National EMS Memorial Foundation Reauthorization Law Awaits President’s Signature to Advance Memorial Effort
Source: National EMS Memorial Foundation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National EMS Memorial Foundation (NEMSMF) thanks our sponsors and supporting members of the House and Senate for reauthorizing the Foundation's authorization to build a permanent national memorial honoring EMS providers in the nation's capital.
The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established in 2007, has spent years working through the Commemorative Works Act (CWA) — a federal process requiring 24 distinct steps across five phases — to construct a new memorial in Washington, D.C. To date, The NEMSMF has completed 15 of those 24 steps.
Background
The Foundation's authority to build the memorial, using no public money, was established under Public Law 115-275. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) in the House and Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) in the Senate. It passed both chambers unanimously and was signed into law in 2018 by President Trump as Public Law 115-275.
Working through the CWA process, NEMSMF evaluated 312 potential sites across the National Capital Region before narrowing the list to three finalists. The Foundation's preferred site is the plaza of the Hubert Humphrey Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, at the corner of 3rd and Independence Avenue SW.
Authorizations granted under the Commemorative Works Act expire after seven years, and most projects — including nearly all commemorative works completed since 2020 — require reauthorization to proceed. The Foundation required a reauthorization to complete the effort. To reauthorize the Foundation, Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Stephen Lynch (D-MA) introduced H.R. 2196, the bipartisan reauthorization measure, which passed the House unanimously under suspension of the rules in March. In the Senate, Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the companion bill, S. 2546, which has also passed out of the Senate unanimously.
Next Steps
Pending the President’s signature, the reauthorization will be signed into law and the Foundation will move to finalize site selection and conceptual design, seek approval for the 3rd and Independence Avenue SW location, and begin the design approval, cost determination and contractor selection phases.
The Foundation has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Urban Risk Lab, which has donated architectural expertise to the project. The MIT team has conducted interviews with EMS stakeholders — including patients, families of fallen providers, and active EMS personnel — to help shape a design intended to reflect the values of commitment, service, sacrifice and compassion.
Project Cost
Final costs will depend on design and site, but based on comparably sized memorials, the Foundation anticipates a cost of more than $40 million, plus an additional 10% surcharge required by the National Park Service to fund perpetual maintenance of the memorial.
Volunteer members of the NEMSMF Board have raised all of the funds to date to support impact studies, consulting, legal work and travel for committee meetings and congressional testimony. To continue the effort, the Foundation needs continued support to fund the current phase of the project and plans a broader fundraising campaign once the memorial's location and design are finalized.
How to Help
1. Support the process. Donate to fund the legal, legislative and consulting work needed to complete the current phase of the Commemorative Works Act process. Donations may be made at www.emsmemorial.org.
2. Help build the legacy. Once the memorial's location and design are finalized, the Foundation will share opportunities to support the larger fundraising effort for monument construction.
About the National EMS Memorial Foundation
The National EMS Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization established in 2007 to build a permanent national memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring the commitment, service and sacrifice of America's emergency medical services providers — those serving, those who have served, and those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
