II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 841 

To designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as 

the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 5 (legislative day, APRIL 4), 2017 

Mr. PORTMAN (for himself and Mr. BROWN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To designate the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Veterans Me5 morial and Museum Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The Veterans Memorial and Museum is a 

9 civic landmark and cultural institution being built in 


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1 Columbus, Ohio, to honor, connect, inspire, and edu2 cate all people of the United States about the service 

3 and sacrifice of more than 40,000,000 veterans, over 

4 half of whom are living today, and 1,100,000 fallen 

5 who have bravely defended the freedoms enjoyed by 

6 all citizens of the United States of America. 

7 (2) The Veterans Memorial and Museum is the 

8 only public museum of its kind that exists for the 

9 exclusive purpose of interpreting the collective expe10 riences of veterans of the United States of America 

11 across all eras, conflicts, and branches of the mili12 tary. 

13 (3) The Veterans Memorial and Museum would 

14 attract and educate a diverse group of audiences 

15 from across the country through its visitor-centered, 

16 interactive, and participatory exhibits. 

17 (4) The Veterans Memorial and Museum would 

18 work to help bridge the military-civilian gap that has 

19 increasingly isolated veterans and their families and 

20 often made the journey from civilian to soldier back 

21 to civilian more difficult to navigate. 

22 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that— 

24 (1) the Veterans Memorial and Museum will 

25 preserve the stories and legacy of service so that 


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1 visitors can conduct a critical evaluation of the his2 tory and evolution of our country as seen through 

3 the lens of the military experience; 

4 (2) the Veterans Memorial and Museum will in5 spire civilians to serve their communities and coun6 try as active and engaged citizens; 

7 (3) the Veterans Memorial and Museum will be 

8 a beacon for all veterans, veteran families, and civil9 ians of this country to ensure that the sacrifices of 

10 America’s service men and women are a guarantee 

11 to posterity; 

12 (4) the State of Ohio, Franklin County, and 

13 many more private individuals, foundations, and cor14 porations have contributed millions of dollars to de15 sign and construct this national destination, which 

16 broke ground in December 2015; and 

17 (5) it is fitting and proper to refer to the Vet18 erans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as 

19 the ‘‘National Veterans Memorial and Museum’’. 

20 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL VETERANS MEMORIAL 

21 AND MUSEUM. 

22 (a) DESIGNATION.—The Veterans Memorial and Mu23 seum is hereby designated as the ‘‘National Veterans Me24 morial and Museum’’. 


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1 (b) VETERANS MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM DE2 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘Veterans Memorial 

3 and Museum’’ means the memorial and museum that is, 

4 as of the date of the enactment of this Act, being con5 structed on an approximately 7-acre area on West Broad 

6 Street, Columbus, Ohio, bounded by the Scioto River and 

7 the Scioto Greenway. 

Æ 


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