National Museum of the American People Presidential Commission Establishment Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2077 To establish a bipartisan Presidential Commission to study the establishment of a National Museum of the American People to tell the story about the making of the American People, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 16, 2021 Mr. SCHATZ introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To establish a bipartisan Presidential Commission to study the establishment of a National Museum of the American People to tell the story about the making of the Amer- ican People, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Museum of 4 the American People Presidential Commission Establish- 5 ment Act of 2021’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2077 IS (1) Our Nation continues to struggle with ac- 1 ceptance of immigrant communities and individuals 2 having diverse ancestry despite the Nation’s own di- 3 verse ancestry history and the major contributions of 4 immigrants to our country. 5 (2) Our Nation recognizes its imperfections yet 6 continues to strive to uphold the principles, aspira- 7 tions, and ideals based on its founding documents 8 upon which our Nation was founded and built. 9 (3) Our Nation is searching for unity and a Na- 10 tional Museum of the American People can serve as 11 a vehicle to bring all Americans together to help heal 12 our Nation’s divisive wounds. 13 (4) A National Museum of the American People 14 would tell the full story about the making of the 15 American people from wherever they came: Europe, 16 Asia and the Pacific Islands, Oceania, the Middle 17 East, Africa, and the Americas, including the First 18 Peoples. 19 (5) There is no national museum in Wash- 20 ington, DC, that— 21 (A) tells the story of all of the people of 22 the United States; or 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2077 IS (B) tells a history of indigenous peoples, 1 colonization, slavery, immigration, and migra- 2 tion to and within the United States. 3 (6) A National Museum of the American People 4 would— 5 (A) recount the history of all groups of 6 people who came to the United States and the 7 contributions of those people to the United 8 States; 9 (B) embody the theme ‘‘E Pluribus 10 Unum’’, the original motto of the United 11 States; 12 (C) celebrate all ethnicities, nationalities 13 and minorities within the United States; 14 (D) foster a sense of belonging by all 15 Americans; 16 (E) contribute to a common national iden- 17 tity as people of the United States; 18 (F) recognize the continued importance of 19 immigrants to our Nation’s success; 20 (G) highlight the role of the Declaration of 21 Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of 22 Rights, the founding documents of the United 23 States; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2077 IS (H) explore the ways in which those docu- 1 ments shaped the character of the people of the 2 United States and infused Americans with com- 3 mon values and a dedication to a democratic 4 form of government; 5 (I) be a resource for State, local, and eth- 6 nic museums throughout the United States that 7 present exhibits that celebrate the heritage of 8 the people of the United States; and 9 (J) include the stories of and benefit all 10 people of the United States. 11 (7) People from every ethnic group in the 12 United States would visit a National Museum of the 13 American People to learn their own history and the 14 history of every other ethnic group in the United 15 States. 16 (8) Leaders and visitors from every country 17 would visit a National Museum of the American 18 People to learn about the American people. 19 (9) The goal of a National Museum of the 20 American People would be to— 21 (A) be the best storytelling museum in the 22 world; 23 (B) recount one of the most amazing sto- 24 ries in human history; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2077 IS (C) honor all of the people who have be- 1 come people of the United States; 2 (D) acknowledge that our Nation cele- 3 brates justice, equal opportunity, and respect 4 for the human dignity of all; 5 (E) educate every American about the mi- 6 gration and immigration stories that contrib- 7 uted to the successes and advancement of our 8 Nation; and 9 (F) foster learning about the American 10 people at the Museum and throughout the Na- 11 tion. 12 (10) Upon the date of enactment of this Act, 13 non-Federal sources will be sought to support fund- 14 ing for a Presidential Commission to study the es- 15 tablishment of the National Museum of the Amer- 16 ican People. 17 (11) Non-Federal sources are anticipated to 18 provide funding to design and build the National 19 Museum of the American People, its exhibitions, and 20 its components. 21 (12) Two hundred and fifty organizations rep- 22 resenting 73 different ethnic, nationality, minority, 23 and genealogical groups support the establishment of 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2077 IS a museum to tell their stories in a national Wash- 1 ington, DC, museum about becoming Americans. 2 SEC. 3. COMMISSION TO STUDY ESTABLISHMENT OF A NA- 3 TIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish a bi- 5 partisan commission (referred to in this section as the 6 ‘‘Commission’’) to study the establishment of a National 7 Museum of the American People (referred to as the ‘‘Mu- 8 seum’’). 9 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 10 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 11 composed of 32 members appointed not later than 12 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act as 13 follows: 14 (A) The President shall appoint 16 voting 15 members, including the Chair and Vice Chair of 16 the Commission. 17 (B) The Speaker of the House of Rep- 18 resentatives, the minority leader of the House 19 of Representatives, the majority leader of the 20 Senate, and the minority leader of the Senate 21 shall each appoint 4 voting members. 22 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Com- 23 mission shall be chosen from among individuals, or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2077 IS representatives of institutions or entities, who pos- 1 sess either— 2 (A) a demonstrated commitment to the re- 3 search, study, or promotion of the American 4 people as described in section 2 of this Act, to- 5 gether with— 6 (i) expertise in museum administra- 7 tion; 8 (ii) expertise in fundraising or serving 9 as a funder for nonprofit or cultural insti- 10 tutions; 11 (iii) experience as a scholar focused on 12 any aspect of the making of the American 13 people from first peoples through today; 14 (iv) experience in studying the Smith- 15 sonian Institution’s representation of 16 American art, life, history, and culture; 17 (v) extensive experience in public or 18 elected service; 19 (vi) leadership of, or national rep- 20 resentation for, ethnic or minority groups; 21 or 22 (vii) extensive experience with mu- 23 seum public relations and instituting a new 24 national museum; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2077 IS (B) experience or expertise in the adminis- 1 tration of, or the planning and design for the 2 establishment of, museums or other institutions 3 devoted to the study and promotion of the role 4 of ethnic, racial, or cultural groups in American 5 history. 