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Senate and House of Representatives Resolutions for Franklin Roosevelt Memorial Wheelchair Statue

[S.J. RES. 29 and H. J. RES. 76]



FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT--DISABILITY HERO

Tuesday, April 4, 1995

Statue of FDR in a wheelchair Mr. DOLE: Mr. President, as many Members of the Senate know, it is my custom to speak each year about a disability subject on April 14. It is the date I was wounded in World War II and joined the disability community myself. This year we will be in recess on April 14, so I will give my annual message today.

Mr. President, I will talk about another member of the disability community--certainly one of its most prominent members. But throughout his life, his disability was not only unknown to most people, it was denied and hidden.

I am speaking about President Franklin Roosevelt. Next week, the Nation will commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death on April 12, 1945. He will surely be recalled by many as a master politician; an energetic and inspiring leader during the dark days of the Depression; a tough, single-minded Commander in Chief during World War II; and a statesman.

No doubt about it, he was all these things. But he was also the first elected leader in history with a disability, and he was a disability hero.

FDR'S SPLENDID DECEPTION

Mr. President, in 1921, at age 39, Franklin Roosevelt was a young man in a hurry. He was following the same political path that took his cousin, Theodore Roosevelt, to the White House. In 1910 he was elected to the New York State Senate, and later was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In 1920, he was the Democratic candidate for Vice President.

Then, on the evening of August 10, while on vacation, he felt ill and went to bed early. Within 3 days he was paralyzed from the chest down. Although the muscles of his upper body soon recovered, he remained paralyzed below the waist.

His political career screeched to a halt. He spent the next 7 years in rehabilitation, determined to walk again. He never did. He mostly used a wheelchair. Sometimes he was carried by his sons or aides. Other times he crawled on the floor.

But he did perfect the illusion of walking--believing that otherwise his political ambitions were dead. He could stand upright only with his lower body painfully wrapped in steel braces. He moved forward by swinging his hips, leaning on the arm of a family member or aide. It worked for only a few feet at a time. It was dangerous. But it was enough to convince people that FDR was not a "cripple." FDR biographer Hugh Gallagher has called this effort, and other tricks used to hide his disability. "FDR's splendid deception."

This deception was aided and abetted by many others. The press were coconspirators. No reporter wrote that FDR could not walk, and no photographer took a picture of him in his wheelchair. for that matter, thousands saw him struggle when he walked. Maybe they did not believe or understand what they saw.

In 1928, FDR ended his political exile, and was elected Governor of New York. Four years later, he was President. On March 4, 1933, standing at the east front of this Capitol, he said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." He was 35 feet from his wheelchair. Few people knew from what deep personal experiences he spoke.

Perhaps the only occasion where FDR fully acknowledged the extent of his disability in public was a visit to a military hospital in Hawaii. He toured the amputee wards in his wheelchair. He went by each bed, letting the men see him exactly as he was. He did not need to give any pep talks--his example said it all.

fdr--disability hero

Mr. President, earlier I called FDR a "disability hero." But it was not for the reasons some might think. It would be easy to cite his courage and grit. But FDR would not want that. "No sob stuff," he told the press in 1928 when he started his comeback. Even within his own family, he did not discuss his disability. It was simply a fact of life.

In my view, FDR is a hero for his efforts on behalf of others with a disability. In 1926, he purchased a run-down resort in Warm Springs, GA, and over the next 20 years turned it into a unique, first class, rehabilitation center. It was based on a new philosophy of treatment--one where psychological recovery was as important as medical treatment.

FDR believed in an independent life for people with disabilities--at a time when society thought they belonged at home or in institutions.

Warm Springs was run by people with polio, for people with polio. In that spirit, FDR is the father of the modern independent living movement--which puts people with disabilities in control of their own lives.

He also founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis--today known as the March of Dimes--and raised millions of dollars to help others with polio and find a cure. On April 12, 1955, on the 10th anniversary of his death, the March of Dimes announced the first successful polio vaccine, engineered by Dr. Jonas Salk. Today, polio is virtually extinct in the United States. Next week, the March of Dimes will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the vaccine in Ann Arbor.

