39–006 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 113–500 

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. 


tjames@gpo.gov on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
2 

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. 


tjames@gpo.gov on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
3 

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 auVerDate Mar 15 2010 04:51 Jul 01, 2014 Jkt 039006 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR500.XXX HR500

tjames@gpo.gov on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with REPORTS
4 

thority, 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. 

Æ 


tjames@gpo.gov on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with REPORTS