HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2403

                    As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to national recognition of World War II veterans.

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.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Appropriations:  1/25/00, 2/2/00 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  2/14/00, 95-0.

Passed Senate:  3/2/00, 48-0.

Passed Legislature.

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Creates a nonappropriated account in support of the national World War II

Memorial campaign.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 30 members:  Representatives Huff, Republican Co-Chair; H. Sommers, Democratic Co-Chair; Barlean, Republican Vice Chair; Doumit, Democratic Vice Chair; D. Schmidt, Republican Vice Chair; Alexander; Benson; Boldt; Clements; Crouse; Gombosky; Grant; Kagi; Keiser; Kenney; Kessler; Lambert; Linville; Lisk; Mastin; McMorris; Mulliken; Parlette; Regala; Rockefeller; Ruderman; Sullivan; Sump; Tokuda and Wensman.

Staff:  Mark Matteson (786-7145).

Background:

In 1993, a federal law was signed that authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) to establish a World War II (WWII) memorial in the Washington, D.C. area.  The law also authorized 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 legislation 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.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This bill creates a memorial account to honor those that served in World War II.  It provides a place to put all donations to fund the national memorial construction in Washington, D.C.  Washington State is one that has not yet contributed to the effort.  A bit more help is needed to fully fund the memorial campaign.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Jim Kastama, prime sponsor; Duane Kaiser, veteran; and Eric Stance.