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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1849 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1849

To designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in 
    Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial, to 
 establish the World War I centennial commission to ensure a suitable 
  observance of the centennial of World War I, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 1, 2009

Mr. Cleaver (for himself, Mr. Akin, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. Clay, 
Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Graves, Mr. Luetkemeyer, and Mr. Skelton) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight 
  and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To designate the Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in 
    Kansas City, Missouri, as the National World War I Memorial, to 
 establish the World War I centennial commission to ensure a suitable 
  observance of the centennial of World War I, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``World War I Memorial and Centennial 
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) More than 4,000,000 men and women from the United 
        States served in uniform in the defense of liberty during World 
        War I, among them two future presidents, Harry S. Truman and 
        Dwight D. Eisenhower.
            (2) 2,000,000 individuals from the United States served 
        overseas during World War I, including 200,000 naval personnel 
        who served on the seas.
            (3) The United States suffered 375,000 casualties during 
        World War I.
            (4) The events of 1914 through 1918 shaped the world, our 
        country, and the lives of millions of people in countless ways.
            (5) The centennial of World War I offers an opportunity for 
        people in the United States to learn about the sacrifices of 
        their predecessors.
            (6) Commemorative efforts allow people in the United States 
        to gain a historical understanding of the type of conflicts 
        that cause countries to go to war and how those conflicts are 
        resolved.
            (7) Kansas City is home to the Liberty Memorial and 
        America's National World War I Museum (as so recognized in the 
        Ronald W. Reagan National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
        Year 2005 (Public Law 108-375)).
            (8) America's National World War I Museum seeks--
                    (A) to preserve the history of World War I; and
                    (B) to educate and enlighten people about this 
                significant event, the consequences of which are still 
                with us.
            (9) Kansas City is home to the national headquarters for 
        the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
            (10) Missouri is the home State of General John Joseph 
        Pershing, who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces in 
        Europe during World War I.
            (11) The Kansas City area is the home of the Harry S. 
        Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
            (12) The Dwight David Eisenhower Presidential Library and 
        Museum is located close to Kansas City in the neighboring State 
        of Kansas.
            (13) There is no nationally recognized memorial honoring 
        the service of Americans who served in World War I.
            (14) In 1919, the people of Kansas City, Missouri, 
        expressed an outpouring of support and raised more than 
        $2,000,000 in two weeks for a memorial to the service of 
        Americans in World War I. That fundraising was an 
        accomplishment unparalleled by any other city in the United 
        States irrespective of population and reflected the passion of 
        public opinion about World War I, which had so recently ended.
            (15) Following the drive, a national architectural 
        competition was held by the American Institute of Architects 
        for designs for a memorial to the service of Americans in World 
        War I, and the competition yielded a design by architect H. Van 
        Buren Magonigle.
            (16) On November 1, 1921, more than 100,000 people 
        witnessed the dedication of the site for the Liberty Memorial 
        in Kansas City, Missouri. That dedication marked the only time 
        in history that the five allied military leaders; Lieutenant 
        General Baron Jacques of Belgium, General Armando Diaz of 
        Italy, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France, General John J. 
        Pershing of the United States, and Admiral Lord Earl Beatty of 
        Great Britain, were together at one place.
            (17) General Pershing noted at the November 1, 1921, 
        dedication that ``[t]he people of Kansas City, Missouri, are 
        deeply proud of the beautiful memorial, erected in tribute to 
        the patriotism, the gallant achievements, and the heroic 
        sacrifices of their sons and daughters who served in our 
        country's armed forces during the World War. It symbolized 
        their grateful appreciation of duty well done, an appreciation 
        which I share, because I know so well how richly it is 
        merited''.
            (18) During an Armistice Day ceremony in 1924, President 
        Calvin Coolidge marked the beginning of a three-year 
        construction project for the Liberty Memorial by the laying of 
        the cornerstone of the memorial.
            (19) The 217-foot Liberty Memorial Tower has an inscription 
        that reads ``In Honor of Those Who Served in the World War in 
        Defense of Liberty and Our Country'' as well as four stone 
        ``Guardian Spirits'' representing courage, honor, patriotism, 
        and sacrifice, which rise above the observation deck, making 
        the Liberty Memorial a noble tribute to all who served in World 
        War I.
            (20) During a rededication for the Liberty Memorial in 
        1961, World War I veterans and former Presidents Harry S. 
        Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower recognized the memorial as a 
        constant reminder of the sacrifices during World War I and the 
        progress that followed.
            (21) The 106th Congress recognized the Liberty Memorial as 
        a national symbol of World War I.
            (22) The National World War I Museum is the only public 
        museum in the United States specifically dedicated to the 
        history of World War I.
            (23) The National World War I Museum is known throughout 
        the world as a major center of World War I remembrance.

SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE LIBERTY MEMORIAL AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR I 
              MUSEUM IN KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, AS THE NATIONAL WORLD 
              WAR I MEMORIAL.

    The Liberty Memorial at the National World War I Museum in Kansas 
City, Missouri, is hereby designated as the ``National World War I 
Memorial''.

SEC. 4. COMMISSION ON THE COMMEMORATION OF THE CENTENNIAL OF WORLD WAR 
              I.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known 
as the World War I Centennial Commission (in this Act referred to as 
the ``Commission'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Commission is to ensure a suitable 
observance of the centennial of World War I that promotes the values of 
honor, courage, patriotism, and sacrifice, in keeping with the 
representation of these values through the four Guardian Spirits 
sculpted on the Liberty Memorial Monument at America's National World 
War I Museum.
    (c) Duties.--The Commission shall have the following duties:
            (1) To plan, develop, and execute programs, projects, and 
        activities to commemorate the centennial of World War I.
            (2) To encourage private organizations and State and local 
        governments to organize and participate in activities 
        commemorating the centennial of World War I.
            (3) To facilitate and coordinate activities throughout the 
        United States related to the centennial of World War I.
            (4) To serve as a clearinghouse for the collection and 
        dissemination of information about events and plans for the 
        centennial of World War I.
    (d) Membership.--
            (1) Number and appointment.--The Commission shall be 
        composed of 24 members as follows:
                    (A) Four members appointed by the Speaker of the 
                House of Representatives.
                    (B) Three members appointed by the minority leader 
                of the House of Representatives.
                    (C) Four members appointed by the Senate majority 
                leader.
                    (D) Three members appointed by the Senate minority 
                leader.
                    (E) Seven members who are broadly representative of 
                the people of the United States (including members of 
                the armed services and veterans), appointed by the 
                President.
                    (F) The executive director of the Veterans of 
                Foreign Wars of the United States (or the director's 
                delegate).
                    (G) The executive director of the American Legion 
                (or the director's delegate).
                    (H) The president of the Liberty Memorial 
                Association, the nonprofit entity responsible for the 
                management of America's National World War I Museum (or 
                the president's delegate).
            (2) Continuation of membership.--If a member of the 
        Commission under paragraph (1)(F) through (H) ceases to hold a 
        position named in such paragraph, that member must resign from 
        the Commission as of the date that the member ceases to hold 
        that position.
            (3) Terms.--Each member shall be appointed for the life of 
        the Commission.
            (4) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled 
        in the manner in which the original appointment was made.
            (5) Pay.--Members shall serve without pay.
            (6) Travel expenses.--Each member shall receive travel 
        expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in 
        accordance with the applicable provisions under subchapter I of 
        chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.
            (7) Quorum.--Thirteen members of the Commission shall 
        constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
            (8) Chairperson; vice chairperson.--The Commission shall 
        elect the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commission.
            (9) Meetings.--
                    (A) In general.--The Commission shall meet at the 
                call of the Chairperson, except that the first meeting 
                shall be held before the end of the 30-day period 
                beginning on the effective date of this Act.
                    (B) Location.--The Commission shall hold the first 
                meeting at America's National World War I Museum in 
                Kansas City, Missouri, and thereafter shall hold at 
                least one meeting per year at such location.
    (e) Director and Additional Personnel of the Commission; Experts 
and Consultants.--
            (1) Director and staff.--
                    (A) Appointment.--The Chair of the Commission 
                shall, in consultation with the members of the 
                Commission, appoint an executive director and such 
                other additional personnel as may be necessary to 
                enable the Commission to perform its duties.
                    (B) Pay.--
