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1 1 (May 8, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govelns0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congress bnal Research Servi e [ftrrning the Iegisaive debate since 1914 0 Updated May 8, 2023 Authorizing New Additions to Memorials in the District of Columbia: Issues for Consideration In recent Congresses, measures have been introduced to add new elements to existing memorials in the District of Columbia. Adding new elements to completed commemorative works requires an act of Congress under the Commemorative Works Act (CWA; 40 USC §§8901- 8909). It is our duty as Members of Congress to ensure these fallen soldiers are not forgotten by passing the FIRST Act and allowing the inclusion of the names of these 660 fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Rep. Roger Marshall, Congressional Record, November 20, 201 9, p. H9085 As proposals to add elements to existing memorials are introduced, Congress might consider several subjects regarding proposals to change or make an addition to an existing memorial. These include adding a new element to an existing memorial; placing a new element within the Reserve area of the National Mall; and determining criteria for the inclusion of individual names. Adding New Elements to Existing M emorials In 1986, the CWA was enacted to provide standards for the consideration and placement of memorials in areas administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and the General Services Administration (GSA) in the District of Columbia. The CWA provides that no commemorative work may be established in the District of Columbia unless specifically authorized by Congress. Further, once dedicated, a memorial is considered a completed work of civic art, and additions are generally prohibited. Generally, encroachment on an existing memorial occurs when a new memorial or new element is added to an existing, completed memorial. Pursuant to the CWA, a new commemorative work shall be located so that ... it does not interfere with, or encroach on, an existing commemorative work. Even though the CWA established a general prohibition against adding new elements to existing memorials, in subsequent legislation Congress has authorized eight additional elements at existing commemorative works sites. These are a statue at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (P.L. 105-29) depicting President Roosevelt in a wheelchair; a plaque at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (P.L. 106- 214) to veterans who died as a result of service during the Vietnam War; a plaque at the Lincoln Memorial (P.L. 106-365) commemorating Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech; a plaque at the World War II Memorial to honor Senator Robert J. Dole's leadership in making the Memorial a reality on the National Mall ... (P.L. 111-88); a plaque at the World War II Memorial (P.L. 113-123) with the text of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's D- Day prayer; a wall of remembrance at the Korean War Memorial (P.L. 114-230); new commemorative elements at the Second Infantry Division Memorial (P.L. 115-141); and new commemorative elements at the First Infantry Division Memorial (P.L. 116-283). Reserve Area of the National Mall Pursuant to the CWA, to preserve the integrity of the Mall ... the siting of new commemorative works is prohibited in the Reserve (40 U.S.C. §8908(c)). The Reserve is the great cross-axis of the Mall, which generally extends from the United States Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial (40 U.S.C. §8902(a)(3)). Figure 1 shows the reserve area of the National Mall.

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