SJR 2007 (LSB 6220SV (1) 83)

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 2007

BY  COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS

(SUCCESSOR TO LSB 6220SC)

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

A Joint Resolution supporting the preservation efforts for the Battleship Iowa, BB-61.

   WHEREAS, BB-61, the USS Iowa, is the namesake for the most powerful class of warships ever made; and
   WHEREAS, navy members recruited from Iowa have received preference for assignment to service on board the USS Iowa through most of its service life; and
   WHEREAS, the USS Iowa would remain a continuing marketing display for the talented and well-educated workforce in the State of Iowa throughout a period of museum duty; and
   WHEREAS, there is now a proposal to assign the USS Iowa to museum duty in the San Francisco Bay area of California; and
   WHEREAS, former Governors Robert D. Ray and Terry E. Branstad and former Governor and current United States Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack serve as honorary chairpersons of efforts to preserve the USS Iowa as a national museum and memorial, truly a source of pride for all Iowans; and
   WHEREAS, those efforts include restoration of the USS Iowa and future service as an educational museum and tourist attraction, and perhaps, with her many facilities still intact, service as an emergency response center; and
   WHEREAS, the restoration and preservation of the USS Iowa will honor all veterans of the State of Iowa, inspire youth, and educate the public; NOW THEREFORE,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  STATE OF IOWA SUPPORT.  The state of Iowa hereby supports the assignment of the USS Iowa as a museum to an appropriate location in the Bay area of California.
    Sec. 2.  COMMITTEE CREATED.  A committee of ten is created, to be appointed by the governor and to serve at the pleasure of the governor, to support efforts for the preservation and relocation of the Battleship Iowa.
   a.  The committee shall annually select its own chairperson and establish its rules of procedure. The committee shall meet as may be deemed necessary by the chairperson. A majority of the members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
   b.  Members shall serve without compensation or reimbursement for actual expenses.
   c.  The committee shall raise all of the funds necessary for the operation of the committee; and shall solicit donations to be used for the preservation and relocation of the Battleship Iowa.
    Sec. 3.  ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.  The department of cultural affairs shall provide all necessary administrative support for the committee and shall administer the BB-61 fund.
    Sec. 4.  BB-61 FUND.  A BB-61 fund is created in the state treasury, to be administered by the department of cultural affairs. The proceeds of the fund shall be used for the purposes specified in section 2 of this resolution. The department may accept gifts, grants, bequests, and other moneys, including but not limited to state or federal moneys, and in-kind contributions for deposit in the fund. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, interest or earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. Notwithstanding section 8.33, any unexpended or unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of the state, but shall remain available from the fund for expenditure by the department in succeeding fiscal years for the purposes specified in section 2 of this resolution.
EXPLANATION
   This joint resolution creates a 10-member committee to raise funds to support efforts to relocate and preserve the Battleship Iowa. The committee members will not receive any compensation or reimbursement. Staff support is to be provided by the department of cultural affairs.
   The joint resolution creates a BB-61 fund in the state treasury, administered by the department of cultural affairs. The fund can be used to finance committee operations, and finance the relocation and preservation of the Battleship Iowa.
   BB-61, the Battleship Iowa, was decommissioned in 1990 and is currently berthed with the National Defense Reserve Fleet at Suisun Bay, near San Francisco, California. The State of Iowa has formally expressed its support for the preservation of the USS Iowa, and the U.S. Department of the Navy has declared its desire to turn the vessel over to a nonprofit corporation, to berth the USS Iowa in the San Francisco Bay area and to preserve the USS Iowa as a museum and memorial.