What This Bill Does
This bill allows the Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to use federal funds to create and support educational programs about African American history. The Director can develop teaching resources, train teachers, create online content, and work with schools to help people understand African American history and its impact on the United States.
Who It Affects
The Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, teachers, students, families, elementary schools, secondary schools, early childhood education programs, local educational agencies, and Congress.
Key Provisions
• The Director can create and share accurate resources about African American history through digital materials, print resources, and traveling exhibitions. (Sec. 3(a)(1))
• The Director can provide professional development and training to teachers, including workshops and a fellowship program to develop leaders in African American history education. (Sec. 3(a)(7)(B))
• The Director can develop and maintain online content on the National Museum website for educators, students, and families to learn about African American history. (Sec. 3(b)(1))
• The Director must submit an annual report to Congress by February 1 each year describing how the funds were used. (Sec. 4(a))
• The Director or their representative must brief the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Committee on House Administration within 6 months of the first funding distribution, and annually after that. (Sec. 4(b))
What Changes
If this becomes law, the Director gains authorization to spend federal money on African American history education programs that may not have been explicitly authorized before. The Director can use these funds to continue programs already underway and start new ones focused on teaching African American history in schools and online.
Important Definitions
"African American history" means the history of African Americans from African origins through today, including slavery, abolition, reconstruction, and civil rights movements, plus the innovations and contributions African Americans made to the United States.
"African American history education program" means any educational program about African American life, art, history, and culture using digital or interactive technologies and working with schools.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 233
To authorize the Director of the National Museum of African American
History and Culture to support African American history education pro-
grams, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 2, 2023
Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. PADILLA,
Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr.
BROWN, and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration
A BILL
To authorize the Director of the National Museum of African
American History and Culture to support African Amer-
ican history education programs, 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.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘African American His-
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tory Act’’.
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
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In this Act:
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(1) AFRICAN
AMERICAN
HISTORY.—The term
1
‘‘African American history’’ means the history of Af-
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rican Americans, including the history of African
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peoples beginning in the African diaspora through
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the present day, that illuminates the passage to the
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Americas, slavery, abolition, reconstruction, and the
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civil rights movements. This history also includes a
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focus on the innovations and contributions of Afri-
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can Americans to society both past and present, and
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the impact of African Americans on the history and
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development of the United States.
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(2) AFRICAN
AMERICAN
HISTORY
EDUCATION
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PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘African American history
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education program’’ means an educational program
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relating to African American life, art, history, and
15
culture, including programs—
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(A) using digital, electronic, and inter-
17
active technologies; and
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(B) carried out in collaboration with ele-
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mentary schools, secondary schools, and post-
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secondary schools.
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(3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means
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the Director of the National Museum of African
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American History and Culture.
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(4) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘early childhood
1
education program’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘local
2
educational agency’’, and ‘‘secondary school’’ have
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the meaning given such terms in section 8101 of the
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
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(20 U.S.C. 7801).
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SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in accordance with
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any program of the National Museum of African American
9
History and Culture established before, on, or after the
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date of the enactment of this Act, may use the funds ap-
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propriated under section 5 to carry out any of the fol-
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lowing activities at the discretion of the Director:
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(1) Developing and making available accurate,
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relevant, and accessible resources to promote the un-
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derstanding of African American history, which may
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include digital resources and other types of re-
17
sources, such as print resources and traveling exhibi-
18
tions.
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(2) Through a social justice and anti-bias lens,
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convening experts, providing opportunities for dis-
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course, and engaging with the public through pro-
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gramming, educational resources, and social media.
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(3) Through a social justice and anti-bias lens,
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increasing resource capacity, technical support, and
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content creation to engage various audiences in-per-
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son and via online platforms.
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(4) Creating, expanding, and disseminating
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scholarly work through research, curricula, in-house
4
and traveling exhibitions, publications, and program-
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ming.
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(5) Providing language translation of the work
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of the National Museum of African American His-
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tory and Culture, including scholarly work, research,
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traveling exhibitions, publications, programming,
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pamphlets, and other information distributed about
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activities funded under this Act.
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(6) Expanding the collection acquisition and
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collection access processes, including staffing, con-
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servation, processing, and digitization.
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(7) Augmenting one or more of the following
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African American history education program activi-
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ties:
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(A) Development, dissemination, and im-
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plementation of principles of sound pedagogy
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for teaching about African American history.
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(B) Provision of professional development,
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such as, but not limited to, through—
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(i) local, regional, and national work-
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shops;
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(ii) teacher trainings or engagements
1
in conjunction with African American his-
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tory education centers and other appro-
3
priate partners;
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(iii) engagement with—
5
(I) local educational agencies;
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and
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(II) early childhood education
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programs, elementary schools, and
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secondary schools that are inde-
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pendent of any local educational agen-
11
cy; and
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(iv) operation and expansion of a
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teacher fellowship program to cultivate and
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support leaders in African American his-
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tory education.
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(C) Engagement with State and local edu-
17
cation leaders to encourage the adoption of re-
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sources supported under this Act into curricula
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across diverse disciplines.
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(8) Creating, developing, implementing, repli-
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cating, or taking to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-
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based, field-initiated innovations for museum im-
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provement, and evaluating rigorously such innova-
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tions.
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(b) ONLINE AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY EDU-
1
CATION RESOURCES.—
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(1) WEBSITE.—The Director may use the funds
3
appropriated under section 5 to develop and main-
4
tain on the website of the National Museum of Afri-
5
can American History and Culture content des-
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ignated for educators, students, and families to im-
7
prove their awareness and understanding of African
8
American history.
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(2) INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION.—The Direc-
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tor may use funds appropriated under section 5 to
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distribute information about the activities funded
12
under this Act through the website of the National
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Museum of African American History and Culture,
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and may respond to inquiries for supplementary in-
15
formation concerning such activities.
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(c) CONTINUATION OF ACTIVITIES.—To the extent
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that the National Museum of African American History
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and Culture is engaged in an activity described in sub-
19
section (a) or (b) on the date of the enactment of this
20
Act, the Director may use the funds appropriated under
21
section 5 to continue that activity.
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SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT AND BRIEFINGS.
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(a) REPORT.—Not later than February 1 of each
24
year, the Director shall submit to Congress, and make
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available to the public, a report describing how the funds
1
made available under this Act have been used—
2
(1) to create and promote educational activities;
3
and
4
(2) otherwise to carry out this Act.
5
(b) BRIEFINGS.—Not later than 6 months after the
6
date on which funding is first distributed under this Act,
7
and annually thereafter, the Director or the Director’s
8
designee shall brief the Committee on Rules and Adminis-
9
tration of the Senate and the Committee on House Admin-
10
istration of the House of Representatives on the programs
11
and activities carried out under this Act.
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(c) SUNSET.—Subsections (a) and (b) shall cease to
13
be effective on September 30, 2028.
14
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
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There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
16
this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each of the
17
4 succeeding fiscal years.
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Æ
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