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.