# Plain Language Summary: Capitol Rotunda Authorization for WWII Medal of Honor Recipient

This bill gives Congress permission to use the Capitol rotunda—the grand, circular room at the center of the Capitol building—to hold a lying in state ceremony for the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Lying in state is a formal honor where a deceased person's remains are placed in a significant public location so citizens and government officials can pay their respects before a funeral service.

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration the United States awards, given only to service members who show extraordinary heroism in combat. This particular bill is specifically about honoring the final living recipient from the World War II era, recognizing both that individual's service and the broader contributions of the more than 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces between 1941 and 1945. By authorizing this ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, Congress is essentially saying this person deserves one of the nation's highest honors in death—a recognition typically reserved for presidents, prominent government officials, and occasionally other Americans of exceptional national significance.

For most people, this bill has no direct practical impact on daily life. It's primarily a ceremonial and symbolic gesture. However, it does mean that if and when this Medal of Honor recipient passes away, the Capitol rotunda will be temporarily closed to regular tours and visitors during the lying in state period, which typically lasts a few days. The bill essentially ensures that this final WWII Medal of Honor recipient will receive formal national recognition and allows the public an opportunity to pay respects to someone from what many call "the Greatest Generation."

A bill to authorize the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the lying in state of the remains of the last Medal of Honor recipient of World War II, in order to honor the Greatest Generation and the more than 16,000,000 men and women who served in the Armed Forces of the United States from 1941 to 1945.

Manchin, Joe, III

 <p>This bill authorizes Hershel Woodrow Williams, who is the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor for acts performed during World War II, to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda upon his death.</p>