In public policy, FDR understood that Government help in rehabilitating people with disabilities is good business--often returning more in taxes and savings than it costs. It is unfortunately a philosophy that even today we often pay more lip service than practice.

disability today and tomorrow

Mr. President, our Nation has come a long way in its understanding of disability since the days of President Roosevelt. For example, we recognize that disability is a natural part of life. We have begun to build a world that is accessible. No longer do we accept that buildings--either through design or indifference--are not accessible, which is a "Keep Out" sign for the disabled.

We have come a long way in another respect--in attitudes. Fifty years ago, we had a President, Franklin Roosevelt, who could not walk and believed it was necessary to disguise that fact from the American people. Today I trust that Americans would have no problem in electing as President a man or woman with a disability.

Mr. President, let us not fool ourselves--this work is not done. Not by a long shot. And I think this is something that we can all agree on, Republican or Democrat.

So, next week, as we honor President Roosevelt, let us remember him as a disability hero and dedicate ourselves to this unfinished business.

THE FDR MEMORIAL

Thursday, May 16, 1996

Mr. LEAHY: Mr. President, thousands of people come to Washington, DC, each year to learn about the history of our country and the legacy left to us by the great men and women that have built the strongest, most powerful nation the world has ever known--the United States of America.

Our country's finest hours have been ones where prejudice and discrimination have been acknowledged and addressed. The key to our overcoming and addressing discrimination has been education and understanding.

The most recent debate over the FDR Memorial is an opportunity for our country to once again beat back discrimination. Discrimination is not always blatant. Discrimination also includes exclusion.

I strongly believe that portraying FDR in a wheelchair in one of the three statues that are being built as part of the memorial would be an incredibly powerful statement to all who visit this tribute to a great, vibrant, forceful leader. The fact that FDR had polio and spent most of his waking hours as President working in his wheelchair does not change any of these truths. In fact, FDR's disability was a great source of his strength.

A main tenet of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was to ensure that the Federal Government plays a central role in enforcing the standards established in the act on behalf of individuals with disabilities.

In this effort, I hope that the FDR Memorial Commission will depict President Roosevelt as he was--a great, courageous man who had polio and still led our Nation.

I ask unanimous consent that an editorial from the New York Times and a letter from eight of FDR's grandchildren to Michael Deland and Alan Reich of the National Organization on Disability be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

[From the New York Times, May 12, 1996]

The Airbrush of Power

Most Americans are aware, if sometimes vaguely, that Franklin Roosevelt was stricken by polio in 1921 and was unable thereafter to stand unassisted. Yet there will be no visual reminder of this fact in the F.D.R. memorial due to be dedicated in Washington next spring. On the contrary, he is to be shown standing tall in one of three sculptures planned for the seven-acre site on the banks of the Potomac.

This fiction, however benign, is being protested by the National Organization on Disability, whose chairman, Michael Deland, urges that at least one bronze image depict F.D.R. as he often was, in a wheelchair. Logic and sentiment support Mr. Deland. But alas, the leaden weight of tradition stands all too squarely behind the memorial commission's penchant for make-believe.

Through the ages, rulers of every stripe, male and female, have sought to improve upon or alter nature. The Egyptians led the way. Ramses II was not content to show himself mowing down adversaries in scores of battle friezes. His artists had to depict him twice as big as everyone else. Going further, Queen Hatshepsut, the first great female ruler known to history, had herself replicated in stone with a false beard, thus visually changing her sex.

Roman emperors and their wives were tidied up in marble and bronze, their faces deftly nipped and tucked on imperial coins. European rulers in the Middle Ages invoked theology to justify the lies of art. Every monarch, it was said, is at once mortal and incorporeal, so that in a higher realm all were immune to the blemishes of the flesh.

On their death, an image was carved delineating their idealized features.

We learn through written records, not portraits, of Richard III's crookback and Henry VIII's terminal corpulence. In art, Elizabeth I is always the same iconic virgin queen; in life, she banish mirrors from her palaces as her hair thinned and her cheeks hollowed. In the same spirit, Elizabeth II, who has turned 70, has firmly resisted suggestions that she permit an updating on coins of her youthful profile, as Queen. Victoria did after her Jubilee in 1887.

By contrast, the Puritan regicide Oliver Cromwell is said to have told the artist Lely: "Flatter me not at all. But remark all these roughnesses, pimples, warts, and everything as you see me. Otherwise I will not pay a farthing for it." Yet this splendid story was printed long after Cromwell's death and may be apocryphal, according to his biographer, Anotonia Fraser. More characteristic was Winston Churchill's response to an unflattering portrait by Graham Sutherland. he hid it away, Dorian Gray fashion. Some years later his widow, Clementine, apparently burned it.

Presidential portraits in the White House are a study in illusionist brushwork. Richard Nixon resembles a scoutmaster, Lyndon Johnson everybody's kindly uncle, and John Kennedy a saintly matinee idol. Interestingly, a dark and gloomy portrait of Lincoln is tucked from sight in the Lincoln bedroom. It was painted in 1930 by Douglas Volk, whose father, Leonard, once sculpted Lincoln from life. The son's haunting portrait, or a copy of it, turns up in Oliver Stone's film about Nixon, who at one point talks to the painting.

FDR in a wheelchair Official art, in real life, rarely speaks truth to power. It would indeed be refreshing, even liberating, for the memorial to show F.D.R. as he was. According to Mr. Deland, who uses a wheelchair himself, only two photographs are known to survive showing Roosevelt in the same device. This is the result of an unwritten protective rule among White House photographers. Like the kings of old, and most sitting politicians today, F.D.R. wanted his incorporeal self to linger in posterity's memory.

Anne Roosevelt,

April 29, 1996.

Dear Messrs. Deland and Reich,

Franklin Delano Roosevelt looms large in the hearts and minds of many, including his grandchildren who now survive. Some of us knew him personally, but most of us did not. We hold him in memory, as families will, as a whole person whose life touched a nation and whose affection still reaches us. We want him to be remembered as he was, in all his strength, courage and humanity.

It is quite clear that FDR developed his strength of character, determination and discipline most distinctly as a result of his having polio. He also became a more sympathetic and modest person. He made a political decision to downplay his disability because of his understanding of the role of public perception and the norms of the day. At times he did not.

But when it came to inspiring and encouraging others who were disabled--such as at his beloved Warm Springs, Georgia, or with amputees and wounded soldiers in wartime hospitals--he freely showed himself in wheelchairs or on crutches, with braces. He was in no way embarrassed by his disability. Life was bigger than that.

Were he alive today we are convinced that he would wish to have the people of this country and the world understand his disability. He would be comfortable, possibly eager, in light of current increased understanding of disability issues, to share awareness of his and other types of disabilities and others. We firmly believe that more factual knowledge, particularly about and from public leaders, encourages and inspires those without disability to accept and support all people, including people with disabilities to live full, productive and joyful lives.

FDR's commitment to leadership, to excellence and to life, with a disability not well understood by many, nor accepted by some, sustained him and the Nation through one of the most challenging periods in American history. There is no better memorial than a complete picture of who he was.

While we wish no delay in the construction of the proposed memorial we urge an adequate inclusion of all facets of the man as he was, not as some think he ought to have been.

Sincerely,

Anne Roosevelt,

on behalf of Chandler Roosevelt Lindsley, Christopher D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves, Franklin Roosevelt III, Kate Roosevelt Whitney, Nina Roosevelt Gibson, James Roosevelt, Esquire.

AUTHORIZING A PERMANENT ADDITION TO THE FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL IN WASHINGTON, DC

Thursday, May 1, 1997

Mr. BENNETT: Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the consideration of Senate Joint Resolution 29, submitted earlier today by Senator Inouye.

The PRESIDING OFFICER: The clerk will report.

The bill clerk read as follows:

A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 29) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.

The PRESIDING OFFICER: Is there objection to the immediate consideration of the joint resolution?

There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the joint resolution.

Mr. INOUYE: Mr. President, at the request of President Clinton, I rise to introduce legislation which directs the Secretary of the Interior to plan for the design and construction of a permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt [FDR] Memorial.

The FDR Memorial Commission was organized in 1955 for the purpose of considering and formulating plans for the design, construction, and location of a permanent memorial to President Roosevelt. I have had the distinct pleasure of serving on the Commission for 27 years along with our former colleague, Senator Mark O. Hatfield.

The FDR Memorial will be dedicated on Friday, May 2, 1997. This memorial represents a plan and design that has undergone extensive review and study by the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and the Congress. After 23 years, and three design competitions, one of which bestowed a $50,000 award, the final design for the memorial was approved in 1978.

