To amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, 6 years ago, Congress created the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation. We tasked them with establishing a memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

The Foundation's work is important, but it is not yet complete. When they are finished, they will have created a memorial that is long overdue to pay tribute to our Nation's veterans who have returned from the battlefield bearing the scars of war.

I have been working closely with the Foundation to help them in their efforts. I have introduced legislation in the House, H.R. 1951, that would mint a commemorative coin in honor of our disabled veterans. The proceeds of this coin will go towards the efforts of the Foundation to build the memorial.

This legislation currently has 195 cosponsors, and I invite my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation that pays tribute to our veterans in two ways, by minting a coin honoring our Nation's disabled veterans, and by helping the Foundation in their efforts to build a memorial to disabled veterans.

I would like to quote from a letter from Bradley Barton, the National Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, which has endorsed the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Coin Act.

Commander Barton says, ``We express our pride, patriotism, values and national identity through memorials that signify and define who we are as a Nation; and it is important that we maintain public recognition and awareness of the extraordinary sacrifices disabled veterans have made on behalf of their fellow citizens and our country.''

Disabled American Veterans,

Washington, DC, September 21, 2006.

Hon. Sue Kelly,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Kelly: Once again, Congress is prepared

to adjourn sine die without addressing the ``American

Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act,'' H.R.

1951. The Senate bill, S. 633, passed on May 25, 2006. It has

been held since then, pending House action.

This legislation provides for the minting and sale of

special coins to commemorate living disabled American

veterans and authorizes special surcharges on these coins to

be contributed to the fund for construction of a memorial to

disabled veterans on grounds near the Nation's Capitol in

accordance with legislation already enacted.

We express our pride, patriotism, values, and national

identity through memorials that signify and define who we are

as a nation, and it is important that we maintain public

recognition and awareness of the extraordinary sacrifices

disabled veterans had made on behalf of their fellow citizens

and our country.

The coins will be minted starting in 2010, the same year

that the groundbreaking and dedication of the American

Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial will take place. A

portion of the proceeds from this coin will support the

construction of this Memorial. Please don't let this

legislation die in the 109th Congress. I call upon you to

cosponsor H.R. 1951.

Please let me know if you plan to cosponsor and support

this legislation.

Sincerely,

Bradley S. Barton,

National Commander.

The Foundation's cofounder and chairwoman is Lois Pope, a woman who is dedicated and committed to making this memorial a reality. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $25 million of the $65 million needed to build the memorial.

More telling still is the sheer number of people they have enlisted to help in their efforts. Within the last 2 years alone, more than 550,000 individual Americans have contributed in support of the memorial.

H.R. 4275, the bill before the House today, would extend the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation's charter until 2015. This would provide the Foundation with ample time to complete their fundraising, design and construction efforts on the disabled veterans memorial.

The National Park Service also supports the extension. National Park Deputy Director Donald Murphy testified before the House National Parks Subcommittee on May 25, saying that, ``The Foundation has proceeded in a professional and responsible manner in all aspects of the memorial process, and we feel it is fair to allow the Foundation additional time to continue fundraising and complete design development.''

The Foundation was created by an act of Congress in 2000, and the Congress should extend its charter so this organization can complete the important work we have tasked them with. I encourage every Member of this House to support H.R. 4275, and I support the great work that the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial Foundation continues doing to honor our Nation's disabled veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 4275, to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

The passage of H.R. 4275 would authorize an additional 8 years for the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation, Foundation to establish the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in the District of Columbia. The original authorization date to establish the memorial was October 24, 2000 and is set to expire on October 24, 2007 if the Foundation has not secured a permit to begin construction from the National Park Service, NPS, before that date.

Mr. Speaker, we must pass H.R. 4275 to ensure that the well-deserved memorial to honor disabled veterans can come to its fruition. I am virtually certain that we all value the time and service of all of our veterans, who have faithfully served to protect the interests of this great Nation and its citizens. We certainly would like to express that sentiment here today by passage of H.R. 4275 to honor permanently disabled veterans.

A mere technical permit incompletion cannot be allowed to erase our wholehearted intent and desire to support the establishment of an appropriate memorial to honor our disabled veterans--those men and women who have unselfishly sacrificed dreams for duty, and limbs and lives for liberty.

The extension request is certainly a reasonable one. Given the unique aspects of the site and the need to secure adequate traffic patterns in order to achieve both a site worthy of

this memorial and the appropriate urban design in relation to the U.S. Capitol and the U.S. Botanic Gardens, the Foundation should be given additional time for the continued fundraising, design and development that is necessary. If giving extra time is crucial to the successful completion of this memorial, it is only fair to give it. For these honorable veterans have already given us their time.

Indeed, allowing an extension for this memorial project is not new. We have granted other similar extensions for the completion of memorials. These extensions include the memorials to Women in Military Service for America, George Mason, World War II, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Victims of Communism.

There are over 3 million living disabled veterans in this country, a number which unfortunately continues to rise as we remain engaged in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Let us respect and honor the invaluable service of all past and future disabled veterans by ensuring that the Foundation is granted an extension necessary to complete the Americans Disabled Veterans For Life Memorial.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Ms. BORDALLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, we supported the original authorization for a memorial to disabled veterans here in Washington, D.C. Through no fault of the memorial proponents, complications regarding the final site selection have delayed the approval process.

Mr. Speaker, this is a very important piece of legislation that is near and dear to many of our hearts. Just this summer, I attended a Purple Heart pinning ceremony for a young soldier from Guam, Sergeant Jeremy Balamonte, who was wounded in action in Iraq early in the war. Another soldier, Jilario Bermanis, from Micronesia, was paralyzed in combat.

Mr. Speaker, we have had a number of fatalities and wounded soldiers fighting in this war. So, again, I would like to emphasize that this is something that is very, very dear to my heart.

We support this extension to allow this project the time it needs to move forward.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4275) to amend Public Law 106-348 to extend the authorization for establishing a memorial in the District of Columbia or its environs to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4275, introduced by Congresswoman Sue Kelly, would extend through October, 2015, the authority of the Disabled Veterans' Life Memorial Foundation to raise funds for a memorial in the District of Columbia to honor veterans who became disabled while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. The organization has already secured a site from the National Park Service for this memorial.

I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.