6 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 7 Members shall be appointed for the life of the Com- 8 mission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 9 affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same 10 manner as the original appointment. 11 (4) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 12 the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a 13 lesser number of members may hold hearings. 14 (5) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days 15 after the date on which a quorum of members of the 16 Commission have been appointed, the Commission 17 shall hold its first meeting. 18 (6) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at 19 the call of the Chair. 20 (c) DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.— 21 (1) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a 22 thorough study of all matters relating to the estab- 23 lishment of a National Museum of the American 24 People. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2077 IS (2) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 1 the date of the first meeting of the Commission, the 2 Commission shall submit a publicly available report 3 to the President and Congress, which shall contain 4 a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions 5 of the Commission, together with the Commission’s 6 recommendations for such legislation or administra- 7 tive actions as the Commission considers appro- 8 priate, on the following issues: 9 (A) The mission of the National Museum 10 of the American People, which is to advance 11 and share knowledge about the full history of 12 the making of the American people who came 13 from every corner of our planet and are tied to- 14 gether by our Constitution’s first words: ‘‘We 15 the People’’. 16 (B) The story about the making of the 17 American people in 4 chapters: 18 (i) First Peoples Come: 10,000+ 19 years ago (est.)–1607. 20 (ii) The Nation Takes Form: 1607– 21 1820. 22 (iii) The Great In-Gathering: 1820– 23 1924. 24 (iv) Still They Come: 1924–present. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2077 IS (C) A review of possible Museum compo- 1 nents, including— 2 (i) a Center for the Advanced Study 3 of the American People; 4 (ii) a National Ancestry Center; 5 (iii) an Archive and Library of Amer- 6 ican Immigration and Migration; 7 (iv) an Education Resource Center; 8 (v) a National Museum of the Amer- 9 ican People Film Center; 10 (vi) a Peopling of America Center; 11 (vii) Museum collections; 12 (viii) public programs; 13 (ix) special exhibitions; 14 (x) traveling exhibitions; 15 (xi) Museum bookstores and gift 16 shops; and 17 (xii) Museum food venues. 18 (D) The availability and cost of collections 19 to be acquired and housed in the Museum. 20 (E) Possible locations for the Museum in 21 Washington, DC, and its environs, to be consid- 22 ered in consultation with the National Capital 23 Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine 24 Arts, and the National Park Service. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2077 IS (F) The governance and organizational 1 structure from which the Museum should oper- 2 ate, including whether the Museum should be 3 part of the Smithsonian Institution. 4 (G) The cost of constructing, operating, 5 and maintaining the Museum. 6 (3) LEGISLATION TO CARRY OUT PLAN OF AC- 7 TION.—Based on the recommendations from the 8 study under paragraph (1) and the report submitted 9 under paragraph (2), the Commission shall submit 10 for consideration to the Committee on Transpor- 11 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent- 12 atives, the Committee on House Administration of 13 the House of Representatives, the Committee on 14 Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Com- 15 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep- 16 resentatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural 17 Resources of the Senate, and the Committees on Ap- 18 propriations of the House of Representatives and the 19 Senate recommendations for a legislative plan of ac- 20 tion to create and construct the Museum. 21 (4) FUNDRAISING PLAN.—The Commission 22 shall develop a fundraising plan for supporting the 23 creation and maintenance of the Museum through 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2077 IS contributions by the American people and other 1 sources. 2 (d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 3 (1) HEARINGS.—The Commission may hold 4 such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, 5 take such testimony, and receive such evidence as 6 the Commission considers advisable to carry out this 7 Act. 8 (2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 9 The Commission may secure directly from any Fed- 10 eral department or agency such information as the 11 Commission considers necessary to carry out this 12 Act. Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, 13 the head of such department or agency shall furnish 14 such information to the Commission. 15 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may 16 use the United States mails in the same manner and 17 under the same conditions as other departments and 18 agencies of the Federal Government. 19 (4) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, 20 and dispose of gifts or donations of services or prop- 21 erty. 22 (e) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 23 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—Each mem- 24 ber of the Commission who is not an officer or em- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 13 •S 2077 IS ployee of the Federal Government shall be com- 1 pensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of 2 the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV 3 of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 4 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel 5 time) during which such member is engaged in the 6 performance of the duties of the Commission. All 7 members of the Commission who are officers or em- 8 ployees of the United States shall serve without com- 9 pensation in addition to that received for their serv- 10 ices as officers or employees of the United States. 11 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 12 Commi [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]