Approximately 2 years ago, after all design plans were approved, all funding appropriated by the Congress, and the construction of the memorial was well underway, the disabled community made a demand that the Commission add another statue of FDR in a wheelchair. In the early days, the children of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt made it clear they wanted no statue showing President Roosevelt in a wheelchair. I might add that during the approval process no member of the disabled community came forth to request the Commission amend the design plans for the memorial.

However, in an effort to be sensitive to their concerns yet historically accurate, the Commission agreed to display an exact replica of one of President Roosevelt's wheelchairs in the entry building of the memorial. It was determined that existing wheelchairs are too fragile to be loaned to the memorial. Consequently, Senator Hatfield and I instructed the National Park Service to prepare for display an exact replica of one of President Roosevelt's wheelchairs. A cabinetmaker is building the chair and other wooden parts, a wheelmaker is producing 18-inch rims and tires and a metalsmith is assembling the completed chair.

In addition, in the memorial's entry building there will be a display of mounted photographs of President Roosevelt, including one of the two known photographs of him in a wheelchair. The photograph to be displayed will be 12 inches tall and 9 inches wide. Also included in the memorial is a time line of the major events of FDR's life, carved in granite, which states: "1921 stricken with poliomyelitis--he never again walked unaided."

The Commission tried its best to ensure that the initial wishes of the Roosevelt family were carried out, along with the design plans approved by the Commission of Fine Arts. The Commission has also tried to be sensitive to the concerns of those citizens having to spend their lives in a wheelchair. It is true that the depiction of President Roosevelt in a wheelchair will inspire the tragically afflicted. It may very well be a more honest way to depict President Roosevelt.

Accordingly, at President Clinton's request, I am pleased to introduce this legislation which directs the Secretary of the Interior to plan for the design and construction of a permanent addition to the FDR Memorial, and I thank my colleagues for their support and in the Senate acting expeditiously.

Mr. HARKIN: Mr. President, I am very pleased to join with my good friend and colleague Senator Inouye in introducing legislation submitted by the Clinton administration to require the addition of a statue portraying FDR and his disability. This is an important measure that I hope will be quickly approved.

I have always said that it took a disabled President to lead a disabled nation. President Clinton has taken the right step in improving the FDR Memorial by allowing Americans to view a more complete picture of one of our Nation's greatest Presidents.

I look forward to the long-awaited dedication of the FDR Memorial this Friday. I have long thought this very important new memorial should include a statue depicting FDR in a wheelchair. Contrary to popular belief, President Roosevelt did at times purposely display his disability to inspire wounded veterans, persons with polio, and other groups of Americans. A statue portraying his disability will stand as a reminder to current and future generations of Americans that disability is a natural part of the human experience that in no way diminishes the ability of a person to fully participate in all aspects of American life.

As the author of the Americans With Disabilities Act, I was proud to be joined by leaders of the disability community, former Presidents Bush, Carter, and Ford, a number of Roosevelt's descendants, and many other Americans in calling for a permanent depiction of FDR with his disability at the memorial. Our challenge now is to take the necessary steps to make this additional statue part of the FDR Memorial as soon as possible.

Mr. BENNETT: Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the joint resolution be considered read a third time and passed, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the joint resolution appear at the appropriate place in the Record.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

The joint resolution (S.J. Res. 29) was deemed read the third time and passed.

The preamble was agreed to.

The joint resolution, with its preamble, is as follows:

105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 29

   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a 
    permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
               Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 1, 1997

   Mr. Inouye (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
Cleland, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Ford, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
   Robb, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Stevens) introduced the following joint 
resolution; which was read twice, considered, read the third time, and 
                                 passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a 
    permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
               Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.

Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, after contracting poliomyelitis, 
        required the use of a wheelchair for mobility and lived with this 
        condition while leading the United States through some of its most 
        difficult times; and
Whereas President Roosevelt's courage, leadership, and success should serve as 
        an example and inspiration for all Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ADDITION TO FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL.

    (a) Plan.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act 
as the ``Secretary'') shall plan for the design and construction of an 
addition of a permanent statue, bas-relief, or other similar structure 
to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. (referred 
to in this Act as the ``Memorial''), to provide recognition of the fact 
that President Roosevelt's leadership in the struggle by the United 
States for peace, well-being, and human dignity was provided while the 
President used a wheelchair.
    (b) Commission of Fine Arts.--The Secretary shall obtain the 
approval of the Commission of Fine Arts for the design plan created 
under subsection (a).
    (c) Report.--As soon as practicable, the Secretary shall report to 
Congress and the President on findings and recommendations for the 
addition to the Memorial.
    (d) Construction.--Beginning on the date that is 120 days after 
submission of the report to Congress under subsection (c), using only 
private contributions, the Secretary shall construct the addition 
according to the plan created under subsection (a).

