[House Report 113-500]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


113th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     113-500

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                WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL PRAYER ACT OF 2014

                                _______
                                

 June 30, 2014.--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. 2175]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 2175) 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 
United States 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 
2014''.

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 United States 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 apply to the design and placement 
of the plaque within the area of the World War II Memorial.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 2175 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 United States on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. 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 
of President Roosevelt's address to Congress following the 
bombing of Pearl Harbor. The National 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. 2175 directs the Secretary of the Interior to install 
in the area of the World War II Memorial 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. The prayer included the paragraph:

    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.

    H.R. 2175 prohibits the use of federal funds in preparation 
or installation of the plaque and requires it adhere to the 
Commemorative Works Act, which mandates a process for placement 
and approval for memorials and monuments on federal land in 
Washington, D.C.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 2175 was introduced on May 23, 2013, by Congressman 
Bill Johnson (R-OH). The bill was referred to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 
on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. On May 20, 2014, 
the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On May 29, 2014, 
the Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The 
Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation was 
discharged by unanimous consent. Congressman Rob Bishop (R-UT) 
offered an amendment designated #1 to the bill; the amendment 
was adopted by unanimous consent. No further amendments were 
offered and the bill, as amended, was then adopted and 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. 2175--World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013

    H.R. 2175 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. The Secretary would be authorized to accept 
and spend private donations for the inscription. Under the 
bill, the proposed addition to the memorial would be subject to 
the requirements of the Commemorative Works Act.
    CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have 
no significant effect 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 H.R. 2175 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. Enacting H.R. 2175 would not affect revenues.
    H.R. 2175 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    On January 7, 2014, CBO transmitted a cost estimate for S. 
1044, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013, as ordered 
reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources on November 21, 2013. The two pieces of legislation 
are similar, and the CBO cost estimates are the same.
    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, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase 
or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. CBO estimates that 
implementing the legislation would have no significant effect 
on the federal budget.
    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 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 United States 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.

                       COMPLIANCE WITH H. RES. 5

    Directed Rule Making. The Chairman does not believe that 
this bill directs any executive branch official to conduct any 
specific rule-making proceedings.
    Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not 
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government 
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was 
not included in any report from the Government Accountability 
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program 
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law 
98-169) as relating to other programs.

                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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