The bill, which Saxton has cosponsored, authorizes the design and construction of a memorial in the District of Columbia to officially recognize any American who lost their life either home or abroad to a terrorist act.

Saxton is one of the highest ranking members of the Resources Committee and of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC),  and is chairman of the House Special Oversight Panel on Terrorism.

"The attacks on Sept. 11 left more American civilians dead than any incident in our history," Saxton said. "More fire and police personnel died during those short hours than during any other moment in our history. In the war on terrorism, the victims must be remembered and cherished by the nation. A memorial in the capital is an appropriate way to remember that freedom is not free, and that freedom will be challenged by those who would destroy us."

H.R. 2982- sponsored by Rep. Jim Turner, (D-TX) who serves on HASC Armed Services Committee and traveled to Manhattan with Saxton after the Sept. 11 attacks- calls for a memorial to be built in the District of Columbia in the area of the National Mall and adjacent land to the north and south.

The bill would create a bi-partisan, seven-member Victims of Terrorism Memorial Commission, made up of the chair of the National Capital Memorial Commission, one member appointed by the Speaker of the House, one by the Minority Leader of the House, one by the Majority Leader of the Senate, one by the Minority Leader of the Senate, and two members appointed by the President.

The commission, in conjunction with the National Capital Memorial Commission and the Secretary of the Interior, would determine the design and permanent location of the memorial and raise the necessary funds from private sources for the design, construction and maintenance of the memorial.  The Secretary of Interior would be directed to establish the memorial on federal lands managed by the National Park Service in Washington, DC.

"We have memorials for every important and vital part of American history," said Resources Chairman Jim Hansen. "We have memorials that remind us of our fallen war heroes, famous leaders, thinkers and philosophers. I think the victims of terrorist attacks against this nation and this people should also be memorialized. They were murdered because they were Americans. Among them were current and future leaders, people of tremendous talent, heart and contribution. Acts of terrorism against this people, particularly the 9-ll tragedy, have scarred the collective American psyche. These tragedies should be memorialized in our nation's capital."

In addition to Rep. Turner and the National Park Service, the invited witnesses include:

**Lisa Beamer, widow of Todd Beamer, 32, a passenger aboard United Flight 93, which crashed into a rural area of Pennsylvania after passengers, led by Beamer and others, stormed the hijackers. Beamer left behind two small children and a then-pregnant wife. She represented victims' families when President Bush addressed the nation a few days after the tragedy;
**Liz Howell, widow of Brady Howell, 26, a Presidential Management Intern with the Chief of Naval Operations Intelligence Plot killed when Flight 77 smashed into the Pentagon. Liz Howell carried the Olympic torch up the South Lawn of the White House, handing it to President Bush. She also carried the U.S. placard during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
**Joe Finley, a member of the N.Y.C. Fire Department's Ladder 7, who lost many of his comrades in the 9-11 tragedy. In 1966, his father John died in what was the fire department's deadliest incident prior to 9-11.
**Lt. Colonel Ted Anderson, Army Office of Legislative Liaison, who repeatedly went into the burning rubble at the Pentagon to pull out survivors after Flight 77 smashed into the building. He worked tirelessly at the site of the tragedy until past dark.