Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
State Government & Tribal Relations Committee
HB 1849
Brief Description: Creating a work group to study and make recommendations on a monument to honor residents who died in the global war on terror.
Sponsors: Representatives Orwall, Boehnke, Dufault, Klippert, Shewmake and Paul; by request of Secretary of State.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Establishes a legislative work group to study and make recommendations on a monument to honor service members who died in the Global War on Terror.
Hearing Date: 1/17/22
Staff: Jessica Cable (786-7290) and Desiree Omli (786-7105).
Background:

State Veteran Memorials.
State law establishes two veterans' memorials on the capitol campus, one for state residents who died or are missing-in-action in Southeast Asia, and one honoring state residents who died or are missing-in-action in the Korean conflict.  For the Southeast Asia memorial, the Secretary of State was to coordinate the design, construction, and placement of the memorial.  For the Korean memorial, the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) was to coordinate the design, construction, and placement of the memorial.

 

The Legislature also previously authorized the establishment of a World War I and World War II memorial on the capitol campus. For the World War II memorial, the DVA convened an 11-member advisory committee in 1995 to make recommendations on the type, size, and cost of the memorial and recommend a site on the capitol campus, subject to approval of the State Capitol Committee.

 

Global War on Terror.
The Global War on Terror is an ongoing international counterterrorism campaign, targeting extremist groups, launched by the United States government after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Summary of Bill:

A legislative work group (work group) of 13 members is established to study and make recommendations to the Legislature on a monument to honor service members who died in the Global War on Terror.  The work group is chaired by two co-chairs selected by the work group from among its legislative membership and staffed by Senate Committee Services, the Office of Program Research, and staff of the Office of the Secretary of State.  The initial meeting of the work group must be held before July 15, 2022.

 

The work group's membership consists of:

  • the Secretary of State or his or her designee;
  • one member from each of the four major caucuses;
  • the directors of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Department of Enterprise Services, and the Washington State Military Department, or their designee;
  • the State Archivist or his or her designee;
  • one representative of the Capitol Campus Design Advisory Committee that is not the Secretary of State or a legislative member already designated to be part of the work group; and
  • two representatives from veterans organizations, appointed by the Secretary of State.

 

The work group must:

  • recommend individuals to be honored;
  • recommend locations on the capitol campus to construct the memorial;
  • provide potential draft designs;
  • provide information about anticipated funding needs; and
  • recommend an agency, committee, or commission to coordinate the design and construction.

 

The work group must submit a report to the Legislature detailing its recommendations by November 1, 2023.  The work group expires November 1, 2024.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Preliminary fiscal note available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.