President Biden formally signed H.R. 49 into law this weekend, officially recognizing the now-vacant site of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting as a national memorial in a historic move that clears the way for a new permanent monument in Orlando. 

The bill, named to honor the tragedy’s 49 victims, designates the club’s former space as an official unit under protection of the National Park Service along with 36 other planned and completed national memorials that include the Washington Monument and Pearl Harbor. 

“May no other president ever have to sign for a monument like this,” Biden said at the Oval Office ceremony. 

A team of designers including Orland-based HHCP was announced before the pandemic as the winners of a two-pronged memorial design competition hosted by the onePULSE Foundation. Their design would feature a spiraling flower-like museum and garden space that is expected to be completed in 2022 after a collaborative process based on feedback and community input finalizes the approval. The memorial would also include a reflecting pool as well as trees planted in the memory of each victim.

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onePulse was also behind the push to get the bill to the president's desk. 

“We are thankful that members of the U.S. House and Senate passed the bills unanimously,” the organization said in a statement. “It is so meaningful to everyone here, especially the families of the 49, survivors, first responders, and all the lives affected, that our federal government recognizes the depth of the tragedy of Pulse. It's also a clear and lasting message to the LGBTQ+ community that what happened at Pulse matters and will never be forgotten for future generations, and that we will always outlove hate."

Watch a video of President Biden signing the bill here.