Washington, D.C. (UNIS) - Today, Wednesday, November 16, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 562, a bill which authorizes the establishment of a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia to honor the victims of the Genocide that occurred in Ukraine in 1932-1933.

This bill was introduced by Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) on February 2, 2005 and was referred to the Committee on Resources. On June 9, 2005 the Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing regarding this bill. At the hearing, the proposed legislation received overwhelming support among the Subcommittee members; however, the National Parks Committee Regional Director for the National Capital Region Joseph Lawler expressed the Park Committee’s opposition to this legislation. “We believe that creating separate memorials for individual groups,” stated Mr. Lawler, “would detract from the overall message of the Victims of Communism Memorial and could, potentially, create an unfortunate competition amongst various groups for limited memorial sites in our nation's capital.” His testimony indicated that a general Victims of Communism Memorial, whose purpose is to commemorate all victims of communism that perished throughout the world, would also commemorate the victims of the Ukrainian Genocide. In response, the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) and Congressman Sander Levin (D-MI) provided moving testimony to the contrary. As a result, at the conclusion of the hearing, there was widespread support for HR562.

Throughout 2005, the Ukrainian National Information Service (UNIS) continued its diligent efforts to garner support for this legislation among Members of Congress. In the end, 36 members of the House of Representatives co-sponsored this bill that was voted upon today. The following Members of Congress signed on to the bill: Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6]; Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28]; Rep Boehlert, Sherwood [NY-24]; Rep Brown, Sherrod [OH-13]; Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7]; Rep Davis, Danny K. [IL-7]; Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25]; Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17]; Rep Fitzpatrick, Michael G. [PA-8]; Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7]; Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4]; Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22]; Rep Holt, Rush D. [NJ-12]; Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9]; Rep Kildee, Dale E. [MI-5]; Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [MI-13]; Rep Knollenberg, Joe [MI-9]; Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10]; Rep Langevin, James R. [RI-2]; Rep Lantos, Tom [CA-12]; Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18]; Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11]; Rep McNulty, Michael R. [NY-21]; Rep Menendez, Robert [NJ-13]; Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6]; Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10]; Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15]; Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9]; Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13]; Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28]; Rep Smith, Christopher H. [NJ-4]; Rep Tancredo, Thomas G. [CO-6]; Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33]; Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9]; Rep Weldon, Curt [PA-7]; and, Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19].

During November 16th floor action, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Chairman of the Committee on Resources, introduced the HR562 for consideration. [Comments forthcoming on Thursday, November 17, 2005…]

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), the ranking member of the Resources Committee, also spoke briefly about the bill. In particular, Rep, Rahall (D-WV) noted: “Mr. Speaker, we are all too aware of the damage that can be inflicted during war time by conventional weapons. However, the Ukrainian Genocide is evidence of the shocking and deadly potential of an unconventional weapon such as hunger. […] While precise figures are hard to calculate, historians place the number of dead as a result of this policy between eight and ten million men, women, and children. In rural Ukraine, it is thought that one in four people starved to death. These deaths have rightly been labeled one of the worst genocides in human history.” Rep. Rahall proceeded to mention that, “working with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Congressman Levin hopes to change that [the world’s knowledge] with HR562.” In his remarks to his colleagues, the ranking minority leader of the Resources Committee recommended that the legislation be passed, adding that by accepting this gift the U.S. Government will not only commemorate the victims of one of the worst genocides in human history, but also the 1.5 million Ukrainian Americans, who worked relentlessly to preserve and publicize the memory of this tragedy during the 70 years it was denied.

Rep. Rahall then proceeded to introduce and thank the original sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI), co-chair of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus. He thanked the leadership of the House of Representatives for expediting the vote on this bill, as well as his colleagues on both sides of the isle for their support. “This legislation is important for all of humanity,” stated Rep. Levin. “It is very important to the 1.5 million Ukrainian Americans throughout the United States, including many of my constituents. It has special meaning to the people of Ukraine who have embarked on a courageous effort to build a free, democratic, open society, and indeed to all of us who value freedom. […] During the Famine-Genocide of 1932-33, 7 to 10 million Ukrainians were deliberately and systematically starved to death. The memorial authorized by this bill will not only honor their memory, but also serve as a tangible reminder to all of us that we must work together to prevent such tragedies in the future.”

Commenting on the momentous day in the House of Representatives, Michael Sawkiw, Jr., President of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) stated: “The passage of this bill sets the community one step closer to realizing our dreams of further informing the American public about the horrors the Ukrainian nation endured during the Genocide of 1932-19933. This monument will stand throughout the years as a memorial to all who perished. We couldn’t have done it without the support of Rep. Levin, the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, and our friends in Congress.”