First Regular Session

Sixty-second General Assembly

LLS NO. R99­0819.01 Robert Lackner

STATE OF COLORADO




BY SENATOR Pascoe;

also REPRESENTATIVE Coleman.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 99-045

CONCERNING THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS BY COLORADANS IN SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL.


WHEREAS, Pursuant to federal law enacted in 1993, the American Battle Monuments Commission ("ABMC") has been authorized to establish a World War II memorial in our nation's capital as the first national memorial dedicated to all who served their nation at home and abroad during World War II; and

WHEREAS, The national World War II memorial will honor the 16 million men and women who served in the United States armed forces during World War II, the over 400,000 members of the armed forces who died in that war, and the millions more who made sacrifices in other ways by supporting the war effort from the home front; and

WHEREAS, The 16 million men and women who honorably served in the armed forces during World War II include over 130,000 men and women from Colorado; and

WHEREAS, The national World War II memorial will permanently honor the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people to the common defense of the nation and to the broader causes of peace and freedom from tyranny throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, The national World War II memorial will also inspire future generations of Americans, deepening their appreciation of the accomplishments of the World War II generation in creating the foundation for a more stable, peaceful, and prosperous world, and will further serve as a timeless reminder of what free people can accomplish when united in pursuit of a just cause; and

WHEREAS, The site of the national World War II memorial in the national mall at the east end of the reflecting pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument was dedicated in a formal ceremony in 1995; and

WHEREAS, When the United States Congress authorized the memorial, it directed the ABMC to fund construction costs with private contributions; and

WHEREAS, In 1993, a fund was created in the United States Treasury to collect amounts contributed from public and private sources to finance the construction of the national World War II memorial; and

WHEREAS, More than $45 million has been raised toward construction of the memorial, leaving approximately $55 million that still needs to be raised to meet the estimated $100 million cost required to complete the project; and

WHEREAS, The ABMC hopes to break ground on construction of the national World War II memorial by Veterans Day, 2000; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty­second General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

(1)  That the General Assembly encourages the people of the State of Colorado to make voluntary contributions to the national World War II memorial fund established in the United States Treasury in order that our nation may properly commemorate the efforts of all the men and women who served their nation, in whatever capacity, during World War II; and

(2)  Such contributions may be sent to the World War II Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 96766, Washington, D.C., 20090­6766.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the National World War II Memorial, c/o The American Battle Monuments Commission, 2500 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 501, Arlington, Virginia, 22201, the American Legion, Colorado Department, 3003 Tejon Street, Denver, Colorado, 80211, and each member of Colorado's delegation to the United States Congress.