15 Jan Fallen Journalists Memorial Act Approved by Key House Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 15, 2020) – The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, H.R. 3465, was approved by the House Natural Resources Committee during a markup session today. The legislation authorizes the Fallen Journalists Memorial (FJM) Foundation to lead the effort to build a permanent memorial to journalists who have lost their lives because of their jobs. The legislation must now be approved by the full U.S. House and Senate and sent to the President for his signature.
“Today’s vote is an important step toward establishing a permanent memorial honoring fallen journalists,” said Barbara Cochran, President of the FJM Foundation. “This memorial will serve as a reminder that journalists often must go toward danger and conflict to bring the truth to the public. In some cases, they have died because of their chosen profession. All fallen journalists should be remembered for their commitment to freedom of speech and the democratic values enshrined by our founders in the First Amendment.”
The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act was introduced on June 25, 2019 by Representatives Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) and Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) near the one-year anniversary of the deadliest attack on journalists in U.S. history, which took place at the office of the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, MD. Under the parameters outlined in the legislation, the memorial would be built on federal land without the use of any taxpayer funds.
The legislation was also favorably reviewed by the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission, as required under the Commemorative Works Act, in September 2019.
Cochran thanked the bill’s sponsors for their leadership in advancing the legislation. “Congresswoman Napolitano, Congressman Cole and Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, a cosponsor, all championed this bill and worked for its approval. We look forward to working with them to see this memorial come to fruition.”