I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4197 

To authorize the Gold Star Mothers National Monument Foundation to 

establish a national monument in the District of Columbia. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 3, 2009 

Mr. ADLER of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. HALL of New York, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mrs. MCMORRIS

RODGERS, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, and Ms. KOSMAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To authorize the Gold Star Mothers National Monument 

Foundation to establish a national monument in the 

District of Columbia. 

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 ‘‘Gold Star Mothers Na5 tional Monument Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) During World War I, mothers of sons and 

9 daughters who served in the Armed Forces displayed 


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1 flags bearing a blue star to represent their pride in 

2 their sons and daughters and their hope that their 

3 sons and daughters would return home safely. 

4 (2) For more than 60,000 of these mothers, 

5 that hope was shattered, and many of them, both 

6 during and after World War I, began displaying 

7 flags bearing a gold star to represent the sacrifice 

8 that their sons and daughters made for freedom and 

9 this country. 

10 (3) Over the years, the gold star has come to 

11 represent a child who was killed while serving in the 

12 Armed Forces, whether that service was during war13 time or not. 

14 (4) In 1929, Congress passed a law authorizing 

15 the Federal Government to disburse funds for Gold 

16 Star Mothers, and widows of those who were killed 

17 while serving in the Armed Forces during World 

18 War I, to travel to the battlefields of Europe to visit 

19 the burial sites of their loved ones. 

20 (5) On June 23, 1936, Congress passed Senate 

21 Joint Resolution 115 (74th Congress), which estab22 lished the last Sunday in September as Gold Star 

23 Mother’s Day. 

24 (6) Gold Star Mothers, a most deserving group, 

25 should be honored to commemorate the sacrifices 


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1 that they, and their sons and daughters, made for 

2 this country. 

3 SEC. 3. GOLD STAR MOTHERS NATIONAL MONUMENT. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Gold Star Mothers Na5 tional Monument Foundation (a nonprofit corporation es6 tablished under the laws of the District of Columbia) is 

7 authorized to establish a monument on Federal land in 

8 the District of Columbia or its environs, as a unit of the 

9 National Park System. The monument shall be known as 

10 the ‘‘Gold Star Mothers National Monument’’. 

11 (b) COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS FOR COMMEMO12 RATIVE WORKS.—The establishment of the monument 

13 shall be carried out in accordance with the Commemora14 tive Works Act (40 U.S.C. 8901 et seq.). 

15 (c) PAYMENT OF EXPENSES.—The Gold Star Moth16 ers National Monument Foundation shall be solely respon17 sible for acceptance of contributions for, and payment of 

18 the expenses of, the establishment of the monument, and 

19 no Federal funds may be used to pay such expenses. 

Æ 


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