H. R. 1442
One Hundred Eighth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the seventh day of January, two thousand and three
An Act
To authorize the design and construction of a visitor center for the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I—VIETNAM VETERANS
MEMORIAL VISITOR CENTER
SEC. 101. VISITOR CENTER.
Public Law 96–297 (16 U.S.C. 431 note) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 6. VISITOR CENTER.
‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund,
Inc., is authorized to construct a visitor center at or near
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Federal land in the District
of Columbia, or its environs, subject to the provisions of this
section, in order to better inform and educate the public about
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam War.
‘‘(2) LOCATION.—The visitor center shall be located under-
ground.
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION ON DESIGN PHASE.—The Vietnam Vet-
erans Memorial Fund, Inc., shall consult with educators, vet-
erans groups, and the National Park Service in developing
the proposed design of the visitor center.
‘‘(b) COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO COMMEMO-
RATIVE WORKS.—Chapter 89 of title 40, United States Code, shall
apply, including provisions related to the siting, design, construc-
tion, and maintenance of the visitor center, and the visitor center
shall be considered a commemorative work for the purposes of
that Act, except that—
‘‘(1) final approval of the visitor center shall not be with-
held;
‘‘(2) the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of section
8908 of title 40, United States Code, requiring further approval
by law for the location of a commemorative work within Area
I and prohibiting the siting of a visitor center within the
Reserve shall not apply;
‘‘(3) the size of the visitor center shall be limited to the
minimum necessary—
H. R. 1442—2
‘‘(A) to provide for appropriate educational and
interpretive functions; and
‘‘(B) to prevent interference or encroachment on the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial and to protect open space
and visual sightlines on the Mall; and
‘‘(4) the visitor center shall be constructed and landscaped
in a manner harmonious with the site of the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial, consistent with the special nature and sanctity of
the Mall.
‘‘(c) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall—
‘‘(A) operate and maintain the visitor center, except
that the Secretary shall enter into a written agreement
with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc., for speci-
fied maintenance needs of the visitor center, as determined
by the Secretary; and
‘‘(B) as soon as practicable, in consultation with edu-
cators and veterans groups, develop a written interpretive
plan for the visitor center in accordance with National
Park Service policy.
‘‘(2) 
DONATION
FOR
PERPETUAL
MAINTENANCE
AND
PRESERVATION.—Paragraph (1)(A) does not waive the require-
ments of section 8906(b) of title 40, United States Code, with
respect to the visitor center.
‘‘(d) FUNDING.—The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc.,
shall be solely responsible for acceptance of contributions for, and
payment of expenses of, the establishment of the visitor center.
No Federal funds shall be used to pay any expense of the establish-
ment of the visitor center.’’.
TITLE II—COMMEMORATIVE WORKS
SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Commemorative Works Clarifica-
tion and Revision Act of 2003’’.
SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT OF RESERVE.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) the great cross-axis of the Mall in the District of
Columbia, which generally extends from the United States
Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, and from the White House
to the Jefferson Memorial, is a substantially completed work
of civic art; and
(2) to preserve the integrity of the Mall, a reserve area
should be designated within the core of the great cross-axis
of the Mall where the siting of new commemorative works
is prohibited.
(b) RESERVE.—Section 8908 of title 40, United States Code,
is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(c) RESERVE.—After the date of enactment of the Commemora-
tive Works Clarification and Revision Act of 2003, no commemora-
tive work or visitor center shall be located within the Reserve.’’.
SEC. 203. CLARIFYING AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(a) PURPOSES.—Section 8901(2) of title 40, United States Code,
is amended by striking ‘‘Columbia;’’ and inserting ‘‘Columbia and
H. R. 1442—3
its environs, and to encourage the location of commemorative works
within the urban fabric of the District of Columbia;’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 8902 of title 40, United States Code,
is amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following:
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this chapter:
‘‘(1) COMMEMORATIVE
WORK.—The term ‘commemorative
work’ means any statue, monument, sculpture, memorial,
plaque, inscription, or other structure or landscape feature,
including a garden or memorial grove, designed to perpetuate
in a permanent manner the memory of an individual, group,
event or other significant element of American history, except
that the term does not include any such item which is located
within the interior of a structure or a structure which is pri-
marily used for other purposes.
‘‘(2) THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND ITS ENVIRONS.—The
term ‘the District of Columbia and its environs’ means those
lands and properties administered by the National Park Service
and the General Services Administration located in the Reserve,
Area I, and Area II as depicted on the map entitled ‘Commemo-
rative Areas Washington, DC and Environs’, numbered 869/
86501 B, and dated June 24, 2003.
‘‘(3) RESERVE.—The term ‘Reserve’ means the great cross-
axis of the Mall, which generally extends from the United
States Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, and from the White
House to the Jefferson Memorial, as depicted on the map ref-
erenced in paragraph (2).
‘‘(4) SPONSOR.—The term ‘sponsor’ means a public agency,
or an individual, group or organization that is described in
section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and
exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code, and which
is authorized by Congress to establish a commemorative work
in the District of Columbia and its environs.’’.
(c) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 8903 of title 40, United States
Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) by striking ‘‘work commemorating a lesser conflict’’
and inserting ‘‘work solely commemorating a limited mili-
tary engagement’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘the event’’ and inserting ‘‘such war
or conflict’’;
(2) in subsection (d)—
(A) by striking ‘‘CONSULTATION WITH NATIONAL CAP-
ITAL MEMORIAL COMMISSION.—’’ and inserting ‘‘CONSULTA-
TION
WITH
NATIONAL
CAPITAL
MEMORIAL
ADVISORY
COMMISSION.—’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘House Administration’’ and inserting
‘‘Resources’’; and
(C) by inserting ‘‘Advisory’’ before ‘‘Commission’’; and
(3) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:
‘‘(e) EXPIRATION OF LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY.—Any legislative
authority for a commemorative work shall expire at the end of
the seven-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of
such authority, or at the end of the seven-year period beginning
on the date of the enactment of legislative authority to locate
the commemorative work within Area I, if such additional authority
has been granted, unless—