WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.), Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, today applauded Senate passage of the National POW/MIA Remembrance Act. The measure directs the Architect of the Capitol to place a commemorative chair in the U.S. Capitol to honor American servicemembers who are Prisoners of War or Missing in Action. As Chairman, Blunt expedited consideration of the bill in the Senate, where it passed by unanimous consent.

“We can never forget our nation’s servicemembers who are Prisoners of War or Missing in Action, nor can we abandon our efforts to return them to their families. I hope this chair will encourage the millions of visitors who pass through the Capitol each year to pause and remember the more than 91,000 service members who remain unaccounted for since World War I. We owe our freedom to these men and women, and it is only right that we honor them in the world’s most notable symbol of democracy.”

The chair that is placed in the Capitol under this measure will feature the logo of the National League of POW/MIA Families. Veterans advocacy group Rolling Thunder has backed the campaign to place commemorative chairs in state capitols, city halls, and sports arenas throughout the United States.

The bill passed the House on March 21st of this year, and is now headed to the president’s desk.