HR835-119

What This Bill Does

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act defines the National September 11 Memorial & Museum as the World Trade Center Foundation entity established to commemorate the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and honor the victims. The eligible entity is the nonprofit organization that operates the Memorial and Museum and is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3). The Secretary is the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Subject to advance appropriations to DHS Office of the Secretary and Executive Management, the Secretary must award the eligible entity a one-time grant of at least $5 million and not more than $10 million if the application satisfies statutory criteria. The grant may be used only for operation, security, and maintenance of the Memorial and Museum. DHS must award the grant within 90 days after receiving a completed qualifying application. In setting the grant amount, the Secretary must consider security and safety needs, visitor numbers, preservation of facilities and grounds, education of future generations, and access for economically disadvantaged visitors.

As grant conditions, the Memorial and Museum must provide free admission to active and retired Armed Forces members, registered first responders to the September 11 attacks, and family members of victims. It must also provide dedicated free public admission hours at least weekly and allow annual federal audits of financial statements, including ticket sales, donations, grants, salaries, and operations spending, with audit materials subject to DHS review and public availability. The recipient must submit annual reports to House Natural Resources and Homeland Security committees and Senate Energy and Natural Resources and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees within 90 days after each fiscal year in which grant funds are obligated or spent. No additional funds are authorized.

Who Benefits and How

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, World Trade Center Foundation staff, Memorial visitors, active Armed Forces members, retired Armed Forces members, registered September 11 first responders, family members of September 11 victims, economically disadvantaged visitors, weekly free-admission visitors, educators using Memorial programs, and future generations benefit because the bill supplies operation, security, maintenance, preservation, education, and access funding.

Who Bears the Burden and How

DHS grant administrators, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Memorial financial staff, World Trade Center Foundation officers, federal auditors, congressional oversight staff, and the grant recipient bear application, eligibility-review, free-admission, audit, public-disclosure, annual-reporting, and no-new-funds constraints.

Key Provisions

• Defines the eligible entity as the nonprofit operating the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
• Authorizes a one-time DHS grant of at least $5 million and not more than $10 million.
• Restricts grant use to operation, security, and maintenance of the Memorial and Museum.
• Requires DHS to award a qualifying grant within 90 days after a completed application.
• Requires free admission for active and retired Armed Forces members, registered September 11 first responders, and victims' family members.
• Requires dedicated free public admission hours at least once a week.
• Requires annual federal audits and public availability of reviewed financial information.
• Requires annual reports to House and Senate committees for fiscal years in which grant funds are used.