Albio Sires: “This bill gives the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation an extension to raise private matching funds. This would allow the…”

“This bill gives the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation an extension to raise private matching funds. This would allow the corporation to receive Federal funding from the minting of the Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin. The corporation is a group of local residents from Edison, New Jersey, who oversee and manage the Edison Memorial Tower. The tower, built as a memorial to Thomas Edison in 1937, has suffered damage over the years and is in need of about 3 to $4 million worth of repairs. A misunderstanding between the mint and the corporation left the corporation short of matching funds. This bill simply extends the amount of time the corporation has to raise nongovernmental funds from December 31, 2006, to July 1, 2007. It rectifies a misunderstanding between the mint and a group of concerned citizens in my home State of New Jersey. I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 188 and thank you very much for the time.”