President Approves Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial
President Clinton signed legislation on Thursday establishing a national memorial to those killed in the April 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building.
The bill establishes the Oklahoma City National Memorial as part of the national park system, creates a memorial trust and authorizes $5 million in federal funding. Both houses of Congress approved the legislation late last month.
“The significance of the tragedy of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the meaning and implications of this event for our nation compel the establishment of this memorial as a visible and prominent national shrine,” Clinton said in a statement.
The memorial will be built on the site of the building destroyed by the blast that killed 168 people.
The federal contribution will be matched by $5 million from the Oklahoma Legislature, and private donations will make up the remaining costs of the $24-million memorial.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
