USS Frank E. Evans Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The USS Frank E. Evans Act is a targeted memorial bill. It addresses the 74 crew members of the USS Frank E. Evans who were killed on June 3, 1969. Within one year after enactment, the Secretary of Defense must authorize inclusion of their names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in the District of Columbia. The Secretary of Defense must consult with the Secretary of the Interior, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and other relevant authorities on nomenclature and placement if space limitations require adjustments. The bill also says the Commemorative Works Act, chapter 89 of title 40, does not apply to the activities needed to add the names, so the project avoids the ordinary commemorative-works approval process.
Who Benefits and How
Families of the 74 USS Frank E. Evans crew members benefit because the bill creates a direct path for their relatives' names to appear on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Surviving USS Frank E. Evans shipmates and Navy veterans benefit because the loss is formally connected to the national Vietnam memorial. Vietnam Veterans Memorial visitors benefit because the Wall would present a more complete record of the service members Congress chooses to honor. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund benefits from a clear consultation role on nomenclature and name placement.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Secretary of Defense must authorize the name additions within one year after enactment. Defense Department memorial staff must coordinate with Interior, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and other applicable authorities. Interior and National Park Service officials must help resolve placement, space, and site-management issues at the Wall. Memorial administrators may bear implementation costs and logistical work from adding 74 names outside the usual Commemorative Works Act process.
Key Provisions
- Requires Defense to authorize inclusion of the 74 USS Frank E. Evans crew members killed on June 3, 1969, on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.
- Directs consultation with Interior, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, and other authorities on nomenclature and placement.
- Exempts the name-addition activities from the Commemorative Works Act.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Secretary of Defense to authorize adding the names of the 74 USS Frank E. Evans crew members killed on June 3, 1969, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall within one year, with consultation on placement and an exemption from the Commemorative Works Act.
Key Policy Areas
Veterans, Military Memorials, Defense
Primary Purpose
Requires the Secretary of Defense to authorize adding the names of the 74 USS Frank E. Evans crew members killed on June 3, 1969, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall within one year, with consultation on placement and an exemption from the Commemorative Works Act.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Families of USS Frank E. Evans crew members
- Surviving USS Frank E. Evans shipmates
- Navy veterans
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial visitors
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Identified Costs
- Secretary of Defense
- Defense Department memorial staff
- Secretary of the Interior
- National Park Service officials
- Memorial administrators
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Flood (for himself, Ms. Chu, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Van …
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Families of the lost USS Frank E. Evans crew members and the veteran remembrance community
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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