[Senate Report 115-304]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


115th Congress     }                                  {        Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session        }                                  {       115-304

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



 
               NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM ACT

                                _______
                                

                 July 17, 2018.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Ms. Murkowski, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1900]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 
referred the bill (H.R. 1900) to designate the Veterans 
Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans 
Memorial and Museum, and for other purposes, having considered 
the same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and 
recommends that the bill do pass.

                                PURPOSE

    The purpose of H.R. 1900 is to designate the Veterans 
Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio as the ``National 
Veterans Memorial and Museum.''

                          BACKGROUND AND NEED

    The National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM) is 
currently under construction in Columbus, Ohio. According to 
the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, the NVMM will 
seek to honor, connect, inspire, and educate people of the 
United States about the service and sacrifice of veterans of 
the United States Armed Forces.
    When completed, the NVMM will be the only public museum of 
its kind that exists for the exclusive purpose of interpreting 
the collective experiences of veterans of the United States of 
America across all eras, conflicts, and branches of the 
military. The NVMM aims to attract and educate a diverse group 
of audiences from across the country through visitor-centered, 
interactive, and participatory exhibits. The NVMM also seeks to 
preserve the stories and legacy of service so that visitors can 
conduct a critical evaluation of the history and evolution of 
the United States through the lens of the military experience.
    The NVMM plans to open in late 2018.

                          LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

    H.R. 1900 was introduced in the House of Representatives by 
Rep. Stivers on April 4, 2017, and referred to the Committees 
on Natural Resources and Veterans' Affairs. The Veterans' 
Affairs Committee favorably reported H.R. 1900, as amended (H. 
Rept. 115-399, Part I), on November 7, 2017, and the Natural 
Resources Committee discharged H.R. 1900 on the same day. On 
November 7, 2017, H.R. 1900 passed the House of Representatives 
by voice vote.
    Similar legislation, S. 841, was introduced by Senators 
Portman and Brown on April 5, 2017. The Senate Subcommittee on 
National Parks held a hearing on S. 841 on July 19, 2017.
    In the 114th Congress, Senators Portman and Brown 
introduced similar legislation, S. 3342, on September 15, 2016. 
In the House of Representatives, Rep. Stivers introduced 
companion legislation, H.R. 6038, on September 15, 2016.
    The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources met in open 
business session on May 17, 2018, and ordered H.R. 1900 
favorably reported.
    The Senate passed H.R. 1900 on June 6, 2018, without 
amendment, by voice vote.

                        COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

    The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 
open business session on May 17, 2018, by a majority voice vote 
of a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass H.R. 1900.

                      SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 contains the short title.

Section 2. Designation of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum

    Section 2(a) designates the memorial and museum currently 
under construction on an approximately seven-acre area on West 
Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio, bounded by the Scioto River and 
the Scioto Greenway, as the ``National Veterans Memorial and 
Museum,'' subject to the condition contained in subsection (b).
    Subsection (b) stipulates that the designation may be 
withdrawn no earlier than five years after the date on which 
the museum opens to the public, pursuant to an Act of Congress, 
if the progress and operation of the museum are found to be 
unsatisfactory based on the report submitted, as required in 
subsection (c).
    Subsection (c) requires a report to Congress on the 
memorial and the museum by the earlier of either 90 days after 
the date of enactment or 30 days before the date on which the 
memorial and museum is first open to the public. The report 
shall include the projected budget for the memorial and museum 
for the five-year period beginning on its expected opening 
date; a description of the outreach conducted by the memorial 
and museum to veterans across the United States to receive 
input about the design and contents; a description of the 
process by which decisions are made about the contents of the 
displayed exhibits; a description of the organizational 
structure; a copy of the bylaws and rules; and a list of any 
organizations or entities that have accredited the memorial and 
museum.
    Subsection (d) clarifies that the national memorial and 
museum is not a unit of the National Park System, and the 
designation shall not be construed to require Federal funds to 
be expended for any purpose related to the national memorial 
and museum.

                   COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

    The following estimate of the costs of this measure has 
been provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
    H.R. 1900 would designate a memorial and museum, currently 
being constructed by a non-profit organization in Columbus, 
Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. The act 
would require the director of the new museum to submit a report 
to the Congress on the memorial and museum's progress and 
operation. H.R. 1900 would clarify that neither part of the 
facility would be a unit of the National Park System and that 
the designation under the act would not require federal funds 
to be expended. Thus, CBO estimates that H.R. 1900 would have 
no effect on the federal budget.
    Enacting H.R. 1900 would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1900 would not increase 
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
    H.R. 1900 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Logan Smith. The 
estimate was reviewed by Leo Lex, Deputy Assistant Director for 
Budget Analysis.

                      REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

    In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following 
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in 
carrying out H.R. 1900. The bill is not a regulatory measure in 
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or 
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals 
and businesses.
    No personal information would be collected in administering 
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal 
privacy.
    Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the 
enactment of H.R. 1900, as ordered reported.

                   CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING

    H.R. 1900, as ordered reported, does not contain any 
congressionally directed spending items, limited tax benefits, 
or limited tariff benefits as defined in rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate.

                        EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

    The testimony provided by the Department of the Interior at 
the July 19, 2017, hearing on S. 841, similar legislation to 
H.R. 1900, follows:

   Statement of Robert Vogel, Acting Deputy Director, National Park 
                Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

    Chairman Daines, Ranking Member Hirono, and members of the 
subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the 
Department of the Interior's views on S. 841, a bill to 
designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio as 
the National Veterans Memorial and Museum.
    The Department of the Interior (Department) defers to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for a position on S. 841 since 
the purpose of the legislation is to confer a title on a 
memorial and museum designed to honor veterans. The memorial is 
located at a site that is not under the jurisdiction of the 
Department, and this bill does not provide for any management 
or funding by the National Park Service.
    The Columbus Downtown Development Corporation broke ground 
on the Veterans Memorial and Museum in December 2015. It is 
being built with support from the State of Ohio, Franklin 
County, and private individuals, foundations, and corporations. 
The museum will become the only one of its kind that exists for 
the exclusive purpose of interpreting the collective experience 
of veterans of the United States across all eras, conflicts, 
and branches of the military. It is expected to open in the 
summer of 2018.
    We are concerned that this legislation proposes the use of 
the title ``national'' which could create an expectation among 
the general public that the memorial and museum has an 
affiliation with the National Park Service, or at least some 
connection to the Federal government. This is not the first 
time the issue of a ``national'' designation for a non-federal 
entity has arisen, nor is it likely to be the last. The 
Department respectfully encourages the committee to be 
thoughtful and judicious in any decision as to whether an 
entity that has no association with the Federal government 
should have a ``national'' title conferred by Congress.
    Chairman Daines, this concludes my statement. I would be 
pleased to answer questions you or other members of the 
subcommittee may have.

                        CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no 
changes in existing law are made by the bill as ordered 
reported.

                                  [all]