,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #hda  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,april #e           
7legislative day1 ,april #d71 #bjag,mr4 
,portman 7for himself and ,mr4 ,brown7  
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,energy and ,natural      
,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to designate the
 ,veterans ,memorial and ,museum in     
,columbus1 ,ohio1 as the ,national      
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum1 and for
 other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,national     
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum ,act4   
#b4 ,findings2 ,sense of ,congress  7a7 
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,the ,veterans ,memorial and     
,museum is a civic landmark and cultural
 institution being built in ,columbus1  
,ohio1 to honor1 connect1 inspire1 and  
educate all people of the ,united       
,states about the service and sacrifice 
of more than #dj1jjj1jjj veterans1 over 
half of whom are living today1 and      

#a1ajj1jjj fallen who have bravely      
defended the freedoms enjoyed by all    
citizens of the ,united ,states of      
,america4  7#b7 ,the ,veterans ,memorial
 and ,museum is the only public museum  
of its kind that exists for the         
exclusive purpose of interpreting the   
collective experiences of veterans of   
the ,united ,states of ,america across  
all eras1 conflicts1 and branches of the
 military4  7#c7 ,the ,veterans         
,memorial and ,museum would attract and 
educate a diverse group of audiences    
from across the country through its     
visitor-centered1 interactive1 and      
participatory exhibits4  7#d7 ,the      
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum would   
work to help bridge the                 
military-civilian gap that has          
increasingly isolated veterans and their
 families and often made the journey    
from civilian to soldier back to        
civilian more difficult to navigate4    
7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense
 of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,veterans 

,memorial and ,museum will preserve the 
stories and legacy of service so that   
visitors can conduct a critical         
evaluation of the history and evolution 
of our country as seen through the lens 
of the military experience2  7#b7 the   
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum will    
inspire civilians to serve their        
communities and country as active and   
engaged citizens2  7#c7 the ,veterans   
,memorial and ,museum will be a beacon  
for all veterans1 veteran families1 and 
civilians of this country to ensure that
 the sacrifices of ,america's service   
men and women are a guarantee to        
posterity2  7#d7 the ,state of ,ohio1   
,franklin ,county1 and many more private
 individuals1 foundations1 and          
corporations have contributed millions  
of dollars to design and construct this 
national destination1 which broke ground
 in ,december #bjae2 and  7#e7 it is    
fitting and proper to refer to the      
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum in      
,columbus1 ,ohio1 as the ,national      

,veterans ,memorial and ,museum4  #c4   
,designation of ,national ,veterans     
,memorial and ,museum  7a7 ,designation 
,the ,veterans ,memorial and ,museum is 
hereby designated as the ,national      
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum4  7b7   
,veterans ,memorial and ,museum defined 
,in this section1 the term ,veterans    
,memorial and ,museum means the memorial
 and museum that is1 as of the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 being       
constructed on an approximately #g-;acre
 area on ,west ,broad ,street1          
,columbus1 ,ohio1 bounded by the ,scioto
 ,river and the ,scioto ,greenway4