[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5287 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5287

 To establish the National Museum of Jewish Heritage and the National 
             Museum of Jewish Heritage Board of Directors.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2000

 Mr. Young of Alaska (for himself, Mr. Gibbons, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Pombo, 
and Mr. Doolittle) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                       the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish the National Museum of Jewish Heritage and the National 
             Museum of Jewish Heritage Board of Directors.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Jewish Heritage Museum Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Jewish people have made remarkable artistic, 
        scientific, intellectual, and cultural contributions to the 
        United States and the world.
            (2) There is no major museum in the District of Columbia 
        that is dedicated to recording and celebrating these 
        contributions and educating the public about the heritage of 
        the Jewish people.
            (3) Such a museum would educate the public on the artistic, 
        scientific, intellectual, and cultural contributions that the 
        Jewish people have made to the United States and the world and 
        would record these contributions for posterity.
            (4) Such a museum would be operated and maintained by 
        private citizens.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE.

    The Congress recognizes the National Museum of Jewish Heritage 
established by the Board under section 4 as a national museum.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a board of directors to be 
known as the National Museum of Jewish Heritage Board of Directors.
    (b) Duties.--The Board shall--
            (1) identify a site in the District of Columbia for a 
        National Museum of Jewish Heritage;
            (2) establish and construct the Museum;
            (3) operate and maintain the Museum;
            (4) establish annual budgets for the Museum;
            (5) adopt bylaws to carry out the functions of the Board; 
        and
            (6) establish policy on the utilization of the collections 
        of the Museum, including policy on programming, education, 
        exhibitions, and research regarding the life and culture of the 
        Jewish people and the contributions of the Jewish people to the 
        United States and the world.
    (c) Approval.--The siting of the Museum shall be subject to the 
approval of the Director of the National Park Service.
    (d) Members.--
            (1) Composition.--The Board shall be composed of 25 voting 
        members and 10 ex officio nonvoting members, as follows:
                    (A) 5 members appointed by the President.
                    (B) The Chair of the Board of Directors of the 
                Corporation.
                    (C) 19 members appointed by the Chair of the Board 
                of Directors of the Corporation.
                    (D) 5 ex officio nonvoting members appointed by the 
                Speaker of the House of Representatives.
                    (E) 5 ex officio nonvoting members appointed by the 
                President pro tempore of the Senate, on recommendation 
                of the majority leader and the minority leader of the 
                Senate.
            (2) Terms.--Each member of the Board appointed under 
        paragraph (1) shall serve for a term of 2 years and may be 
        reappointed.
            (3) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Board shall be filled in 
        the manner in which the original appointment was made. Any 
        member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the 
        expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was 
        appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of that 
        term.
            (4) Compensation.--Members of the Board shall serve without 
        pay.
            (5) Quorum.--8 of the voting members of the Board shall 
        constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings.
            (6) Chair.--
                    (A) Initial chair.--During the 2-year period 
                beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
                Chair of the Board of Directors of the Corporation 
                shall serve as the Chair of the Board of the Museum.
                    (B) Subsequent chairs.--The Chair of the Board of 
                the Museum after such period shall be elected by the 
                Board from among its members.
    (e) Director and Staff.--The Board may appoint and fix the pay of a 
Director to manage the Museum, and any additional personnel as the 
Board considers appropriate.
    (f) Powers.--
            (1) Hearings.--The Board may, for the purpose of carrying 
        out this Act, hold hearings and sit and act at such times and 
        places as the Board considers appropriate.
            (2) Powers of members and agents.--Any member or agent of 
        the Board may, if authorized by the Board, take any action 
        which the Board is authorized to take by this section.
            (3) Operation of museum.--The Board may--
                    (A) loan, exchange, sell, or otherwise dispose of 
                any part of the collections of the Museum;
                    (B) purchase, accept, borrow, or otherwise acquire 
                other property for the collections of the Museum; and
                    (C) provide for restoration, preservation, and 
                maintenance of the collections of the Museum.
            (4) Administrative support services.--The Board may request 
        the Administrator of General Services to provide to the Board, 
        on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services 
        necessary for the Board to carry out its responsibilities. Upon 
        the request of the Board, the Administrator of General Services 
        shall provide such services to the Board on a reimbursable 
        basis.
            (5) Contract authority.--The Board may contract with and 
        compensate government and private agencies or persons for 
        supplies and services.
            (6) Funding.--
                    (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph 
                (B), the Board shall fund the Museum solely through 
                private contributions.
                    (B) Federally owned or leased property.--In 
                consultation with the Director of the National Park 
                Service, the Board may accept any contribution of 
                Federally owned or leased property in the District of 
                Columbia for the purpose of carrying out this Act.
                    (C) Fees.--The Board may collect and use fees for 
                purposes of establishing, constructing, operating, and 
                maintaining the Museum.
                    (D) Gifts, bequests, and devises.--The Board shall 
                solicit, accept, administer, invest, and use gifts, 
                bequests, and devises of services and property, both 
                real and personal, to aid or facilitate the 
                establishment, construction, maintenance, and 
                operation, of the Museum.
                    (E) Not appropriated funds.--Funds collected or 
                accepted by the Board under this paragraph shall not be 
                considered appropriated funds and are not subject to 
                any requirements or restrictions applicable to 
                appropriated funds.

SEC. 5. COMMEMORATIVE WORKS ACT.

    The Museum is not a commemorative work for purposes of the 
Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the National Museum of 
        Jewish Heritage Board of Directors established by section 4.
            (2) Corporation.--The term ``Corporation'' means National 
        Museum of Jewish Heritage, Incorporated (a nonprofit 
        corporation established under the laws of the State of 
        Maryland).
            (3) Museum.--The term ``Museum'' means the National Museum 
        of Jewish Heritage established under section 4 by the Board.

SEC. 7. NO AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed as an authorization of 
appropriations.
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