Washington - Last night, the U.S. Senate passed legislation supported by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) that gives the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation an additional six months of eligibility to receive federal matching funds to renovate the Edison Memorial Tower in Edison. The legislation, which was introduced by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) in the House, passed that chamber last week. The legislation now heads to the president's desk for final approval.

The Edison Memorial Tower is a 131-foot tower built in 1937 as a memorial to Thomas Edison. It was built on the exact spot where the original Menlo Park laboratory was located and is connected to a museum displaying many of the inventor's creations. The tower has suffered water damage and is in need of an estimated $3 to $4 million worth of repairs, which would be overseen by the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation, a local group of residents who manage the tower.

Thomas Edison is one of Americas greatest minds and one of New Jerseys greatest sons, Menendez said. I was proud to work alongside Congressman Pallone in ensuring that Thomas Edison continues to receive the commemoration befitting his contributions to our state and nation.

"Congressional approval of this legislation will give the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation the time it needs to come up with the funds to repair this memorial to Thomas Edison, one of America's most recognized thinkers and inventors," Pallone said.

The Edison Memorial Tower is eligible for federal matching funds through the Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin Act, which was signed into law in October 1998. The Act required the minting of coins to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Thomas Edison's invention of the light bulb, and required that the first $5 million of surcharges received from the sale of the coins to be distributed to eight nonprofit entities, including the Edison Memorial Tower. Surcharges would be distributed as matching funds to money raised through the private sector.

The coins were minted and sold in 2004, but, under the Act, the surcharges had to be distributed by December 31, 2006. After reading a document published by the U.S. Mint, the Corporation thought they could use the $350,000 in state funds to qualify for the match. Unfortunately, they were recently informed by the Mint that they could only use funds raised from private sources.

The Corporation has raised $70,000 in private funding, but was not able to raise the full $379,000 by the deadline last month, making Menendez and Pallone's legislation critical to moving forward with the renovation.

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