HB835, titled the 9/11 Memorial and Museum Act, would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to award a one-time federal grant to the eligible nonprofit entity that operates the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center. The grant would be used only for operation, security, and maintenance of the memorial and museum, with the amount set by the Secretary between $5 million and $10 million, subject to appropriations.
To receive the grant, the museum operator must submit an application and satisfy criteria focused on visitor safety, preservation of the site, educational value, and efforts to increase access for economically disadvantaged visitors. The bill also requires free admission for active and retired members of the Armed Forces, registered first responders to the September 11 attacks, and family members of victims, along with at least one weekly free-admission period for the general public. It further requires annual federal audits of the organization’s finances and yearly reports to congressional committees on how grant funds are used.
Impact
The bill would create a new, one-time federal grant program administered by the Department of Homeland Security for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. It would not broadly amend existing state law, but it would impose new federal conditions on the museum operator, including free-admission requirements, audit obligations, and reporting duties, and it would make the grant contingent on future appropriations.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and its passage in the House, the measure appears to have been treated as a commemorative and supportive funding bill with generally favorable sentiment. The absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided context suggests no documented opposition in the available materials, and the House passed the bill before it was received in the Senate and referred to committee.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are fiscal and oversight-related rather than ideological. The bill caps the grant at $10 million and requires appropriations in advance, which may raise questions about federal spending priorities. It also imposes conditions on the museum operator, including free admission for certain groups, weekly public free hours, and public federal audits, which could be viewed as necessary accountability measures by supporters but as operational constraints by the recipient organization or budget-focused critics.
Reforms the organizational structure for the Department of Transportation and Development including its duties, powers, and responsibilities of officers and employees (EN INCREASE SD EX See Note)
A bill for an act providing for certain business entities acting under the jurisdiction of the secretary of state by providing for the removal of information from a filing based on a sworn affidavit and administrative dissolution based on the response to interrogatories.(See HF 2678.)