National Museum of the American People Presidential Commission Establishment Act of 2020

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 4963 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 DECEMBER 3, 2020 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 2020’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 4963 IS (1) Our Nation continues to struggle with ac- 1 ceptance of immigrant communities and individuals 2 having diverse ancestry despite their major contribu- 3 tions to our country. 4 (2) Our Nation is reeling from grave health dis- 5 parities among minority and immigrant commu- 6 nities, and structural inequities which have been ex- 7 posed by the pandemic. 8 (3) Our Nation recognizes its imperfections yet 9 continues to strive to uphold the principles, aspira- 10 tions, and ideals upon which our Nation was found- 11 ed. 12 (4) Our Nation is searching for unity and a Na- 13 tional Museum of the American People can serve as 14 a vehicle to bring all Americans together to help heal 15 our Nation’s divisive wounds. 16 (5) A National Museum of the American People 17 would tell the full story about the making of the 18 American People from wherever they came: Europe, 19 Asia and the Pacific Islands, Oceania, the Middle 20 East, Africa, and the Americas, including the First 21 Peoples. 22 (6) There is no national museum in Wash- 23 ington, DC, that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 4963 IS (A) tells the story of all of the people of 1 the United States; or 2 (B) tells a history of indigenous peoples, 3 colonization, slavery, immigration, and migra- 4 tion within the United States. 5 (7) A National Museum of the American People 6 would— 7 (A) recount the history of all groups of 8 people who came to the United States and the 9 contributions of those people to the United 10 States; 11 (B) have the theme ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’, 12 the original motto of the United States; 13 (C) celebrate all ethnicities in the United 14 States; 15 (D) foster a sense of inclusivity within the 16 United States; 17 (E) contribute to a common national iden- 18 tity as people of the United States; 19 (F) recognize the continued importance of 20 immigrants to our Nation’s success; 21 (G) highlight the Declaration of Independ- 22 ence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, 23 the founding documents of the United States; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 4963 IS (H) explore the ways in which those docu- 1 ments shaped the character of the people of the 2 United States and infused the people of the 3 United States with common values and a dedi- 4 cation to a democratic 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) benefit all people of the United States. 10 (8) People from every ethnic group in the 11 United States would visit a National Museum of the 12 American People to learn their own history and the 13 history of every other ethnic group in the United 14 States. 15 (9) Visitors from every country would visit a 16 National Museum of the American People to learn 17 about the American experience. 18 (10) The goal of a National Museum of the 19 American People would be to— 20 (A) be the best storytelling museum in the 21 world; 22 (B) recount one of the most amazing sto- 23 ries in human history; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 4963 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 im- 6 migration stories that contributed to the suc- 7 cesses and advancement of our Nation; and 8 (F) foster learning at the National Mu- 9 seum of the American People and throughout 10 the Nation. 11 (11) Upon the date of enactment of this Act, 12 non-Federal sources will be sought to support fund- 13 ing for a Commission to study the establishment of 14 the National Museum of the American People. 15 (12) Non-Federal sources are anticipated to 16 provide funding to design and build the National 17 Museum of the American People, its exhibitions, and 18 its components. 19 (13) Two hundred and fifty organizations rep- 20 resenting 73 different ethnic, nationality, minority, 21 and genealogical groups support the establishment of 22 a museum to tell their stories in a national Wash- 23 ington, DC, museum about becoming Americans. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 4963 IS SEC. 3. COMMISSION TO STUDY ESTABLISHMENT OF A NA- 1 TIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish a bi- 3 partisan commission (referred to in this section as the 4 ‘‘Commission’’) to study the establishment of a National 5 Museum of the American People (referred to as the ‘‘Mu- 6 seum’’). 7 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 8 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 9 composed of 23 members appointed not later than 6 10 months after the date of enactment of this Act as 11 follows: 12 (A) The President shall appoint 7 voting 13 members. 14 (B) The Speaker of the House of Rep- 15 resentatives, the minority leader of the House 16 of Representatives, the majority leader of the 17 Senate, and the minority leader of the Senate 18 shall each appoint 3 voting members. 19 (C) In addition to the members appointed 20 under subparagraph (B), the Speaker of the 21 House of Representatives, the minority leader 22 of the House of Representatives, the majority 23 leader of the Senate, and the minority leader of 24 the Senate shall each appoint 1 nonvoting mem- 25 ber. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 4963 IS (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Com- 1 mission shall be chosen from among individuals, or 2 representatives of institutions or entities, who pos- 3 sess either— 4 (A) a demonstrated commitment to the re- 5 search, study, or promotion of the American 6 people as described in section 2 of this Act, to- 7 gether with— 8 (i) expertise in museum administra- 9 tion; 10 (ii) expertise in fundraising for non- 11 profit or cultural institutions; 12 (iii) experience in the study and 13 teaching of American culture and history 14 at the postsecondary level; 15 (iv) experience in studying the issue of 16 the Smithsonian Institution’s representa- 17 tion of American art, life, history, and cul- 18 ture; or 19 (v) extensive experience in public or 20 elected service; or 21 (B) experience in the administration of, or 22 the planning for the establishment of, museums 23 devoted to the study and promotion of the role 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 4963 IS of ethnic, racial, or cultural groups in American 1 history. 