SEC. 2. POWERS OF THE SECRETARY.

    To carry out this Act, the Secretary may--
            (1) hold hearings and organize contests; and
            (2) request the assistance and advice of members of the 
        disability community, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the 
        National Capital Planning Commission, and the Commissions shall 
        render the assistance and advice requested.

SEC. 3. COMMEMORATIVE WORKS ACT.

    Compliance by the Secretary with this joint resolution shall 
satisfy all requirements for establishing a commemorative work under 
the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this joint 
resolution such sums as may be necessary.
                                 



REGARDING THE FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL

______

speech of

HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

of michigan

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, July 8, 1997

FDR in Wheelchair Statue Mr. BONIOR: Mr. Speaker, I rise today in full support of Senate Joint Resolution 29, the resolution directing the Department of the Interior to design and construct a statue depicting Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his wheelchair. I believe this inclusion in the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial Statue will further illustrate to the American public that a person with a disability is not limited in his or her ability to reach historic heights.

In addition to the Secretary working with the commission to incorporate a sculpture displaying President Roosevelt in a wheelchair, as instructed by the Senate Joint Resolution 29, I would also encourage the Secretary to look into a serious matter brought to my attention by the National Organization on Disability and the American Council of the Blind and as described in a May 20 article in the Washington Post. It appears that the Braille lettering on the monument is not readable by most blind or visually impaired visitors. In fact, on some areas of the monument the Braille dots are not accessible or not present at all. This is ironic in light of the fact that the description on the wall of President Roosevelt's programs to aid the blind, cannot be read by the blind. However unintentional, this makes a mockery of President Roosevelt's work and is frustrating to visually impaired visitors.

The main problem with the Braille is the size of the dots. The cells are too big to fit under a fingertip. Because of the enlargement, the spacing of the dots within a cell and between cells is incorrect. The sculptor admits that he took liberty by exaggerating the size of the Braille to achieve a certain concept. Unfortunately, his artistic interpretation has come at the expense of those who have low vision or who are blind. In essence, the majesty he sought to create for those who cannot see has proven to be a disheartening misadventure.

I would recommend that this artistic but unreadable Braille displayed on the memorial's Wall of Programs be supplemented by Braille which is readable. This Braille should conform to the specifications for raised character and Braille signage contained in recognized access codes such as the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines [ADAAG] and the American National Standards Institute's [ANSI's] A117-1 standard for accessible design for the disabled. The reproduced Braille should be placed on a metal plaque or plaques which are affixed at a reasonable and readable height and location on the Wall of Programs. Or, the plaques could be mounted near the Wall of Programs on stands located at a reasonable height and location immediately adjacent to the artistic, but unreadable Braille. I would also encourage the Secretary to replicate in Braille the inspirational excerpts from President Roosevelt's speeches, which are displayed in print throughout the memorial, so they may be enjoyed by blind or visually impaired visitors.

I believe these additions to the monument honoring our 32d President would be a fitting tribute to a great man who tirelessly served this country, and I would encourage full consideration of this important request.

REGARDING THE FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL

Tuesday, July 8, 1997

Mr. HANSEN: Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution (S.J. Res. 29) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read as follows:

105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 29

   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a 
    permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
               Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 1, 1997

   Mr. Inouye (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
Cleland, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Ford, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
   Robb, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Stevens) introduced the following joint 
resolution; which was read twice, considered, read the third time, and 
                                 passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a 
    permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
               Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.

Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, after contracting poliomyelitis, 
        required the use of a wheelchair for mobility and lived with this 
        condition while leading the United States through some of its most 
        difficult times; and
Whereas President Roosevelt's courage, leadership, and success should serve as 
        an example and inspiration for all Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ADDITION TO FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL.

