Sponsors (8)
The bill secures a prominent, permanent memorial and educational site honoring millions of WWII home‑front women, trading off limited National Mall space, a potential precedent for siting exceptions, and modest federal cost risks.
Millions of WWII home-front women (and veterans) are publicly honored and their contributions raised in awareness by authorizing a permanent commemorative work on the National Mall.
The memorial provides an official, permanent site for education and remembrance that schools and the public can use for historical learning about the WWII home front.
Giving flexibility to locate the memorial in Area I or the Reserve increases the chance the project can move forward without prolonged site disputes or delays.
Placing a new commemorative work in prime National Mall space reduces available room for other memorials, public uses, or future planning of the Mall.
The bill creates an exception to standard Mall siting rules, which could set a precedent enabling future bypasses of placement restrictions on the National Mall.
Even with a private sponsor, the project could generate federal costs for planning, approval, or long‑term maintenance that fall on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Overrides a federal siting restriction to allow the World War II Women’s Memorial to be placed in Area I or the Reserve on the National Mall without changing funding or other substantive requirements.
Official title: Provide that the memorial to commemorate the sacrifice and service of the women who worked on the home front to support the efforts of the United States military during World War II may be located on the National Mall, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 24, 2025 by Jeanne Shaheen · Last progress March 24, 2025
Permits the World War II Women’s Memorial authorized in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to be sited on the National Mall by overriding the usual siting restriction. The change only authorizes placement within Area I or the Reserve on federal land in Washington, D.C.; it does not change the memorial’s funding, authorization conditions, or other substantive requirements.