 
maintain the inscription would be insignificant. Enacting H.R. 
2070 would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effects 
of receiving and spending donated funds would be insignificant 
in each year.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von 
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

    2. Section 308(a) of Congressional Budget Act. As required 
by clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and section 308(a) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, this bill does not contain any new budget 
authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in 
revenues or tax expenditures. CBO estimates that implementing 
the legislation would have no significant impact on the Federal 
budget. Based on information from the National Park Service, 
CBO estimates that the cost to maintain the inscription would 
be insignificant. Enacting the bill would affect direct 
spending, but CBO estimates that the net effect of receiving 
and spending donations would be insignificant in each year.
    3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by 
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or 
objective of this bill, as ordered reported, is to direct the 
Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the World 
War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque 
or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. 
Roosevelt prayed with the Nation on June 6, 1944, the morning 
of D-Day.

                           EARMARK STATEMENT

    This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks, 
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined 
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of 
the House of Representatives.

                    COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104-4

    This bill contains no unfunded mandates.

                PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

    This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or 
tribal law.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    If enacted, this bill would make no changes in existing 
law.

                                  
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