The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Special Guerilla Unit National Memorial Act
Last action · May 23, 2024: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.Sponsor: Richard Blumenthal
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill proposes to officially designate an existing memorial at Veterans Memorial Park in Middletown, Connecticut, as the 'Special Guerilla Unit National Memorial.' The legislation honors the Hmong soldiers who supported U.S. interests in Laos between 1961 and 1975.
The bill provides federal recognition to a local memorial while explicitly prohibiting the use of federal funds for its maintenance or operation.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Hmong veterans of the Special Guerilla Unit
The bill provides federal recognition to the memorial honoring their service.
City of Middletown, Connecticut
The city maintains the Veterans Memorial Park where the designated memorial is located.
Key Facts
- The bill designates the memorial at Veterans Memorial Park in Middletown, Connecticut, as the 'Special Guerilla Unit National Memorial'.
- The designation does not make the memorial a unit of the National Park System.
- The bill explicitly prohibits the expenditure of federal funds for any purpose related to the memorial.
- Congress acknowledges that approximately 50,000 Hmong soldiers served in the Special Guerilla Unit between 1961 and 1975.
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- Congress acknowledges that approximately 35,000 members of the unit died during combat operations in Laos.
- The bill notes that members of the unit conducted rescue missions for downed U.S. pilots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this bill provide federal money to maintain the memorial?
Does this make the memorial part of the National Park System?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
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Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Symbolic vs. Financial Recognition
The bill demonstrates a legislative pattern of granting federal recognition to local sites while explicitly disclaiming federal financial responsibility.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy5Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz10Current news / social attention level
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