House Passes Bipartisan Bill Cosponsored by Shea-Porter

Statement

This evening, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 588, the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgment Act of 2013. The bill, which was originally cosponsored by Congresswoman Shea-Porter, provides for donor contribution acknowledgements to be displayed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Visitor Center.

"I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation that will help visitors better understand the Vietnam War and honor the men and women who served during it," Shea-Porter said.

In 2003, to help visitors understand the context and historical significance of the Vietnam War, Congress authorized the construction of a state-of-the-art "Education Center at the Wall." Since then, charitable donations to build the center have been low. This bipartisan legislation allows for the public recognition of donors and ensures that their recognition is discreet, unobtrusive, and does not contain any advertising or company logos.

The bill is fully supported by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Gold Star Mothers (AGSM), the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH), and Sons and Daughters in Touch (SDIT).

After passage of the bill, Congresswoman Shea-Porter urged her House colleagues to consider legislation that creates jobs, strengthens the middle class, and grows the economy. "Now that this bill has passed, I urge my House colleagues to focus on job growth, ending sequestration, and passing a budget that expands our economy and responsibly reduces the deficit," Shea-Porter said.

Congresswoman Shea-Porter has consistently worked to pass common sense legislation like the Vietnam Veterans Donor Acknowledgment Act, and to protect New Hampshire's businesses and middle class families from sequestration's most harmful effects. She cosponsored the Stop the Sequester Job Loss Now Act, legislation that would replace sequestration with a balanced approach to reducing our deficit and growing our economy.

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