World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013 (S. 1044; 113th Congress)

The World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013 is a bill that would direct the United States Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.

The bill was introduced into the United States Senate during the 113th United States Congress. A similar version of this bill,, was introduced into the United States House of Representatives and previous versions of the bill passed in earlier Congresses, but never became law.

Background
The National World War II Memorial is a national memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during World War II. Consisting of 56 pillars and a pair of small triumphal arches surrounding a plaza and fountain, it is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the eastern end of the Reflecting Pool, between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

It opened to the public on April 29, 2004, and was dedicated by President George W. Bush on May 29, 2004, two days before Memorial Day. The memorial is administered by the National Park Service under its National Mall and Memorial Parks group.

Provisions of the bill
This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Research Service, a public domain source.

The World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013 would direct the United States Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.

The bill would bar the use of federal funds for the preparation or installation of the plaque or inscription, but permits the acceptance and expenditure of private contributions for such purpose.

The bill would make the Commemorative Works Act applicable to the design and placement of the plaque within the area of the World War II Memorial.

Congressional Budget Office report
''This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the Congressional Budget Office, as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on November 21, 2013. This is a public domain source.''

S. 1044 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to install within the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., an inscription of the words President Roosevelt prayed with the nation on June 6, 1944. The legislation would direct the Secretary to design, procure, and install the inscription; however, federal funds could not be used to prepare or install the inscription. The Secretary would be authorized to accept and spend private donations for the inscription. Under the bill, the proposed addition to the memorial would be subject to the requirements of the Commemorative Works Act.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant impact on the federal budget. Based on information from the National Park Service, the CBO estimates that the cost to maintain the inscription would be insignificant. Enacting S. 1044 would affect direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, CBO estimates that the net effects of receiving and spending donated funds would be insignificant in each year. Enacting S. 1044 would not affect revenues.

S. 1044 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.

Procedural history
The World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2013 was introduced into the United States Senate on May 23, 2013 by Sen. Rob Portman (R, OH). The bill was referred to the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the United States Senate Energy Subcommittee on National Parks. The bill passed in the Senate on June 5, 2014 by unanimous consent.

Debate and discussion
The bill was opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Jewish Committee, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Hindu American Foundation, and the Interfaith Alliance. Together the organizations argued that the bill "endorses the false notion that all veterans will be honored by a war memorial that includes a prayer proponents characterize as reflecting our country's 'Judeo-Christian heritage and values.'" The organizations argued that "the memorial, as it currently stands, appropriately honors those who served and encompasses the entirety of the war" and was carefully created, so no additional elements, such as FDR's prayer, need to be added. According to the organizations, "the effect of this bill, however, is to co-opt religion for political purposes, which harms the beliefs of everyone." Simon Brown, of the Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said that "American veterans - like those currently in the armed forces - come from many different religious traditions and some follow no spiritual path at all. Slapping a prayer onto a memorial that honors all those veterans would be an insult to both their service and their sacrifice."

Senator Portman, who introduced the bill, argued that Roosevelt's "word brought strength and comfort to many during one of the most challenging times for our nation... We should not underestimate the power of prayer through difficult times." The bill was also supported by the Christian Coalition of America.