Veterans' Oral History Project Act

Summary: Establishes a gift account for the program in the Treasury.Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Oral History Project 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
        (1) Military service during a time of war is the highest 
    sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country.
        (2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000 
    Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served in the 
    Korean Conflict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the Vietnam 
    Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian Gulf War, and 
    countless other Americans served in military engagements overseas 
    throughout the 20th century.
        (3) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there are 
    almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in this Nation today.
        (4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living veterans of 
    World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans of World War II 
    alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.
        (5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians, 
    researchers, authors, journalists, film makers, scholars, students, 
    and citizens of all walks of life.
        (6) War veterans possess an invaluable resource in their 
    memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can provide a 
    rich history of our Nation and its people through the retelling of 
    those memories, yet frequently those who served during times of 
    conflict are reticent to family and friends about their 
    experiences.
        (7) It is in the Nation's best interest to collect and catalog 
    oral histories of American war veterans so that future generations 
    will have original sources of information regarding the lives and 
    times of those who served in war and the conditions under which 
    they endured, so that Americans will always remember those who 
    served in war and may learn first-hand of the heroics, tediousness, 
    horrors, and triumphs of war.
        (8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation's oldest Federal 
    cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library in 
    human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its multimedia 
    collection) is an appropriate repository to collect, preserve, and 
    make available to the public an archive of these oral histories. 
    The Library's American Folklife Center has expertise in the 
    management of documentation projects and experience in the 
    development of cultural and educational programs for the public.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to create a new 
federally sponsored, authorized, and funded program that will 
coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio 
recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war 
veterans, and to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve the 
memories of this Nation's war veterans so that Americans of all current 
and future generations may hear directly from veterans and better 
appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who 
served in uniform during wartime.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM AT AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER TO COLLECT 
              VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS OF HISTORIES OF VETERANS.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the American Folklife Center at 
the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program--
        (1) to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories 
    and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during 
    a period of war;
        (2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained 
    (including a catalog and index) which will be available for public 
    use through the National Digital Library of the Library of Congress 
    and such other methods as the Director considers appropriate to the 
    extent feasible subject to available resources; and
        (3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials (such 
    as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal histories of 
    veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war and 
    to catalog such materials in a manner the Director considers 
    appropriate, consistent with and complimentary to the efforts 
    described in paragraphs (1) and (2).
    (b) Use of and Consultation With Other Entities.--The Director may 
carry out the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (3) of 
subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships entered into with 
other government and private entities, and may otherwise consult with 
interested persons (within the limits of available resources) and 
develop appropriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting, 
acquiring, and making available recordings under the program under this 
Act.
    (c) Timing.--As soon as practicable after the enactment of this 
Act, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio recordings 
under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect the first such 
recordings from the oldest veterans.

SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT.

    (a) Acceptance of Donations.--The Librarian of Congress may solicit 
and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions to carry out 
the oral history program under section 3.
    (b) Establishment of Separate Gift Account.--There is established 
in the Treasury (among the accounts of the Library of Congress) a gift 
account for the oral history program under section 3.
    (c) Dedication of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law--
        (1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to carry out 
    the oral history program under section 3 shall be deposited 
    entirely into the gift account established under subsection (b);
        (2) the funds contained in such account shall be used solely to 
    carry out the oral history program under section 3; and
        (3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit into such account 
    any funds donated to the Librarian which are not donated for the 
    exclusive purpose of carrying out the oral history program under 
    section 3.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
        (1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
        (2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal 
    year.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.