In 1986, the Commemorative Works Act (CWA) was enacted to guide the memorial and monument creation and siting process in the District of Columbia on land under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service (NPS) or the General Services Administration (GSA). As the statute specifies, the CWA was enacted (1) to preserve the integrity of the comprehensive design of the L'Enfant and McMillan plans for the Nation's Capital; (2) to ensure the continued public use and enjoyment of open space in the District of Columbia and its environs, and to encourage the location of commemorative works within the urban fabric of the District of Columbia; (3) to preserve, protect and maintain the limited amount of open space available to residents of, and visitors to, the Nation's Capital; and (4) to ensure that future commemorative works in areas administered by the National Park Service and the Administrator of General Services in the District of Columbia and its environs- (A) are appropriately designed, constructed, and located; and (B) reflect a consensus of the lasting national significance of the subjects involved. Pursuant to the CWA, from time to time Congress will authorize a sponsor group (i.e., an organization, often tax exempt, advocating for the creation of the new work) to design and build a monument or memorial in the District of Columbia without the use of federal funds. Congress contemplates issues of CWA interpretation, enforcement, and the possible setting of precedent when considering potential new commemorative works. This report addresses four proposed exemptions from the CWA. These are memorial siting, including the addition of new elements to existing commemorative works; requiring the use of American materials during memorial construction; altering the deadline for completing an authorized memorial; and the siting of new museums within the statutorily defined commemorative works areas—where they would otherwise be prohibited pursuant to the CWA. Each exemption has been discussed in legislative proposals, at congressional hearings, or by one of the federal agencies charged with review and approval of commemorative works: the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). Additionally, the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC) provides Congress, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Administrator of General Services with policy and procedures advice for establishing monuments and memorials. This report discusses each exemption and its attendant policy considerations. Since the CWA's enactment, 33 commemorative works have been authorized, and numerous others have been proposed. For the authorized and proposed monuments and memorials, several sponsor groups have sought—and some have received—exemptions from certain provisions of the CWA. The most common exemption requests are from provisions involving the siting of new memorials, mandating the origin of building materials, and extending the deadline for memorial completion. The status and placement of museums under the CWA has also been discussed after the National Museum of African American History and Culture was granted an exemption from the CWA. Since its enactment, the CWA has been substantively amended three times. First, during the 103 rd Congress (1993-1994), the CWA was amended to extend the time for monument and memorial completion from five to seven years and to make technical corrections to the act. Second, the CWA was amended during the 108 th Congress (2003-2004), to limit the placement of monuments and memorials on the National Mall and to designate three distinct areas within the District of Columbia for monument and memorial construction. They and their boundaries are noted below. The Reserve is "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 ." Area I is reserved for commemorative works of "preeminent historical and lasting significance to the United States," and roughly bounded by the West Front of the Capitol; Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (between 1 st and 15 th Streets, N.W. ); Lafayette Square; 17 th Street, N.W. (between H Street and Constitution Avenue); Constitution Avenue, N.W. (between 17 th and 23 rd Streets); the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts waterfront area; Theodore Roosevelt Island; National Park Service land in Virginia surrounding the George Washington Memorial Parkway; the 14 th Street Bridge area; and Maryland Avenue, S.W., from Maine Avenue, S.W., to Independence Avenue S.W., at the United States Botanic Garden. An act of Congress is required for Area I placement. Area II is reserved for "subjects of lasting historical sign ificance to the American people," and encompasses all sections of the District of Columbia and its environs not part of the Reserve or Area I. The area of the Reserve is considered "a substantia lly completed work of civic art," and within the Reserve, "to preserve the integrity of the Mall … the siting of new commemorative works is prohibited. " Additionally, the placement of museums and visitor centers in the Reserve is also prohibited under the CWA. During the 113 th Congress (2013-2014), the CWA was amended to allow donor recognition "inside an ancillary structure associated with the commemorative work or as part of a manmade landscape feature at the commemorative work." Further, donor acknowledgement was applied retroactively to all commemorative works dedicated after January 1, 2010, is to be paid for by the sponsor, and is subject to the permission of the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services. The acknowledgment also must (A) be limited to an appropriate statement or credit recognizing the contribution; (B) be displayed in a form in accordance with National Park Service and General Services Administration guidelines; (C) be displayed for a period of up to 10 years, with the display period to be commensurate with the level of the contribution, as determined in accordance with the plan and guidelines described in subparagraph (B); (D) be freestanding; and (E) not be affixed to—(i) any landscape feature at the commemorative work; or (ii) any object in a museum collection. All commemorative works legislation must authorize a sponsor group to raise funds to design and build a monument or memorial. Many sponsor groups would like to place their proposed commemorative works on unoccupied land on or near the National Mall or add an element to an existing monument or memorial. The CWA, however, contains provisions that prohibit the siting of new monuments and memorials around the National Mall; considers monuments and memorials, once dedicated, to be completed; and protects existing works from further additions or intrusions by other memorials. A commemorative work shall be located so that - (A) it does not interfere with, or encroach on, an existing commemorative work; and (B) to the maximum extent practicable, it protects open space, existing public use, and cultural and natural resources. Regardless of the CWA provisions against siting new commemorative works in the Reserve and prohibiting the placement of new elements at existing monuments and memorials, sponsor groups continue to request exemptions from these requirements. To guide the site selection process, the CWA created a two-step approach. First, following congressional authorization of a monument or memorial, the sponsor group works with the NPS or GSA, NCMAC, NCPC, and CFA to determine which area of Washington, DC, would be the most appropriate location for the monument or memorial. As part of this initial site selection process, the sponsor group may request the Secretary of the Interior or the Administrator of General Services to approve placement of the monument or memorial in Area I. Following this request, the Secretary or Administrator determines whether the memorial is of "preeminent historical and lasting significance to the United States." If the Secretary or Administrator determines that an Area I site location is warranted, he or she notifies, in writing, NCMAC, the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Second, to place a memorial within Area I, an act of Congress approving the Secretary or Administrator's recommendation is required within 150 calendar days. Should the Secretary or Administrator not recommend placement in Area I or Congress not act upon the recommendation, the memorial can be placed in Area II without further action. Some commemorative works legislation has included provisions that would potentially bypass the current commemorative works process and directly designate a site, providing an exemption from the building prohibition within the Reserve. For example, H.R. 222 (113 th Congress), as introduced, would have authorized a World War I Memorial in the District of Columbia. In addition to authorizing the World War I Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative work, the bill would exempt the memorial from the CWA prohibition against placement in the Reserve. Further, other legislation authorized the placement of a new element at the site of an existing commemorative work. For example, P.L. 113-123 authorized the placement of a plaque with the text of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's D-Day prayer within the area of the World War II Memorial. The CWA requires that new monuments and memorials be sited to avoid interference with or encroachment on existing works, unless Congress grants a waiver from this provision. Between the passage of the CWA in 1986 and the 105 th Congress (1997-1998), Congress did not authorize the addition of any new elements at existing commemorative works sites.