                            (i) Executive director.--The executive 
                        director shall be paid at a rate not to exceed 
                        the rate of basic pay payable for level IV of 
                        the Executive Schedule established under 
                        section 5315 of title 5, United State Code.
                            (ii) Additional personnel.--The executive 
                        director may fix the pay of any additional 
                        personnel appointed under subparagraph (A) as 
                        the executive director considers appropriate.
                    (C) Work location.--If the city government for 
                Kansas City, Missouri, and the nonprofit organization 
                which administers America's National World War I Museum 
                make space available, the executive director and any 
                additional personnel appointed under subparagraph (A) 
                shall work in the building that houses that museum.
            (2) Experts and consultants.--The Commission may procure 
        temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of 
        title 5, United States Code.
            (3) Staff of federal agencies.--Upon request of the 
        Commission, the head of any Federal department or agency may 
        detail, on a reimbursable basis, any personnel of that 
        department or agency to the Commission to assist it in carrying 
        out its duties under this Act.
    (f) Powers of the Commission.--
            (1) Hearings and sessions.--For the purpose of carrying out 
        this Act, the Commission may hold hearings, sit and act at 
        times and places, take testimony, and receive evidence as the 
        Commission considers appropriate.
            (2) Powers of members and agents.--If authorized by the 
        Commission, any member or agent of the Commission may take any 
        action which the Commission is authorized to take by this 
        section.
            (3) Obtaining official data.--The Commission shall secure 
        directly from any department or agency of the United States 
        information necessary to enable it to carry out this Act. Upon 
        the request of the Chairperson of the Commission, the head of 
        that department or agency shall furnish that information to the 
        Commission.
            (4) Gifts, bequests, and devises.--
                    (A) Acceptance by commission.--The Commission may 
                accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises 
                of services or property, both real and personal, for 
                the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the 
                Commission.
                    (B) Deposit and availability.--Gifts, bequests, or 
                devises of money and proceeds from sales of other 
                property received as gifts, bequests, or devises shall 
                be deposited in the Treasury and shall be available for 
                disbursement upon order of the Commission.
            (5) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails 
        in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
        departments and agencies of the United States.
            (6) Administrative support services.--Upon the request of 
        the Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall 
        provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the 
        administrative support services necessary for the Commission to 
        carry out its responsibilities under this Act.
            (7) Contract authority.--The Commission is authorized to 
        procure supplies, services, and property and to make or enter 
        in contracts, leases, or other legal agreements; except that 
        any contract, lease, or other legal agreement made or entered 
        into by the Commission may not extend beyond the date of 
        termination of the Commission.
    (g) Reports.--
            (1) Periodic report.--Beginning not later than the last day 
        of the 3-month period beginning on the date of enactment of 
        this Act and the last day of each 3-month period thereafter, 
        the Commission shall submit to Congress and the President a 
        report on the activities and plans of the Commission.
            (2) Recommendations.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        effective date of this Act, the Commission shall submit to 
        Congress and the President a report containing specific 
        recommendations for commemorating the centennial of World War I 
        and coordinating related activities.
    (h) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on the earlier of 
the date that is 30 days after the activities honoring the centennial 
observation of World War I are carried out or July 28, 2019. Section 
14(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), 
relating to the termination of advisory committees, shall not apply to 
the Commission.
    (i) Effective Date.--This section shall be effective on January 1, 
2010.
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