A World War I Centennial Commission will plan activities to commemorate America's involvement in the war. But those hoping to build a monument to those who served in it will be disappointed. Congress approved for President Barack Obama's signature on Monday, Dec. 31, the World War I Centennial Commission Act (H.R. 6364).
The bill creates a commission to plan, encourage and coordinate activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the conflict. The commission can serve as a clearinghouse for information and recommend ways to celebrate. While the commission can provide advice to Congress, federal, state and local governments; it cannot use federal money to pursue its activities.
For details, see stories linked to below and http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d112:1:./temp/~bdQaKe:@@@D&summ2=m&|/home/LegislativeData.php|.
But the final bill does not include a provision that would have allowed creation of a monument to commemorate Americans who served in the war. The original bill as passed by the House included a measure calling for construction of one in the District of Columbia.
But the Senate nixed the provision on the grounds that the city already contains an abundance of monuments and memorials. The House agreed to pass the Senate version by a vote of 401 to 5.
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