Banks Introduces Bill to Recognize Smith Field
February 16, 2018
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Jim Banks (IN-03) has introduced a bill that would recognize the hangar at Smith Field in Fort Wayne as the National Airmail Museum.
“The hangar at Smith Field is the perfect structure for a National Airmail Museum,” said Banks. “Smith Field’s significance in air-related transportation and commerce in Fort Wayne and Allen County and its 1920’s era design are a unique part of northeast Indiana’s history. This museum would be a great addition to the community and a vital tool to educate Americans on the significant role airmail played in the evolution of aviation. The Friends of Smith Field have worked tirelessly to make this museum a reality, and I am proud to support this initiative.”
More information about Smith Field is available here. The bill text is below:
115TH CONGRESS
H.R. 5039
To designate the National Airmail Museum at Smith Air Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. BANKS of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
A BILL
To designate the National Airmail Museum at Smith Air Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Airmail Museum Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) in 1930, commercial airmail carriers began operations at Smith Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana;
(2) the United States lacks a national museum dedicated to airmail; and
(3) the airmail hangar at Smith Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana—
(A) will educate the public on the role of airmail in aviation history; and
(B) honor the role of the hangar in the history of the nation’s airmail service.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The airmail museum located at the Smith Field in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is designated as the ‘‘National Airmail Museum’’.
(b) EFFECT OF DESIGNATION.—The national museum designated by this section is not a unit of the National Park System and the designation of the National Airmail Museum shall not require or permit Federal funds to be expended for any purpose related to that national memorial.