[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.