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Proposed Federal Funding for 9/11 Museum Could Reduce Entry Fee

By Julie Shapiro | September 10, 2011 9:37am

LOWER MANHATTAN — The 9/11 Memorial and Museum could soon get a major infusion of cash.

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler introduced federal legislation Friday that would allocate up to $20 million a year to help the 8-acre memorial and museum defray its $50 million to $60 million a year in operating costs.

Nadler said the funding would help ensure the memorial and museum "[are] available to all who wish to pay their respects and learn about the profound tragedy of 9/11."

The federal funding could defray entry charges at the 9/11 Museum when it opens in the fall of 2012.

Joe Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said earlier this week that if the federal government steps in with funding, the museum may be able to do a suggested donation for patrons rather than an across-the-board entry fee as high as $25 per person.

A poll in July found that most New Yorkers believe the 9/11 Museum should be free to enter.

Daniels said in a statement Friday that the legislation would help the country "fulfill our obligation to never forget and to preserve the history of 9/11 and our country’s response in the aftermath."

The 9/11 Memorial, which opens to victims' family members on Sunday and to general visitors on Monday, will never charge admission.

Nadler's legislation, called the National September 11 Memorial and Museum Act of 2011, would also designate the area a national historic site under the U.S. Department of the Interior.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, of Hawaii, introduced an identical bill in the Senate.