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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AJC Participates in Major Event at Mauthausen Memorial

MAUTHAUSEN, Austria, May 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On May 5th, the anniversary date of the liberation by U.S. forces of the Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen, a major event was organized by the Austrian government to mark the date and the opening of permanent new exhibits.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100816/AJCLOGO )

An invited audience of close to 1,000 attended the program on the grounds of Mauthausen and then toured the new exhibits.

The program featured six keynote addresses. The speakers were Austrian President Heinz Fischer; Hungarian President Janos Ader; Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski; Chairman of the Russian Duma Sergei Naryshkin, Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni; and AJC Executive Director David Harris.  

The program was opened by Austrian Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner, under whose auspices the Mauthausen Memorial is maintained.

Many other dignitaries were in the audience, including several Austrian Cabinet members, the Speaker of the Austrian Parliament, the Serbian Prime Minister, the Czech Minister of the Interior, the U.S. Ambassador to Austria, and officials representing several other countries.

An estimated 200,000 people were deported to Mauthausen between its opening in 1938 and liberation in 1945. Approximately 90,000 were murdered there.

In his remarks, Harris said he draws three contemporary lessons from what occurred at Mauthausen and the other components of the Nazi reign of terror and genocide:

"First, we are obligated to take anti-Semitism seriously. It is a slippery slope from words to deeds, from demonization to destruction. Today, anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe. A recent Tel Aviv University study made the point. Polls show it. Statistics prove it. And it is shameful that today there are at least three openly anti-Semitic political parties sitting in European parliaments.

"Second, the Holocaust is a sobering reminder of the centrality of Israel to the Jewish people and to Jewish security. To be sure, the vision of Israel dates back thousands of years. And, yes, modern Zionism began well over a century ago, long before the Holocaust, thanks in large measure to a far-sighted Viennese journalist, Theodor Herzl. He saw no future for Jews in Europe once he grasped the depth of anti-Semitism even after an era of Jewish emancipation. But how many Jews could have been saved from the Holocaust had Israel been established even ten years earlier, when Jews could still leave Europe but too often found no country that would permit them entry?

"And third, the words 'Never again' must not be just for repetition at commemorative events. They must become ingrained in governments, civil society, religious institutions, and individuals -- and practiced on a daily basis. The only way we can prove we have learned from the Mauthausens and Majdaneks is to strive for societies built on the bedrock principles of democracy, equal protection under the law, and mutual respect -- and to stand up with absolute moral clarity and courage against any manifestation of racism and anti-Semitism. Only then will be able to say that on our watch we have truly lived the words 'Never again.'"

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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ADVISORY: Fattah Speaks to Major Science and Policy Leaders on Federal Investment in Research

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Fattah (D-PA), the lead Democratic Appropriator for science, research and technology, will be the main speaker Friday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual Science and Technology Policy Forum in Washington, DC.

Congressman Fattah will speak on the current policy issues affecting researchers and their institutions and what impact the issues have on the federal budget. The Forum is widely viewed as the major public meeting in the United States on Science and Technology policy issues.  The nation's top major science policy leaders, including government and industry officials, university faculty and administrators, diplomats and others interested in public policies affecting science and technology will be in attendance.

The Pennsylvania Representative will also update the audience on the Fattah Neuroscience Initiative which is designed to make game-changing progress in the understanding of and therapies for brain development, cognition, disease and injury. The initiative also calls for developing public-private partnerships in brain science research.

According to Fattah, "Scientific research sponsored or conducted by the United States government has benefitted all Americans. However, the effort to protect and promote scientific research is never-ending and never easy in the halls of Congress."

WHO:      
Congressman Chaka Fattah

WHAT: 
American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Science and Technology Policy Forum

WHEN:
Friday, May 3, 2013  
8:15 AM

WHERE:
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
13th & Pennsylvania NW • Washington, DC

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

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