2 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 3 Members shall be appointed for the life of the Com- 4 mission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 5 affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same 6 manner as the original appointment. 7 (4) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 8 the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a 9 lesser number of members may hold hearings. 10 (5) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days 11 after the date on which a quorum of members of the 12 Commission have been appointed, the Commission 13 shall hold its first meeting. 14 (6) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at 15 the call of the Chair. 16 (7) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.—The Commission 17 shall select a Chair and Vice Chair from among its 18 members. 19 (c) DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.— 20 (1) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a 21 thorough study of all matters relating to the estab- 22 lishment of a National Museum of the American 23 People. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 4963 IS (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 1 date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission 2 shall submit a report to the President and Congress, 3 which shall contain a detailed statement of the find- 4 ings and conclusions of the Commission, together 5 with the Commission’s recommendations for such 6 legislation or administrative actions as the Commis- 7 sion considers appropriate, on the following issues: 8 (A) The mission of the National Museum 9 of the American People, which is to advance 10 and share knowledge about the full history of 11 the making of the American People who came 12 from every corner of our planet and are tied to- 13 gether by our Constitution’s first words: ‘‘We 14 the People’’. 15 (B) The story about the making of the 16 American People in 4 chapters: 17 (i) First Peoples Come: 10,000+ 18 years ago (est.)–1607. 19 (ii) The Nation Takes Form: 1607– 20 1820. 21 (iii) The Great In-Gathering: 1820– 22 1924. 23 (iv) Still They Come: 1924–present. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 4963 IS (C) The availability and cost of collections 1 to be acquired and housed in the Museum. 2 (D) Possible locations for the Museum in 3 Washington, DC, and its environs, to be consid- 4 ered in consultation with the National Capital 5 Planning Commission and the Commission of 6 Fine Arts, the Department of the Interior, and 7 the Smithsonian Institution. 8 (E) Whether the Museum should be part 9 of the Smithsonian Institution. 10 (F) The governance and organizational 11 structure from which the Museum should oper- 12 ate. 13 (G) The cost of constructing, operating, 14 and maintaining the Museum. 15 (3) LEGISLATION TO CARRY OUT PLAN OF AC- 16 TION.—Based on the recommendations from the 17 study under paragraph (1) and the report submitted 18 under paragraph (2), the Commission shall submit 19 for consideration to the Committee on Transpor- 20 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent- 21 atives, the Committee on House Administration of 22 the House of Representatives, the Committee on 23 Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Com- 24 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 4963 IS resentatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural 1 Resources of the Senate, and the Committees on Ap- 2 propriations of the House of Representatives and the 3 Senate recommendations for a legislative plan of ac- 4 tion to create and construct the Museum. 5 (4) FUNDRAISING PLAN.—The Commission 6 shall develop a fundraising plan for supporting the 7 creation and maintenance of the Museum through 8 contributions by the American people and other 9 sources. 10 (d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 11 (1) HEARINGS.—The Commission may hold 12 such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, 13 take such testimony, and receive such evidence as 14 the Commission considers advisable to carry out this 15 Act. 16 (2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 17 The Commission may secure directly from any Fed- 18 eral department or agency such information as the 19 Commission considers necessary to carry out this 20 Act. Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, 21 the head of such department or agency shall furnish 22 such information to the Commission. 23 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may 24 use the United States mails in the same manner and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 4963 IS under the same conditions as other departments and 1 agencies of the Federal Government. 2 (4) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, 3 and dispose of gifts or donations of services or prop- 4 erty. 5 (e) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 6 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—Each mem- 7 ber of the Commission who is not an officer or em- 8 ployee of the Federal Government shall be com- 9 pensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of 10 the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV 11 of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 12 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel 13 time) during which such member is engaged in the 14 performance of the duties of the Commission. All 15 members of the Commission who are officers or em- 16 ployees of the United States shall serve without com- 17 pensation in addition to that received for their serv- 18 ices as officers or employees of the United States. 19 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 20 Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, includ- 21 ing per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates author- 22 ized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 23 chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 4963 IS away from their homes or regular places of business 1 in the performance of services for the Commission. 2 (3) STAFF.— 3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Chair of the Com- 4 mission may, without regard to the civil service 5 laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an 6 executive director and such other [Text truncated for display. 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