Title: Honoring World War I Memorials Act of 2017
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Honoring World War I Memorials Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants to rehabilitate World War I memorials.
Grant priority shall be given to memorials listed on the National Register of Historic Places and then to memorials listed on a state register of historic places.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4328 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4328

 To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants for the 
                rehabilitation of World War I memorials.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 2017

 Ms. Gabbard (for herself, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Hanabusa, Ms. Jayapal, and 
Mr. Poe of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make grants for the 
                rehabilitation of World War I memorials.

    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 cited as the ``Honoring World War I Memorials Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) From 2014 through 2018, the United States and nations 
        around the world mark the centennial of World War I, including 
        the entry of the United States into the war in April 1917.
            (2) The United States entry into the war marked the first 
        time in the history of the United States that American soldiers 
        went abroad in defense of liberty against foreign aggression 
        and it marked the true beginning of the ``American Century''.
            (3) More than 4,000,000 men and women from the United 
        States served in uniform during World War I and the United 
        States suffered 375,000 casualties, including 116,516 deaths.
            (4) In 2013, the World War I Centennial Commission Act was 
        signed into law with a stated goal of ensuring ``a suitable 
        observance of the centennial of World War I''.
            (5) Part of the Centennial Commission's stated mission is 
        to ``bring attention to the thousands of World War I memorials 
        in communities across the country that honor Americans who 
        served in the war''.
            (6) The Centennial Commission has found that ``across the 
        country there are local World War I memorials in thousands of 
        cities and towns that are forgotten and in disrepair''.
            (7) The Centennial Commission has found sufficient cause to 
        establish a matching grant program in recognition of the 
        importance of rehabilitating World War I memorials. However, 
        the grant amount of $2,000 is too low for the needs of many 
        memorials.
            (8) The Centennial Commission recognizes that restoring 
        World War I memorials honors those who served and raises 
        awareness of this momentous event in the Nation's history.

SEC. 3. WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL REHABILITATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall make 
grants to eligible entities for the purpose of rehabilitating World War 
I memorials.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible for a grant under this 
section, an entity shall--
            (1) be a nonprofit organization or a State or local 
        government entity that owns or manages a World War I memorial; 
        and
            (2) submit to the Secretary an application containing such 
        information and assurances as the Secretary may require, 
        including a description of the rehabilitation project for which 
        the entity seeks a grant under this section.
    (c) Selection of Grant Recipients.--In selecting recipients of 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize, in 
descending order, the following:
            (1) Entities seeking grants to rehabilitate World War I 
        memorials listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
            (2) Entities seeking grants to rehabilitate World War I 
        memorials listed on a State register of historic places.
    (d) Use of Funds.--The recipient of a grant under this section 
shall use the grant to rehabilitate a World War I memorial.
    (e) Amount of Grant.--Each grant provided under this section shall 
be in an amount that does not exceed $15,000,000, and 50 percent of the 
cost of the rehabilitation project described in the application 
submitted by the eligible entity to which the grant is provided.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs $50,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2018 to make grants under this section. Amounts 
appropriated pursuant to such authorization of appropriations shall 
remain available until expended.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``rehabilitate'' means, with respect to a 
        memorial, to repair, reconstruct, restore, refurbish, or clean 
        up the memorial consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's 
        Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (36 C.F.R. 
        68) and applicable guidelines.
            (2) The term ``World War I memorial'' means a memorial that 
        the Secretary of Veterans Affairs determines is dedicated to 
        the memory of those who served in World War I, and does not 
        include any memorial to members of the Armed Forces serving in 
        multiple wars.
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