[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 951 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 951

   To commemorate the service of First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and 
Patricia Nixon to improving and maintaining the Executive Residence of 
the President and to authorize grants to the White House Endowment Fund 
                in their memory to continue their work.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                June 21 (legislative day, June 19), 1995

Mrs. Hutchison introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To commemorate the service of First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and 
Patricia Nixon to improving and maintaining the Executive Residence of 
the President and to authorize grants to the White House Endowment Fund 
                in their memory to continue their work.
    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (a) First Ladies Jacqueline Kennedy and Patricia Nixon 
        devoted much of their service to preserving and improving the 
        White House. They made it a national showplace of American 
        history, fine arts, and decorative arts.
            (b) The White House historic preservation program was 
        initiated by Mrs. Kennedy almost thirty-five years ago, in 
        1961. Mrs. Kennedy initiated a program to restore the historic 
        integrity of the public rooms of the White House; to establish 
        a fine and decorative arts collection; and to establish the 
        White House Historical Association to publish and distribute 
        educational materials describing the White House and its 
        history.
            (c) Mrs. Nixon provided leadership in the most extensive 
        acquisition of fine and decorative arts in the history of the 
        White House. Her plan for refurbishment of the public rooms 
        remains intact after more than twenty years.
            (d) The fine and decorative arts donated to the White House 
        during the leadership of Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Nixon, valued 
        today at tens of millions of dollars, far exceed those received 
        during all other modern Presidential administrations combined.
            (e) The White House is the only Executive Residence in the 
        world that is regularly open to the general public. With over 
        1.5 million visitors annually, the Executive Residence's public 
        rooms need constant care and complete refurbishing every eight 
        to ten years. To maintain the collection of fine arts, historic 
        pieces must be acquired, loaned works must be acquired, 
        reproductions need to be replaced, and repairs need to be made.
            (f) First Lady Barbara Bush established the White House 
        Endowment Fund in 1990 to create a permanent endowment of 
        $25,000,000 to maintain the public rooms and collection of the 
        White House. Although substantial contributions have been 
        received from the public, additional funds are needed to 
        complete the endowment.
            (g) In recognition of the service of Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. 
        Nixon in preserving and improving the White House, and in their 
        memory following their recent deaths, it is fitting and proper 
        for the Congress to memorialize their work by making a public 
        contribution to continue preservation activities at the White 
        House.
            (h) Bestowing this honor on Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Nixon 
        would be in accord with the well-established congressional 
        precedent by which a grateful Nation recognizes noteworthy and 
        enduring contributions to the public interest with the 
        appropriation of funds to programs, endowments, and foundations 
        to memorialize the contributions of the honorees.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO THE WHITE HOUSE ENDOWMENT FUND.

    (a) In General.--The President of the United States shall make 
grants to the White House Endowment Fund, a nonprofit corporation 
chartered under the laws of the State of Maryland, to be used for the 
preservation and conservation of the public rooms of the White House 
and the acquisition of historical objects for the White House 
collection of fine and decorative American art.
    (b) Terms and Conditions of the Grants.--The purposes, terms, and 
conditions of grants made under this section shall be prescribed in 
agreements to be entered into between the President, after consultation 
with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, and the 
White House Endowment Fund.
    (c) Authority To Use Interest Income.--If funds made available to 
the Endowment Fund under this section are invested by the Endowment 
Fund pending the disbursement of those funds, any interest realized 
from such investment shall not be required to be deposited in the 
Treasury if it is used for the purposes for which the funds were made 
available.
    (d) Source of Funds.--Grants under this section shall be made from 
funds appropriated to the President for such purpose.
    (e) Amount and Deadline for Making Grants.--The President shall 
make grants under this section, in amounts not to exceed a total of 
$10,000,000, not later than September 30, 1996.
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