World War II Women's Memorial Location Act
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Would allow a congressionally authorized memorial honoring women who worked on the home front during World War II to be placed within the National Mall's most prominent areas, overriding a general federal restriction that currently limits where commemorative works may be located.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would lift a location restriction — found in 40 U.S.C. § 8908(c) — that currently bars the authorized World War II home-front women's memorial from being placed in the most prestigious zones of the Washington, D.C. commemorative landscape. Specifically, it would allow the memorial to be sited either in Area I (the broader commemorative zone surrounding the National Mall) or in the Reserve, the core area spanning roughly from the U.S. Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial. The memorial itself was originally authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.
The bill does not fund construction, set a completion deadline, or alter any other terms of the memorial's authorization. All other requirements under federal commemorative works law would still apply to the siting and design approval process.
Key provisions
- 1Would allow the World War II home-front women's memorial to be located within Area I or the Reserve on the National Mall, notwithstanding the general restriction in 40 U.S.C. § 8908(c)
- 2Defines 'Reserve' by cross-reference to the existing federal commemorative works statute at 40 U.S.C. § 8902(a)(3)
Who would be affected
The organization authorized to build the World War II home-front women's memorial, which would gain expanded site options on and near the National Mall. Indirectly, the National Capital Planning Commission and other federal bodies involved in approving commemorative work locations would process any resulting siting application. The general public visiting the National Mall would ultimately be the audience for the memorial.
Why it matters
Under current law, commemorative works are generally prohibited from the Reserve — the most visible and trafficked part of the National Mall — unless Congress grants an exception. This bill would grant that exception specifically for the World War II home-front women's memorial, potentially placing it alongside the most prominent monuments in Washington and giving the memorial greater visibility and symbolic weight.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends 40 U.S.C. § 8908(c) (Sec. 2)
Creates a specific exception allowing the World War II home-front women's memorial to be placed in the Reserve, overriding the general prohibition on siting commemorative works there.
Amends Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328, Sec. 702, div. DD) (Sec. 2)
Expands the authorized location options for the World War II home-front women's memorial from Area I to also include the Reserve.
Agencies directed to act
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates the bill would have no significant effect on the federal budget, with zero impact on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit over the 2025–2035 period.
H.R. 2290 would allow a memorial honoring American women who contributed to World War II war efforts to be placed in the Reserve — the area bounded by the U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, White House, and Jefferson Memorial — where commemorative works are currently prohibited. The memorial itself is already authorized under existing law, and CBO estimates that specifying its location would have no effect on direct spending, revenues, or the deficit in any scoring window, including the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036. CBO identified no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates in the bill.
How implementation would work
Once enacted, the sponsoring memorial organization would be able to apply to the relevant federal approval bodies — including the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts — for a site within Area I or the Reserve, rather than being limited to less prominent locations. The standard commemorative works review and approval process under title 40 of the U.S. Code would still govern site selection, design approval, and construction. No new rulemaking is required; the bill is self-executing as a location waiver.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill allows the commemorative work for women who worked on the home front during World War II to be located in either (1) the Reserve, an area that generally extends from the United States Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, and from the White House to the Jefferson Memorial; or (2) the area just outside the Reserve, known as Area I. (This map shows the Reserve in red and Area I in yellow.)
Legislative subjects
District of Columbia; Monuments and memorials; Public Lands and Natural Resources; U.S. history
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-284