House Passes H.R. 588, Clearing a Path for Proper Recognition of Major Donors within the Education Center at The Wall

Senate will consider bill to eliminate "huge hurdle" to Education Center fundraising efforts

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This evening, with a 398-2 floor vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 588, the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgement Act of 2013. The bipartisan bill, authored by Congressman Don Young (R-AK) and co-sponsored by 38 other members of Congress, now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration and action. When enacted, the bill will correct a problem with the original legislation that authorized the construction of the Education Center at The Wall, making it possible for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) to acknowledge donor contributions by displaying, inside the facility, an appropriate statement or credit acknowledging the contribution.

Read the full text of the bill here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:h.r.588:

VVMF's president and founder, Jan C. Scruggs says, "We are grateful for the work already done by Congressman Young and the bill's co-sponsors in the House. We are eager to get working in the Senate, and to work with Majority Leader Harry Reid, Chairman Ron Wyden and Ranking Member Lisa Murkowski to see this through."

The Education Center was authorized in 2003 by the 108^th Congress. Enabling legislation mandates that it be privately funded. While vigorous fundraising continues, the enabling legislation includes a restriction on donor recognition that inhibits a more successful effort among some of the potentially most generous donors. Recognizing donors in meaningful ways is an effective means of cultivating stronger relationships that may lead to additional, larger gifts, and stronger personal engagement.  Some potential donors over the years have delayed giving donations because of this issue.  H.R. 588 removes that restriction while respecting the inviolability of the National Mall.

The bill allows only short, discrete, and unobtrusive acknowledgments or credits; does not permit any advertising slogans or company logos; and complies with National Park Service (NPS) guidelines for indoor donor recognition. Final design approval will be granted by the NPS and will look similar to that on the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and other sites on the Mall.  The donor recognition envisioned for the Education Center will be inside this 43,000 sq. feet underground facility and will not be visible from the National Mall.  

Scruggs continues, "The Education Center has long since passed the design approval process and is now ready to move forward. Time is of the essence, and H.R. 588 is a clear, concise, and straightforward fix to a problem that has severely inhibited our fundraising efforts among substantial donors."

About VVMF and the Education Center at The Wall

Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., promoting healing and educating about the impact of the Vietnam War.

The Education Center at The Wall will be a place on our National Mall where our military heroes' stories and sacrifice will never be forgotten. With plans to begin construction in 2015, the Center is a technologically-innovative learning facility to be built on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln Memorials. Visitors will better understand the profound impact that the Vietnam War and other wars had on their friends and family members, their hometowns and the nation. The Center will feature the faces and stories of the more than 58,000 men and women on The Wall, honoring those who fell in Vietnam, those who fought and returned, as well as the friends and families of all who served. The Center will also celebrate the legacy of service that links the heroes of America's past to those still serving today. It will provide an opportunity for visitors from around the world to more fully understand and appreciate the extraordinary sacrifice of those who have given their lives in the nation's defense.  Visitors will not simply read their names.  They will see these patriots and get to know them in ways not envisioned in any other facility on the National Mall. The Education Center will truly be a place of learning and reflection about the values exemplified by the lives of those who have served and died for our country.

Learn more about the Education Center at The Wall by visiting www.vvmf.org or by calling 866-990-WALL.

Contact: Lee Allen
Phone: (202) 393-0090, ext. 109
lallen@vvmf.org

SOURCE Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

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Top GOP Donors Launch Push for Gay Marriage: ‘The Right Thing for the Country But Also Good Politics’

American Unity PAC

(Photo: American Unity PAC)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (TheBlaze/AP) -- In the wake of the 2012 election, many Republican strategists have concluded they simply cannot win as long as they seem so "polarizing."  One of the more contentious issues is gay marriage, with those on the left often accusing Republicans of being intolerant.  But now, a national group of prominent GOP donors is pouring new money into lobbying efforts to get Republican lawmakers to vote to make gay marriage legal.

American Unity PAC was formed last year to lend financial support to Republicans who bucked the party's longstanding opposition to gay marriage. Its founders are launching a new lobbying organization, American Unity Fund, and already have spent more than $250,000 in Minnesota, where the Legislature could vote on the issue as early as next week.

The group has spent $500,000 on lobbying since last month, including efforts in Rhode Island, Delaware, Indiana, West Virginia and Utah.

Billionaire hedge fund manager and Republican donor Paul Singer launched American Unity PAC. The lobbying effort is the next phase as the push for gay marriage spreads to more states, spokesman Jeff Cook-McCormac told The Associated Press.

"What you have is this network of influential Republicans who really want to see the party embrace the freedom to marry, and believe it's not only the right thing for the country but also good politics," Cook-McCormac said.

Gay Marriage

Gay marriage supporters march at the US Supreme Court on March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

In Minnesota, the money has gone to state groups that are lobbying Republican lawmakers and for polling on gay marriage in a handful of suburban districts held by Republicans. So far, only one Minnesota Republican lawmaker has committed to voting to legalize gay marriage: Sen. Branden Petersen, of Andover.

"I think there will be some more. There are legislators out there that are struggling with this," said Carl Kuhl, a former political aide to former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer. Kuhl's public affairs firm is contracted by Minnesotans United, the lead lobby group for gay marriage in Minnesota and main recipient of American Unity's Minnesota spending.

House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said he has encouraged advocates of the marriage bill to round up Republican votes, if nothing else than to send a message to Minnesota residents that it's not a partisan proposition. But that will be politically risky; the main opposition group to same-sex marriage, Minnesota for Marriage, has said it will seek consequences for Republicans who stray on gay marriage.

Part of American Unity PAC's original mission was to spend money on behalf of Republican gay marriage supporters. Many GOP lawmakers have faced primary challenges funded in part by anti-gay marriage groups such as the National Organization for Marriage, which argue that the lawmakers had betrayed the party's core principles.

Gay Marriage

A pro Gay marriage protester called 'Queen' dances in front of the US Supreme Court on March 26, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Since forming the lobby group last month, American Unity also spent money to win over Republican lawmakers in Rhode Island, where last week all five Republicans in the state Senate jumped on the gay marriage bandwagon. Rhode Island is on track to legalize gay marriage by next week, which would make it the 11th U.S. state where gay marriage is legal.

There are also plans to lobby federal lawmakers on gay rights issues.

"We intend to work on this effort until every American citizen is treated equally under the law," Cook-McCormac said. Other wealthy, traditionally Republican donors giving money to the group include Seth Klarman, David Herro and Cliff Asness.

Though only one current GOP officeholder in Minnesota is on record supporting gay marriage, a handful of prominent Republicans have spoken out in favor of it. They include former state auditor Pat Anderson and Brian McClung, who was spokesman for former Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Prominent Republican donors including former politician Wheelock Whitney and businesswoman Marilyn Carlson Nelson have also lent support and donated money.

Since it first formed to campaign against last fall's gay marriage ban and then shifted to pushing for its legalization at the Capitol, Minnesotans United has been building Republican alliances, hiring multiple lobbyists with Republican ties.

What do you think of the group's efforts?  Should the GOP be supporting gay marriage?  Or will it further alienate conservative voters?

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