Battleship Iowa National Museum of the Surface Navy Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 933 To designate the Battleship IOWA Museum, located in Los Angeles, Cali- fornia, as the National Museum of the Surface Navy, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 23, 2021 Mrs. FEINSTEIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To designate the Battleship IOWA Museum, located in Los Angeles, California, as the National Museum of the Sur- face Navy, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Battleship Iowa Na- 4 tional Museum of the Surface Navy Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 (1) The United States Surface Navy represents 8 the millions of sailors and thousands of ships that 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:41 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 933 IS sail on oceans around the world to ensure the safety 1 and freedom of Americans and all people. 2 (2) The Battleship IOWA is an iconic Surface 3 Navy vessel that— 4 (A) served as home to hundreds of thou- 5 sands of sailors from all 50 States; and 6 (B) is recognized as a transformational 7 feat of engineering and innovation. 8 (3) In 2012, the Navy donated the Battleship 9 IOWA to the Pacific Battleship Center, a nonprofit 10 organization pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the In- 11 ternal Revenue Code of 1986, after which the Center 12 established the Battleship IOWA Museum at the 13 Port of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. 14 (4) The Battleship IOWA Museum is a mu- 15 seum and educational institution that— 16 (A) has welcomed millions of visitors from 17 across the United States and receives support 18 from thousands of Americans throughout the 19 United States to preserve the legacy of those 20 who served on the Battleship IOWA and all 21 Surface Navy ships; 22 (B) is home to Los Angeles Fleet Week, 23 which has the highest public engagement of any 24 Fleet Week in the United States and raises 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:41 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 933 IS awareness of the importance of the Navy to de- 1 fending the United States, maintaining safe sea 2 lanes, and providing humanitarian assistance; 3 (C) hosts numerous military activities, in- 4 cluding enlistments, re-enlistments, commission- 5 ings, promotions, and community service days, 6 with participants from throughout the United 7 States; 8 (D) is a leader in museum engagement 9 with innovative exhibits, diverse programming, 10 and use of technology; 11 (E) is an on-site training platform for Fed- 12 eral, State, and local law enforcement personnel 13 to use for a variety of training exercises, includ- 14 ing urban search and rescue and maritime secu- 15 rity exercises; 16 (F) is a partner with the Navy in carrying 17 out Defense Support of Civil Authorities efforts 18 by supporting training exercises and responses 19 to crises, including the COVID–19 pandemic; 20 (G) is a science, technology, engineering, 21 and mathematics education platform for thou- 22 sands of students each year; 23 (H) is an instrumental partner in the eco- 24 nomic development efforts along the Los Ange- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:41 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 933 IS les waterfront by attracting hundreds of thou- 1 sands of visitors annually and improving the 2 quality of life for area residents; and 3 (I) provides a safe place for— 4 (i) veteran engagement and reintegra- 5 tion into the community through programs 6 and activities that provide a sense of be- 7 longing to members of the Armed Forces 8 and veterans; and 9 (ii) proud Americans to come together 10 in common purpose to highlight the impor- 11 tance of service to community for the fu- 12 ture of the United States. 13 (5) In January 2019, the Pacific Battleship 14 Center received a license for the rights of the Na- 15 tional Museum of the Surface Navy from the Navy 16 for the purpose of building such museum aboard the 17 Battleship IOWA at the Port of Los Angeles. 18 (6) The National Museum of the Surface Navy 19 will— 20 (A) be the official museum to honor mil- 21 lions of Americans who have proudly served and 22 continue to serve in the Surface Navy since the 23 founding of the Navy on October 13, 1775; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:41 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 933 IS (B) be a community-based and future-ori- 1 ented museum that will raise awareness and 2 educate the public on the important role of the 3 Surface Navy in ensuring international rela- 4 tions, maintaining safe sea transit for free 5 trade, preventing piracy, providing humani- 6 tarian assistance, and enhancing the role of the 7 United States throughout the world; 8 (C) build on successes of the Battleship 9 IOWA Museum by introducing new exhibits and 10 programs with a focus on education, veterans, 11 and community; 12 (D) borrow and exhibit artifacts from the 13 Navy and other museums and individuals 14 throughout the United States; and 15 (E) work with individuals from the Surface 16 Navy community and the public to ensure that 17 the story of the Surface Navy community is ac- 18 curately interpreted and represented. 19 SEC. 3. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE SURFACE NAVY. 20 (a) DESIGNATION.—The Battleship IOWA Museum, 21 located in Los Angeles, California, and managed by the 22 Pacific Battleship Center, shall be designated as the ‘‘Na- 23 tional Museum of the Surface Navy’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:41 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 933 IS (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the National Mu- 1 seum of the Surface Navy shall be to— 2 (1) provide and support— 3 (A) a museum dedicated to the United 4 States Surface Navy community; and 5 (B) a platform for education, community, 6 and veterans programs; 7 (2) preserve, maintain, and interpret artifacts, 8 documents, images, stories, and history collected by 9 the museum; and 10 (3) ensure that the American people understand 11 the importance of the Surface Navy in the continued 12 freedom, safety, and security of the United States. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:41 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S933.IS S933 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS