Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 2.djvu/840

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Ill STAT. 1920 PUBLIC LAW 105-85—NOV. 18, 1997 (b) CONGRESSIONAL COMMENDATION.—The Congress hereby commends the members of the Armed Forces and civihan personnel of the Government who contributed to the historic victory in the Cold War and expresses its gratitude and appreciation for their service and sacrifices. (c) CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION.—The Secretary of Defense shall prepare a certificate recognizing the Cold War service of qualifying members of the Armed Forces and civilian personnel of the Department of Defense and other Government agencies contributing to national security, as determined by the Secretary, and shall provide the certificate to such members and civilian personnel upon request. SEC. 1085. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON GRANTDSfG OF STATUTORY FED- ERAL CHARTERS. (a) FINDINGS.— Congress finds that the practice of providing by statute Federal charters to certain nonprofit organizations— (1) may be perceived as impl)ring a Government imprimatur of approval of those organizations; and (2) may mistakenly lead to public perception that the United States ensures the integrity and worthiness of those organizations. (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—I t is the sense of Congress— (1) that because of the perceived implicit Government imprimatur of approval conveyed by enactment of a Federal charter for an organization, such a charter should be granted only in the rarest and most extraordinary cases; and (2) that no statutory Federal charter should be enacted after the enactment of this Act unless the charter is approved by Congress upon favorable report by the committees of jurisdiction of the respective Houses. SEC. 1086. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING MILITARY VOTING RIGHTS. (a) FINDINGS.— Congress finds that— (1) members of the Armed Forces have a fundamental right to vote in Federal, State, and local elections; and (2) an extended absence of a member of the Armed Forces from the place of the member's residency or domicile due to military or naval orders is not of itself grounds to consider the member's residency or domicile as lost or changed. (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—I t is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Attorney General, should review how best to protect the right of members of the Armed Forces to vote in Federal, State, and local elections while taking into account the right of States to prescribe requirements for voter registration. Such a review should include an assessment of challenges to military voting rights and consideration of possible legislative remedies to ensure that, for purposes of voting in Federal, State, and local elections, a member of the Armed Forces who is absent from a State in compliance with military or naval orders is not, solely by reason of that absence, considered to have lost or changed residency or domicile. SEC. 1087. DESIGNATION OF BOB HOPE AS AN HONORARY VETERAN OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES. (a) FINDINGS.— Congress makes the following findings: