IB 
Union Calendar No. 279 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2201 
[Report No. 108–492, Part I] 
To authorize the establishment of a national database for purposes of identi-
fying, locating, and cataloging the many memorials and permanent trib-
utes to America’s veterans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2003 
Mr. UDALL of Colorado introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Vet-
erans’ Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned 
MAY 17, 2004 
Additional sponsors: Mr. FEENEY, Mr. RAHALL, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MARKEY, 
Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA´, Mr. MORAN of Vir-
ginia, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. KIND, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, 
Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. BACA, Mr. FROST, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. LEE, Mr. 
RANGEL, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. CASE, Mr. WEXLER, 
Mr. HOSTETTLER, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, and 
Mr. UDALL of New Mexico 
MAY 17, 2004 
Reported from the Committee on Resources 
MAY 17, 2004 
Referral to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs extended for a period ending 
not later than May 17, 2004 
MAY 17, 2004 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs discharged; committed to the Committee of 
the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
A BILL 
To authorize the establishment of a national database for 
purposes of identifying, locating, and cataloging the 
many memorials and permanent tributes to America’s 
veterans. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National War Perma-
nent Tribute Historical Database Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) on November 13, 2000, Congress agreed to 
a resolution expressing the sense of Congress re-
garding the need for cataloging and maintaining 
public memorials; 
(2) there are many thousands of public memo-
rials and permanent tributes throughout the United 
States and abroad that commemorate military con-
flicts of the United States and the service of individ-
uals in the Armed Forces; 
(3) many of these memorials suffer from ne-
glect and disrepair, and many have been relocated or 
stored in facilities where the memorials are unavail-
able to the public and subject to further neglect and 
damage; and
(4) there exists a need to collect and centralize 
information regarding the identification, location, 
and description of these memorials, as no such cata-
log is available to the public from either the Federal 
Government or any nongovernmental entity. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF DATABASE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—In order to locate, identify, 
and catalog the many thousands of permanent tributes 
that commemorate the military conflicts of the United 
States, and the service and sacrifice of individuals in the 
Armed Forces of the United States, and to make such in-
formation readily available for the educational benefit of 
the public, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs, may establish and 
maintain a database known as the National War Perma-
nent Tribute Historical Database. 
(b) CONTENT.—The database shall contain informa-
tion on— 
(1) the location, history, and background of the 
permanent tributes; 
(2) photographs and other information to en-
hance the understanding of the permanent tributes; 
(3) information about the veterans in whose 
honor the permanent tributes are dedicated; and
(4) any other information the Secretary con-
siders appropriate and necessary. 
(c) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The database shall be made ac-
cessible to the public, through the Internet or by other 
means, in a format that permits the public to submit infor-
mation on permanent tributes for the purpose of updating 
and expanding the database. 
(d) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of the Interior may 
seek the assistance of other Federal agencies and the 
States and their political subdivisions, tribal governments, 
public or private educational institutions, non-profit orga-
nizations, and individuals or other entities that the Sec-
retary considers appropriate in carrying out this Act, and 
may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements to 
obtain information or services that assist in the develop-
ment and implementation of the database. 
(e) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term 
‘‘permanent tribute’’ means any statue, structure, or other 
monument on public property commemorating the service 
of any person or persons in the Armed Forces. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of the Interior such sums as may be necessary to 
carry out this Act.
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
Within 3 years after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall transmit to the 
Congress a report assessing the efficacy and desirability 
of establishing a permanent fund within the Treasury for 
the repair, restoration, and maintenance of the memorials 
identified and catalogued under section 3. The report shall 
include recommended criteria regarding appropriate re-
cipients of expenditures from such a fund as well as pro-
posed funding mechanisms and any other information con-
sidered by the Secretary to be relevant.