    (a) Plan.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this Act 
as the ``Secretary'') shall plan for the design and construction of an 
addition of a permanent statue, bas-relief, or other similar structure 
to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. (referred 
to in this Act as the ``Memorial''), to provide recognition of the fact 
that President Roosevelt's leadership in the struggle by the United 
States for peace, well-being, and human dignity was provided while the 
President used a wheelchair.
    (b) Commission of Fine Arts.--The Secretary shall obtain the 
approval of the Commission of Fine Arts for the design plan created 
under subsection (a).
    (c) Report.--As soon as practicable, the Secretary shall report to 
Congress and the President on findings and recommendations for the 
addition to the Memorial.
    (d) Construction.--Beginning on the date that is 120 days after 
submission of the report to Congress under subsection (c), using only 
private contributions, the Secretary shall construct the addition 
according to the plan created under subsection (a).

SEC. 2. POWERS OF THE SECRETARY.

    To carry out this Act, the Secretary may--
            (1) hold hearings and organize contests; and
            (2) request the assistance and advice of members of the 
        disability community, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the 
        National Capital Planning Commission, and the Commissions shall 
        render the assistance and advice requested.

SEC. 3. COMMEMORATIVE WORKS ACT.

    Compliance by the Secretary with this joint resolution shall 
satisfy all requirements for establishing a commemorative work under 
the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this joint 
resolution such sums as may be necessary.
                                 



The SPEAKER pro tempore: Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Utah [Mr. Hansen] and the gentleman from America Samoa [Mr. Faleomavaega], each will control 20 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah [Mr. Hansen].

(Mr. HANSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HANSEN: Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, S.J. Res. 29 directs the Secretary of the Interior to plan and construct the addition of a permanent statue, bas-relief, or other similar structure to the present Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC, to recognize that President Roosevelt's leadership was provided to the Nation while he was a disabled individual using a wheelchair.

The resolution requires that the Secretary, as soon as practicable, report to Congress and the President his findings and recommendations for this addition to the FDR Memorial. The Secretary may seek the assistance and advice of the disabled community, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the National Capital Planning Commission in creating a final design for this addition to the FDR Memorial.

The Commission of Fine Arts must approve the Secretary of the Interior's final design plan. Furthermore, the resolution requires construction of the addition to the FDR Memorial begin 120 days after submission of the report to Congress, using only private contributions.

The entire process for the addition to the FDR Memorial must comply with all of the requirements of the Commemorative Work Act of 1986.

Mr. Speaker, S.J. Res. 29 has the strong support of the Clinton administration. Additionally, this resolution is heartily endorsed by former Presidents Bush, Carter, and Ford. Finally, there is broad unified support for this resolution within the disabled community.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution honors the achievements of President Roosevelt, who served this Nation while disabled, and I urge my colleagues to support Senate Joint Resolution 29.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA: Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA: Mr. Speaker, Senate Joint Resolution 29 is a Senate-passed measure that was authored by the good Senator from the State of Hawaii, Senator Daniel Inouye, and is a companion to H.J.Res. 76, a bill introduced by my colleague on the Committee on Resources, the gentleman from New York [Mr. Hinchey], who is also a member of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission.

The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a statue or a similar structure at the FDR Memorial to recognize that President Roosevelt's great leadership was provided while the President used a wheelchair.

I know that many Members are aware of the controversy that preceded the dedication of the FDR Memorial on May 2, 1997. Representatives of the disabled community have raised concerns that the memorial did not adequately reflect the President's disability and undertook a campaign to see that President Roosevelt be depicted in a wheelchair to reflect that disability, which was the result of polio, did not diminish his ability to provide great leadership to our Nation.

Although the President took actions to play down his disability, he has been an inspiration to millions of Americans who have seen that a disability need not diminish the ability of an individual to fully participate in all aspects of life.

The issues addressed by Senate Joint Resolution 29 were of great concern to the disabled community and the FDR Memorial Commission and members of the Roosevelt family. I am glad to see we have before us today a consensus bill that will address this issue in a dignified and thoughtful manner.

Mr. Speaker, I support the legislation and urge my colleagues for their support of this bill. I thank my good friends and the gentleman of the Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands for his management of this bill.

Mr. HINCHEY: Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation. As the sponsor of the House version of the resolution, I am pleased that it has been brought before the House so promptly and expeditiously. The Senate has already adopted the resolution by unanimous consent, and the President has publicly supported it. I especially want to thank our committee chairman, Don Young, and our subcommittee chair, Jim Hansen, for expediting the resolution's consideration, and Dan Smith, of the committee staff, for his work on this.

