Memorial dedication bill heads to President Biden
Days before the fifth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, U.S. Senators passed a bill designating the site of the former nightclub as a national memorial.
The legislation passed unanimously Wednesday afternoon after its sponsor, Sen. Rick Scott, asked that it and its companion bills be approved by unanimous consent in observance of the five years since the mass shooting. H.R. 49, the U.S. House’s version of the bill, and Senate Resolution 265, both honoring the victims of the shooting, also passed the Senate unanimously. H.R. 49 passed the U.S. House May 12.
Introducing the legislation Wednesday, Scott reflected on the impact of the tragedy on Orlando and the state of Florida and shared his personal experience responding to the crisis.
“The days I spent in Orlando following the shooting will always be with me,” said Scott,
who was Florida’s governor at the time of the massacre. “I talked to many parents who lost their children, I went to funerals and wakes, and sat in hospital rooms. As a father and grandfather, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was heartbreaking.”
Forty-nine people were killed and dozens more injured in the June 12 LGBTQ+ nightclub shooting, which is among the deadliest mass shootings in American history.
“But in this horribly dark time, the selfless courage of so many, from community members to law enforcement to health care workers, provided a sense of hope,” Scott said. “This incredible strength, love and bravery lifted up Orlando and the state of Florida and helped us begin to rebuild. This week, on the fifth anniversary of this unthinkable tragedy, the state of Florida comes together to honor the lives lost too soon. And we vow to always stand up and fight against evil and hatred in this world.”
Sen. Marco Rubio, who co-sponsored the bill alongside Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), expressed condolences for those affected by the tragedy, calling it the “deadliest attack on American soil” since Sept. 11, 2001. He condemned the shooter’s motives as inspired by an “ideology of hatred” and motivated by allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization while praising Floridians for their outpouring of support and love in the wake of the mass shooting.
“Five years later, the process of mourning continues, the process of remembrance continues, but so too is Orlando as united as it was five years ago,” he said. “It’s a reminder to us that even with all the challenges and threats we face, the threat of a radical hateful ideology that can inspire people living here to take such hateful actions is something that we should remain vigilant about.”
The U.S. House’s version of the bill was sponsored by Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, and co-sponsored by 19 others, including Reps. Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy, D-Orlando and D-Winter Park.
A similar bill passed the U.S. House last year but stalled in the Senate. This year’s bill still has to be signed into law by President Joe Biden before the designation becomes official.
The national designation does not incorporate the memorial into the National Park system and it does not require the monument to receive federal funds.
The onePULSE Foundation, a nonprofit founded in the wake of the shooting, plans to build the National Pulse Memorial & Museum in Orlando over the next few years. Preliminary designs for the memorial and museum incorporate the remains of the club into a garden with a reflecting pool and 49 trees, with the open-air museum planned for construction a half-mile away.
The first stage of the memorial, a Survivors Walk, will span the half-mile along South Orange Avenue from the former site of the club to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where the wounded were transported the night of the shooting.
The museum and memorial were initially expected to open in 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed construction plans. An interim memorial now stands at the club.
Following the passage of H.R. 49 in May, onePULSE Foundation spokesperson Scott Bowman said the nonprofit did not have an updated construction timeline to release.
In a statement Wednesday, Bowman said onePULSE was “thrilled” about the memorial’s national designation and thanked the bill’s sponsors for their support.
“The unanimous consent is such welcome news as we are set to mark the five-year remembrance of the Pulse tragedy,” Bowman said. “This recognition from both the House and Senate means so much to the LGBTQ+ community.”