Norton Bill Preserving D.C. War Memorial for D.C. Veterans Only on House Floor Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced the House will vote on a bill (H.R. 6364) tomorrow that Norton co-sponsored to preserve the District of Columbia War Memorial for D.C. veterans only, re-designate the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri as the "National World War I Museum and Memorial," and establish a site on federal land in D.C. for a national World War I memorial. Norton, in a series of negotiations, was able to maintain the D.C. War Memorial for D.C. residents only, and part of that agreement was her willingness to co-sponsor the bill on the floor tomorrow. Norton expressed her appreciation to Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) for working with her to reach an agreement on this issue, and to the D.C. residents who turned out in droves to support her effort to block the nationalization of the memorial to the District's war dead and veterans.

"The D.C. War Memorial was built with the blood and treasure of D.C. veterans and other residents, including funds collected by school children," Norton said. "The memorial is a symbol of the District's fight for equal democratic rights, particularly for our veterans, who have fought and died in every war and continue to serve without equal representation in the Congress or control over their own local funds. I appreciate the efforts of Congressmen Poe and Cleaver in helping me find consensus and a way to mark the upcoming centennial anniversary of the start of World War I, and am gratified that D.C.'s memorial will remain dedicated exclusively to D.C.'s war dead, veterans, and those currently serving in the armed forces."

Published: December 12, 2012