Along with our colleague, Phil English, I served on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Commission, which was responsible for the design and construction of the new Roosevelt Memorial. For a long time, the Commission was ambivalent about whether the memorial should include a depiction of the President in his wheelchair. On the one hand, we knew that President Roosevelt did not want to be portrayed in his wheelchair when he was in office, and he kept the extent of his disability form the public. On the other, we know that his disability is certainly no secret today, and that most Americans find it one of the most inspiring facts about his life.

America has changed in the years since President Roosevelt died, and in the years that the memorial was being planned and built. Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act, which recognizes and protects the rights of the disabled to full participation in our society. When the memorial was first conceived, there was no legal requirement that it be made accessible to the handicapped, and it had already gone through several plans and designs before accessibility even became a consideration. The minds and hearts of our people have opened themselves to the disabled in a way that I am sure that President Roosevelt would have welcomed. I think this change in law and in attitude has brought most of us who were involved with the Memorial close to a consensus that the President's disability should be acknowledged in the memorial, and his triumph over it celebrated along with the many other triumphs of his life and work.

President Roosevelt came from the Hudson Valley, as I do, although our families had little in common. He was a hereditary aristocrat, and grew up on a vast estate overlooking the river. He was educated at the best and most exclusive schools--Groton and Harvard--and was groomed for a life of privilege. Yet his presidency reached out to all Americans. He displayed a particular concern with the lowly, with those who had little or nothing, those whose lives were a forest of obstacles rather than a vista of opportunity. For this he was called a traitor to his class--and those of us who toiled to build the railroads and the towers, and slogged through the mud, loved him all the more for it.

I believe that at least part of the reason he cared so much about those who had to struggle was his own struggle after he was stricken with infantile paralysis just before he turned 40. He made the decision that it would not let it stop him. But it also must have made him understand and sympathize with those who faced other obstacles and tried to overcome them--even if they were not as successful as he was.

President Roosevelt may have intended to be more open about his disability once he left office, and no longer felt the need to convey an image of strength to the Nation. He designed a modest retirement home for himself on his estate at Hyde Park. It was at his retirement cottage where he held the famous barbecue for the King and Queen of England. He designed the cottage to be handicapped-accessible and barrier-free--a major innovation in its time. Had he lived, his home might have served as an example, and might have advanced barrier-free design by several decades.

But as I said, even if his disability was not widely known when he was alive, it is known now. We should not try to hide it again at the memorial or elsewhere. Instead, we should show the positive side. We should let today's Americans and future generations know that an obstacle like the one the President suffered can be overcome. We should let them know that people with disabilities are people like everyone else, people whose talents and capabilities can benefit everyone else, people who can lead and can achieve. And we should let the memorial serve as a place of pride and inspiration for those who do suffer from disabilities: that someone who shared their burden rose as high as President Roosevelt and achieved as much.

We hope that progress on this addition to the memorial will go forward as expeditiously as this legislation, and that Secretary Babbitt and the Park Service will turn their attention to it as quickly as possible. At the same time, I hope they will review some concerns that have been raised about accessibility at the memorial now that it is open to the public--to find ways to allow disabled visitors to experience the same sense of participation and closeness to the Roosevelts as other visitors, specifically to be able to feel the braille inscriptions, touch the statues, and enjoy the cooling waters as President Roosevelt himself did. The resolution gives the Park Service flexibility in developing a design for this addition, but we hope that the Service will fully take into account the sensibilities of disabled Americans, and will include a representation as prominent and tangible as the statues that have already been erected.

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island: Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to comment on the importance of Senate Joint Resolution 29, a bill that fully honors the memory of one of our Nation's finest Presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Foremost, I want to thank Senator Inouye of Hawaii for introducing this legislation. Senator Inouye's leadership and dedication to a proper memorial has been second to none. Senator Inouye has correctly stated that, "disability is a natural part of the human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to participate in all aspects of American life * * * the depiction of President Roosevelt in a wheelchair will inspire the tragically afflicted. It may very well be a more honest way to depict President Roosevelt." Such a strong commitment on the part of Senator Inouye has allowed us all to pay full tribute to the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

I also want to thank Representative Don Young of Alaska, chairman of the House Resources Committee, and Representative George Miller of California for bringing this legislation to the House side in a bipartisan manner.

