Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 5212 (ih) To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans, and for other purposes. [Introduced in House] %%...H.R. 5212 (ih) To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans, and for other purposes. [Introduced in House] %%...
H.R.5212
One Hundred Sixth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand
An Act
To direct the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to
establish a program to collect video and audio recordings of personal
histories and testimonials of American war veterans, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Veterans' Oral History Project
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
(1) Military service during a time of war is the highest
sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country.
(2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000
Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served in the
Korean Conflict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the Vietnam
Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian Gulf War, and
countless other Americans served in military engagements overseas
throughout the 20th century.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs reports that there are
almost 19,000,000 war veterans living in this Nation today.
(4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living veterans of
World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans of World War II
alive today, almost 1,500 die each day.
(5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians,
researchers, authors, journalists, film makers, scholars, students,
and citizens of all walks of life.
(6) War veterans possess an invaluable resource in their
memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can provide a
rich history of our Nation and its people through the retelling of
those memories, yet frequently those who served during times of
conflict are reticent to family and friends about their
experiences.
(7) It is in the Nation's best interest to collect and catalog
oral histories of American war veterans so that future generations
will have original sources of information regarding the lives and
times of those who served in war and the conditions under which
they endured, so that Americans will always remember those who
served in war and may learn first-hand of the heroics, tediousness,
horrors, and triumphs of war.
(8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation's oldest Federal
cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library in
human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its multimedia
collection) is an appropriate repository to collect, preserve, and
make available to the public an archive of these oral histories.
The Library's American Folklife Center has expertise in the
management of documentation projects and experience in the
development of cultural and educational programs for the public.
(b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to create a new
federally sponsored, authorized, and funded program that will
coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio
recordings of personal histories and testimonials of American war
veterans, and to assist and encourage local efforts to preserve the
memories of this Nation's war veterans so that Americans of all current
and future generations may hear directly from veterans and better
appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who
served in uniform during wartime.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM AT AMERICAN FOLKLIFE CENTER TO COLLECT
VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDINGS OF HISTORIES OF VETERANS.
(a) In General.--The Director of the American Folklife Center at
the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program--
(1) to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories
and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during
a period of war;
(2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained
(including a catalog and index) which will be available for public
use through the National Digital Library of the Library of Congress
and such other methods as the Director considers appropriate to the
extent feasible subject to available resources; and
(3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials (such
as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal histories of
veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war and
to catalog such materials in a manner the Director considers
appropriate, consistent with and complimentary to the efforts
described in paragraphs (1) and (2).
(b) Use of and Consultation With Other Entities.--The Director may
carry out the activities described in paragraphs (1) and (3) of
subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships entered into with
other government and private entities, and may otherwise consult with
interested persons (within the limits of available resources) and
develop appropriate guidelines and arrangements for soliciting,
acquiring, and making available recordings under the program under this
Act.
(c) Timing.--As soon as practicable after the enactment of this
Act, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio recordings
under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect the first such
recordings from the oldest veterans.
SEC. 4. PRIVATE SUPPORT.
(a) Acceptance of Donations.--The Librarian of Congress may solicit
and accept donations of funds and in-kind contributions to carry out
the oral history program under section 3.
(b) Establishment of Separate Gift Account.--There is established
in the Treasury (among the accounts of the Library of Congress) a gift
account for the oral history program under section 3.
(c) Dedication of Funds.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law--
(1) any funds donated to the Librarian of Congress to carry out
the oral history program under section 3 shall be deposited
entirely into the gift account established under subsection (b);
(2) the funds contained in such account shall be used solely to
carry out the oral history program under section 3; and
(3) the Librarian of Congress may not deposit into such account
any funds donated to the Librarian which are not donated for the
exclusive purpose of carrying out the oral history program under
section 3.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
(1) $250,000 for fiscal year 2001; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal
year.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.
Pages: 1 Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
|
| GovRecords.org presents information on various agencies of the United States Government. Even though all information is believed to be credible and accurate, no guarantees are made on the complete accuracy of our government records archive. Care should be taken to verify the information presented by responsible parties. Please see our reference page for congressional, presidential, and judicial branch contact information. GovRecords.org values visitor privacy. Please see the privacy page for more information. |
 |