FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 2403

                          C 12 L 00

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Creating the national World War II memorial account.

Sponsors:  Representatives Kastama, Parlette, Conway, Koster, Lantz, Doumit, Poulsen, Cox, Ruderman, Wood, Linville, Dickerson, Sullivan, Hatfield, O'Brien, Lovick, Constantine, Delvin, Wensman, Pennington, Mitchell, Keiser, Cody, Talcott, Dunn, Haigh, McDonald, Van Luven, Edmonds, Ogden and Esser.

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on State & Local Government

Background:

In 1993 a federal law was enacted that authorizes the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) to establish a World War II (WWII) memorial in Washington, D.C.  The law also authorizes the establishment of  a board to advise the ABMC on site selection and design and to promote and encourage donations for the building of the memorial.

The WWII Memorial is to be the first national monument dedicated to those who served during WWII.  The goal of the ABMC is to break ground by Veterans' Day, 2000.

The cost of the WWII Memorial is estimated at $100 million.  The authorizing federal law requires funding to be raised via private (i.e., non-federal) donations.  The campaign to raise funds includes an effort to encourage individual states to make donations toward the effort.  As of January 31, 2000, twenty-six states had provided or pledged a total of $10.3 million in funding for the campaign, and a total of $70 million had been raised from all sources.

Summary of Bill:

The National World War II Memorial Account is created in the custody of the State Treasurer.  The account may be funded from appropriations or other sources.  Expenditures from the account may be used only in support of the national WWII Memorial, and must be authorized by the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Votes on Final Passage:

House950

Senate480

Effective:June 8, 2000