39–010 

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 


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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 DDay 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 


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3 

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 


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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. 


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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. 

Æ 


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