SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund known as the Vietnam War Commemoration Fund to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United States’ withdrawal from the Vietnam War, a conflict in which more than 1,300 service members from Massachusetts lost their lives. The fund shall be established for the purposes of constructing and renovating memorials, planning events, and generating educational materials. The fund shall be administered by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, and municipalities may apply for monies from the fund, subject to the approval of the commission. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest earned on such revenues; (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants, and donations to further commemoration of the Vietnam War. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation.

(b) Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commission and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit. The review shall be made publicly available.