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1999 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 526
Requesting the Department of Conservation and Recreation to study the feasibility of establishing a military history museum in Virginia.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 7, 1999
Agreed to by the Senate, February 18, 1999

WHEREAS, Virginians have throughout the history of this nation been engaged in a noble effort to sustain freedom at home and abroad; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s rich historical legacy is well documented through its numerous colonial and civil war sites and monuments; and

WHEREAS, these sites and monuments, along with their related artifacts, engender a deep sense of appreciation of those who were committed to maintaining democracy; and

WHEREAS, while millions of individuals annually visit Virginia to learn more about this nation’s rich heritage, less emphasis has been placed on the role of our modern military in our nation’s history; and

WHEREAS, as great twentieth-century military efforts fade from memory, museums interpret these events, using a variety of artifacts including military vehicles, weaponry, and other technologies; and

WHEREAS, currently the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola attract approximately 800,000 visitors annually, the Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard attracts 350,000 visitors annually, and 100,000 people annually visit the Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis; and

WHEREAS, because of the extensive military presence throughout the Commonwealth, as well as the proximity to Washington, D.C. and its 22 million visitors a year, Virginia is potentially an attractive location for the establishment of a museum which will recount this nation's rich military tradition; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Conservation and Recreation be requested to study the feasibility of establishing a military history museum in Virginia. In conducting the study, the Department shall examine the (i) costs of establishing a military museum, (ii) locations which will attract a sufficient number of visitors to defray operational costs, and (iii) availability of military artifacts, including weaponry and military vehicles.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department for this study, upon request.

The Department shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2000 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.