[Senate Report 113-141]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 339
113th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 113-141
======================================================================
WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL PRAYER ACT
_______
March 31, 2014.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Ms. Landrieu, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 1044]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 1044) to direct the secretary of the
Interior to install 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 D-Day, June 6, 1944, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon without amendment and
recommends that the bill do pass.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 1044 is to direct the Secretary of the
Interior to install a suitable plaque or inscription in the
area of the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C., with the
words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in a prayer
with the United States on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
Public Law 103-32 authorized the World War II Memorial on
May 23, 1993, and Public Law 103-422 approved the Memorial's
placement in Washington, D.C. on October 24, 1994. The World
War II Memorial is located at the Rainbow Pool site on the
National Mall. World War II is recognized as the single most
defining event of the 20th Century for both Americans and the
world. This Memorial honors the members of the Armed Forces who
served in World War II and it commemorates the participation of
the United States during the conflict.
On the morning of the D-Day landings, June 6, 1944,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed all Americans with a
prayer for the success of the Armed Forces of the United States
and its World War II allies. President Roosevelt prayed for all
the brave men fighting overseas that they would prevail over
the enemy, protect America, and return safely to their
families. The prayer asked for the people of the nation to
devote themselves in a continuance of a prayer for help with
the war efforts both at home and overseas.
Under the Commemorative Works Act, memorials and designs
are approved by the National Capital Memorial Advisory
Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the Secretary of
the Interior. S. 1044 would require the addition of President
Roosevelt's D-Day prayer to the completed World War II
Memorial. These changes cannot be made without enactment of a
new law authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to prepare
and install a suitable plaque or inscription in an area near
the World War II Memorial.
legislative history
S. 1044 was introduced by Senator Portman on May 23, 2013.
The bill is cosponsored by Senator Landrieu. The Subcommittee
on National Parks held a hearing on S. 1044 on July 31, 2013
(S. Hrg. 113-93). At its business meeting on November 21, 2013
the Committee ordered S. 1044 favorably reported.
In the 112th Congress, Senator Portman introduced similar
legislation, S. 3078, on May 10, 2012. The House of
Representatives passed a related measure, H.R. 2070, sponsored
by Representative Johnson of Ohio by a roll call vote of 386-26
on January 24, 2012. The Senate Subcommittee on National Parks
held a hearing on S. 3078 on June 27, 2012 (S. Hrg. 112-578).
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in
open business session on November 21, 2013, by a voice vote of
a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1044.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 provides the short title, the ``World War II
Memorial Prayer Act of 2013.''
Section 2 directs the Secretary of the Interior to design,
procure, prepare and install a plaque or inscription with the
words of the prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke
on the morning of June 6, 1944, D-Day, in the area of the World
War II Memorial in the District of Columbia, and prohibits the
use of Federal funds to prepare or install the plaque or
inscription.
Section 3 requires that the design and placement of the
plaque be done in accordance with the Commemorative Works Act
(40 U.S.C. Chapter 89).
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
S. 1044--World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013
S. 1044 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 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 S. 1044 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. Enacting S. 1044 would not affect
revenues.
S. 1044 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.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Martin von
Gnechten. The estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, 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 S. 1044.
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 S. 1044, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
S. 1044, as 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 National Park Service at the
July 31, 2013, Subcommittee on National Parks hearing on S.
1044 follows:
Statement of Stephanie Toothman, Associate Director, Cultural
Resources, Partnerships, and Science, National Park Service, Department
of the Interior
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear
before your committee to present the views of the Department of
the Interior on S. 1044, a bill which 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 Delano
Roosevelt prayed with the United States on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
The Department appreciates the importance of faith in the
lives of Americans across this country, the leadership of
President Roosevelt, and the courage and sacrifices of
Americans during World War II and today. The World War II
Memorial recognizes a period of unprecedented national unity
during the defining moment of the twentieth century, and is
devoted to the service, commitment, and shared sacrifice of
Americans.
The Department appreciates the efforts by the sponsor,
Senator Rob Portman, to work with the National Park Service
(NPS) on this legislation. S. 1044 proposes adding a
commemorative work in the area of the existing World War II
Memorial. We support the continued application of the
Commemorative Works Act (CWA). Section 2 of this bill states
that the Secretary of the Interior shall design, procure,
prepare, and install the plaque or inscription, thus allowing
the NPS to determine the placement and design of the plaque.
However, section 3 of the bill requires a different method of
designing and locating the plaque or inscription than is
provided in the CWA. The CWA process incorporates important
design reviews and public consultation. We support retaining
the CWA as the vehicle for siting and designing this plaque or
inscription.
The World War II Memorial was authorized on May 23, 1993,
by Public Law 103-32. In 1994, Congress approved its placement
in the area containing the National Mall in Public Law 103-422.
Its location at the site of the Rainbow Pool was approved in
1995 by the NPS on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, the
Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), and the National Capital
Planning Commission (NCPC). In July 1997, the CFA and the NCPC
reaffirmed prior approvals of the Rainbow Pool site in
recognition of the significance of World War II as the single-
most defining event of the 20th Century for Americans and the
world. Even so, there were challenges to the establishment of
this memorial. The design we see today was painstakingly
arrived upon after years of public deliberations and spirited
public debate.
The National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC)
reviewed a proposal similar to the one before the committee
today at its meeting on September 14, 2011, and determined that
no additional elements should be inserted into this carefully
designed Memorial. The American Battle Monuments Commission
(ABMC), charged by the Congress in Public Law 103-32 to design
and build the World War II Memorial, is represented on the
NCMAC, and thus concurred with that determination.
If directed by Congress pursuant to this legislation, the
NPS will work to find an appropriate location for the plaque in
accordance with the CWA process, as directed in section 3 of
this legislation.
That concludes our prepared testimony on S. 1044, and we
would be happy to answer any questions you 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 S. 1044, as ordered
reported.