To authorize the establishment of memorials to the Wisconsin infantry officers and enlisted men who fought in the Battle of Antietam and the Second Battle of Bull Run, and for other purposes.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the Interior Secretary to authorize two Civil War memorials: one at Antietam National Battlefield for officers and enlisted men of the Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Wisconsin Infantry Regiments who fought on September 17, 1862, and one at Manassas National Battlefield Park for the Second, Sixth, and Seventh Wisconsin Infantry Regiments at the Second Battle of Bull Run on August 28-30, 1862. Interior selects the persons who may establish the memorials, approves size, design, and inscriptions, bars federal spending on design, acquisition, site preparation, and installation, can suspend authority for misleading fundraising, receives annual fundraising and progress reports, and assumes maintenance after installation with contributions credited through the National Park Foundation.
Who Benefits and How
Wisconsin Civil War heritage groups, battlefield visitors, historians, descendants of Wisconsin infantry soldiers, and the National Park Foundation benefit from authorized memorials at two National Park Service battlefield sites. Private fundraising groups gain permission to establish memorials if Interior approves them. The public benefits from memorials that recognize specific Wisconsin regiments while keeping installation costs off the federal budget.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Interior Department and National Park Service must approve locations, designs, inscriptions, and selected memorial sponsors, monitor fundraising representations, review annual reports, and maintain the memorials after installation. Private memorial sponsors must raise nonfederal funds, avoid misleading fundraising, report annually, and comply with Interior design and site approvals. Federal funds cannot be used for design, acquisition, site preparation, or installation.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes a Wisconsin infantry memorial at Antietam National Battlefield.
- Authorizes a Wisconsin infantry memorial at Manassas National Battlefield Park.
- Requires Interior approval of locations, sponsors, size, design, and inscriptions.
- Bars federal funds for design, acquisition, site preparation, and installation.
- Requires annual sponsor reports until installation and Interior maintenance afterward.
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
Authorizes privately funded memorials for Wisconsin infantry regiments at Antietam National Battlefield and Manassas National Battlefield Park, with Interior approval over location, design, inscriptions, fundraising conduct, annual reports, and post-installation maintenance.
Key Policy Areas
public_lands, historic_preservation, veterans
Primary Purpose
Authorizes privately funded memorials for Wisconsin infantry regiments at Antietam National Battlefield and Manassas National Battlefield Park, with Interior approval over location, design, inscriptions, fundraising conduct, annual reports, and post-installation maintenance.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Wisconsin Civil War heritage groups
- Battlefield visitors
- Historians
- National Park Foundation
Identified Costs
- Interior Department
- National Park Service
- Private memorial sponsors
- Fundraising organizations
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced in House
Mr. Fitzgerald (for himself, Mr. Steil, Mr. Van Orden, Mr. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Private memorial sponsors, Wisconsin Civil War heritage groups
Positive-direction: Wisconsin Civil War heritage groups
Negative-direction: Private memorial sponsors
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "agencies"
- → ['Interior Department', 'National Park Service']
- "beneficiaries"
- → ['Wisconsin Civil War heritage groups', 'Battlefield visitors']
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.
Learn more about our methodology