Modifying the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial by adding a permanent statue which depicts him as a citizen with a handicap is essential if we are to fully understand the life and times of FDR. The need to erect a permanent addition to the FDR Memorial is twofold. First, it is imperative to publicly acknowledge the great accomplishments of our 32d President. And second, a permanent statue sends a message to our citizens that handicaps do not limit a person's opportunity for achievement.

FDR's accomplishments as President speak volumes of the fact that people living with handicaps can accomplish their goals. Throughout his tenure as President, FDR remained firmly committed to the development of all Americans, those with disabilities, and those without. In his second inaugural address, FDR spoke of the "road of enduring progress" on which he claimed that "mental and moral horizons had been extended." For FDR this goal was especially important to those living with handicaps. Ultimately, FDR sought the advancement of this cause through the establishment of a foundation at Warm Springs, GA, to help other polio victims, and inspired the March of Dimes program which funded an effective vaccine.

To be sure, our country has built upon the legacy of FDR and has come a long way in ensuring the equality of all citizens living with disabilities through programs such as the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Individuals. With Disabilities Education Act. The FDR Memorial is simply a testament of how far along the road of progress we have come as a nation to ensuring that persons living with both mental and physical handicaps are entitled to equal rights, equal access, and equal opportunity.

The FDR Memorial serves as a reference point for those of us who are traveling down the road of progress. FDR renounced fear as it is "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." President Roosevelt's continued renunciation of fear, refusal to crumble, and ability to act decisively and fearlessly in spite of the pressures of the Great Depression and World War II allowed him to develop into one of the finest role models for the people of the United States.

A permanent statue of FDR as a citizen with a disability will forever inspire all citizens to forge through our fears and most difficult times. To me it is ironic, yet only fitting, that during the Great Depression, a time when our Nation was in fact disabled, a man living with a handicap, stepped beyond his limitations to lead our Nation like no other. Our 32d President not only lived with a handicap, but did so while being one of the great leaders of our country. FDR is symbolic of perseverance, and his Presidency is testimony that mental and physical handicaps are not impediments to success.

In the end, a permanent statue which portrays Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a person with a handicap will be forever a reminder that disability is part of humanity and in no way reduces a person's chance of fulfilling his or her dreams.

Mr. HANSEN: Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA: Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Goodling): The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Utah [Mr. Hansen] that the House suspend the rules and pass the Senate joint resolution, Senate Joint Resolution 29.

The question was taken.

Mr. HANSEN: Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

The SPEAKER pro tempore: Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 76

   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a 
    permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
               Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 1997

   Mr. Hinchey introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
                 referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
   To direct the Secretary of the Interior to design and construct a 
    permanent addition to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
               Washington, D.C., and for other purposes.

Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, after contracting poliomyelitis, 
        required the use of a wheelchair for mobility and lived with this 
        condition while leading the United States through some of its most 
        difficult times; and
Whereas President Roosevelt's courage, leadership, and success should serve as 
        an example and inspiration for all Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ADDITION TO FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT MEMORIAL.

    (a) Plan.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this joint 
resolution as the ``Secretary'') shall plan for the design and 
construction of an addition of a permanent statue, bas-relief, or other 
similar structure to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in 
Washington, D.C. (referred to in this joint resolution as the 
``Memorial''), to provide recognition of the fact that President 
Roosevelt's leadership in the struggle by the United States for peace, 
well-being, and human dignity was provided while the President used a 
wheelchair.
    (b) Commission of Fine Arts.--The Secretary shall obtain the 
approval of the Commission of Fine Arts for the design plan created 
under subsection (a).
    (c) Report.--As soon as practicable, the Secretary shall report to 
Congress and the President on findings and recommendations for the 
addition to the Memorial.
    (d) Construction.--Beginning on the date that is 120 days after 
submission of the report to Congress under subsection (c), using only 
private contributions, the Secretary shall construct the addition 
according to the plan created under subsection (a).

SEC. 2. POWERS OF THE SECRETARY.

    To carry out this joint resolution, the Secretary may--
            (1) hold hearings and organize contests; and
            (2) request the assistance and advice of members of the 
        disability community, the Commission of Fine Arts, and the 
        National Capital Planning Commission, and the Commissions shall 
        render the assistance and advice requested.

SEC. 3. COMMEMORATIVE WORKS ACT.

    Compliance by the Secretary with this joint resolution shall 
satisfy all requirements for establishing a commemorative work under 
the Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.)

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this joint 
resolution such sums as may be necessary.
                                 



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