[House Report 115-930]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress    }                                    {       Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session       }                                    {      115-930

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



 
                           9/11 MEMORIAL ACT

                                _______
                                

 September 10, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 
            the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

Mr. Bishop of Utah, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted 
                             the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 6287]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 6287) to provide competitive grants for the 
operation, security, and maintenance of certain memorials to 
victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, having 
considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment 
and recommend that the bill do pass.

                          PURPOSE OF THE BILL

    The purpose of H.R. 6287 is to provide competitive grants 
for the operation, security, and maintenance of certain 
memorials to victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
2001.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The National 9/11 Memorial located in New York City 
commemorates the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Memorial is 
the principal tribute of remembrance and honor to the nearly 
3,000 people killed in the terror attacks at the World Trade 
Center site as well as the six people killed in the World Trade 
Center bombing in February 1993.\1\ The 9/11 Memorial plaza 
opened on September 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the 
attacks. Since 2011, more than 37 million people have visited 
the plaza.\2\ The Memorial plaza is located on the western side 
of the former World Trade Center complex. The Memorial's twin 
reflecting pools, each nearly an acre in size, sit within the 
footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. The names of every 
person who died in the 2001 and 1993 attacks are inscribed into 
bronze panels edging the Memorial pools. Entrance to the 
Memorial plaza is free and open to the public year-round.
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    \1\``About the Memorial.'' National September 11 Memorial & Museum. 
Accessed August 27, 2018. http://www.911memorial.org/about-memorial.
    \2\``Year in Review: 2017 at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.'' National 
September 11 Memorial & Museum. December 29, 2017. Accessed August 27, 
2018. https://www.911memorial.org/blog/year-review-2017-911-memorial-
museum.
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    The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial is located at the 
Pentagon in Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, 
D.C. This 2-acre Memorial commemorates the 184 lives lost in 
the attack on the Pentagon--those on American Flight 77 and 
those in the Pentagon itself.\3\ Each person is represented by 
a cantilevered bench located over a small reflecting pool of 
water. The benches are inscribed with the victim's name, age 
and location at the time of the attack and are arranged by the 
age of the victim.\4\ Visitation to the site is projected to 
reach 3.5 million visitors annually, and a non-profit group is 
raising funds for a visitor education center.\5\ Entrance to 
the Memorial is free and open 365 days a year.\6\
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    \3\https://pentagonmemorial.org/plan/faq.
    \4\https://pentagonmemorial.org/explore/design-elements.
    \5\https://pentagonmemorial.org/visitor-education-center-0/project-
information.
    \6\https://pentagonmemorial.org/plan/faq.
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    The third memorial to 9/11 victims is found near 
Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the Flight 93 National Memorial. 
There the 40 brave passengers and crew who perished on United 
Airlines Flight 93 while thwarting a likely attack on the 
Nation's capital are memorialized at the Memorial Plaza, a 
white marble Wall of Names, a visitor center and the Flight 
Pathway Walkway and Overlook.\7\ On September 9, 2018, the 
Tower of Voices, containing 40 individual wind chimes (one for 
each victim), was dedicated at the site.\8\ The Memorial is 
operated by the National Park Service with the support of 
several non-profit support groups, including the Friends of 
Flight 93.\9\ Even with a more remote location that the other 
two memorials, visitation at the site is growing, with a half 
million visitors in 2016.\10\ The Flight 93 National Memorial 
is open year round and admission is free.\11\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \7\https://www.nps.gov/flni/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm.
    \8\https://www.nps.gov/flni/planyourvisit/tower-of-voices-
dedication.htm.
    \9\https://www.nps.gov/flni/learn/news/upload/park_partners.pdf.
    \10\http://www.tribdem.com/news/local_news/flight-national-
memorial-luring-growing-number-of-visitors/article_925c350a-461c-5a45-
bc72-d5d1ab37e735.html.
    \11\https://www.nps.gov/flni/planyourvisit/hours.htm; https://
www.nps.gov/flni/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm.
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    H.R. 6287, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
award grants, through a competitive process, to tax-exempt, 
nonprofit organizations for the operation and maintenance of 
memorials located within the United States established to 
commemorate the events of, and honor the victims of, the 
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and 
United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, at the site of 
the attacks.
    The House of Representatives considered a similar bill in 
the 114th Congress, H.R. 3036. It passed the House under 
suspension of the rules on February 9, 2016, by a 387-12 vote.

                            COMMITTEE ACTION

    H.R. 6287 was introduced on June 28, 2018, by Congressman 
Thomas MacArthur (R-NJ). The bill was referred to the Committee 
on Natural Resources. On September 5, 2018, the Natural 
Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee 
was discharged by unanimous consent. No amendments were 
offered, and the bill was 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 AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT

    1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act. 
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) and (3) of 
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 
sections 308(a) and 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974, the Committee has received the following estimate for the 
bill from the Director of the Congressional Budget Office:

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                Washington, DC, September 10, 2018.
Hon. Rob Bishop,
Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 6287, the 9/11 
Memorial Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani 
Shankaran.
            Sincerely,
                                                Keith Hall,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 6287--9/11 Memorial Act

    Summary: H.R. 6287 would authorize the appropriation of $25 
million a year through 2023 for the Department of the Interior 
(DOI) to award grants to non-profit organizations for the 
operation and maintenance of certain memorials to victims of 
the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. CBO estimates that 
implementing the bill would cost $100 million over the 2019-
2023 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.
    Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 6287 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    H.R. 6287 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary effect of H.R. 6287 is shown in the following table. 
The costs of the legislation fall within budget function 300 
(natural resources and environment).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                ----------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   2018     2019     2020     2021     2022     2023   2019-2023
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
 
Authorization Level............................        0       25       25       25       25       25       125
Estimated Outlays..............................        0       20       20       20       20       20       100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that the 
legislation will be enacted in 2019 and that the authorized 
amounts will be appropriated each year.
    H.R. 6287 would direct DOI to award grants to non-profit 
organizations whose missions focus on the operation and 
preservation of memorials that commemorate the events of and 
honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 
2001, at the sites of the attacks. The bill would authorize the 
appropriation of $25 million annually over the 2019-2023 period 
for those purposes.
    CBO estimates that a limited number of non-profit 
organizations would be eligible to receive grants. Based on the 
costs to operate the covered memorials in recent years, CBO 
estimates that implementing H.R. 6287 would cost $20 million 
annually and $100 million over the 2019-2023 period. That 
amount includes costs for DOI to manage the grant applications 
and awards.
    Pay-As-You-Go considerations: None.
    Increase in long-term direct spending and deficits: CBO 
estimates that enacting H.R. 6287 would not increase net direct 
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 
10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    Mandates: H.R. 6287 contains no intergovernmental or 
private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Janani Shankaran, 
Mandates: Zachary Byrum.
    Estimate reviewed by: Kim P. Cawley, Chief, Natural and 
Physical Resources Cost Estimates Unit; H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
    2. 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 provide competitive grants for the 
operation, security, and maintenance of certain memorials to 
victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

                           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. This bill does not contain any 
directed rule makings.
    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.

                                  [all]