On Wednesday, H.R. 2319, the Native American Veterans’ Memorial Amendments Act, was passed unanimously out of the House Natural Resources Committee. Congressman Mullin (OK-2) serves on the committee and is the original sponsor of H.R. 2319.

Congressman Mullin, a Cherokee, is one of only two Native Americans in Congress, the other being Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4), a Chickasaw, who is one of the 14 cosponsors of the legislation.

“As Cherokee, we take pride in our heritage but we also take pride in being American,” said Mullin. “Oklahoma has been blessed with countless Native American veterans, including my grandfather Kenneth Morris, and it is important that we properly honor these brave soldiers and tell their story for generations to come. This memorial to our Native American veterans will serve as a small measure of thanks for their service and sacrifice to this great nation.”

H.R. 2319 amends the Native American Veterans’ Memorial Establishment Act of 1994 to allow construction of a memorial to Native American veterans on the grounds of the National Museum of the American Indian. The memorial is currently authorized to be constructed inside the confines of the museum, but with limited space within the museum itself, Congressman Mullin and many others worked towards a more appropriate tribute to our Native American veterans.

The memorial cannot be paid for with taxpayer funds, so H.R. 2319 allows for the museum to raise money for its construction.