[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1727 Referred in House (RFH)]


106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1727


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 2, 2000

                 Referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To authorize funding for the expansion annex of the historic Palace of 
  the Governors, a public history museum located, and relating to the 
 history of Hispanic and Native American culture, in the Southwest and 
                          for other purposes.

    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 ``Palace of the Governors Annex Act''.

SEC. 2. CONSTRUCTION OF PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS ANNEX, SANTA FE, NEW 
              MEXICO.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States has a rich legacy of Hispanic 
        influence in politics, government, economic development, and 
        cultural expression;
            (2) the Palace of the Governors--
                    (A) has been the center of administrative and 
                cultural activity over a vast region of the Southwest 
                since its construction as New Mexico's second capitol 
                in Santa Fe by Governor Pedro de Peralta in 1610;
                    (B) is the oldest continuously occupied public 
                building in the continental United States, having been 
                occupied for 390 years; and
                    (C) has been designated as a National Historic 
                Landmark;
            (3) since its creation, the Museum of New Mexico has worked 
        to protect and promote Southwestern, Hispanic, and Native 
        American arts and crafts;
            (4) the Palace of the Governors houses the history division 
        of the Museum of New Mexico;
            (5) the Museum has an extensive, priceless, and 
        irreplaceable collection of--
                    (A) Spanish Colonial paintings (including the 
                Segesser Hide Paintings, paintings on buffalo hide 
                dating back to 1706);
                    (B) pre-Columbian Art; and
                    (C) historic artifacts, including--
                            (i) helmets and armor worn by the Don Juan 
                        de Onate expedition conquistadors who 
                        established the first capital in the territory 
                        that is now the United States, San Juan de los 
                        Caballeros, in July 1598;
                            (ii) the Vara Stick used to measure land 
                        grants and other real property boundaries in 
                        Dona Ana County, New Mexico;
                            (iii) the Columbus, New Mexico Railway 
                        Station clock that was shot, stopping the 
                        pendulum, freezing for all history the moment 
                        when Pancho Villa's raid began;
                            (iv) the field desk of Brigadier General 
                        Stephen Watts Kearny, who was posted to New 
                        Mexico during the Mexican War and whose Army of 
                        the West traveled the Santa Fe trail to occupy 
                        the territories of New Mexico and California; 
                        and
                            (v) more than 800,000 other historic 
                        photographs, guns, costumes, maps, books, and 
                        handicrafts;
            (6) the Palace of the Governors and its contents are 
        included in the Mary C. Skaggs Centennial Collection of 
        America's Treasures;
            (7) the Palace of the Governors and the Segesser Hide 
        paintings have been declared national treasures by the National 
        Trust for Historic Preservation; and
            (8) time is of the essence in the construction of an annex 
        to the Palace of the Governors for the exhibition and storing 
        of the collection described in paragraph (5), because--
                    (A) the existing facilities for exhibiting and 
                storing the collection are so inadequate and unsuitable 
                that existence of the collection is endangered and its 
                preservation is in jeopardy; and
                    (B) 2010 marks the 400th anniversary of the 
                continuous occupation and use of the Palace of the 
                Governors and is an appropriate date for ensuring the 
                continued viability of the collection.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Annex.--The term ``Annex'' means the annex for the 
        Palace of the Governors of the Museum of New Mexico, to be 
        constructed behind the Palace of the Governors building at 110 
        Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
            (2) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the State Office of 
        Cultural Affairs.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (4) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of New 
        Mexico.
    (c) Grant.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, the Secretary shall make a grant to the Office 
        to pay 50 percent of the costs of the final design, 
        construction, management, inspection, furnishing, and equipping 
        of the Annex.
            (2) Requirements.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, to receive a grant under this paragraph (1), 
        the Office shall--
                    (A) submit to the Secretary a copy of the 
                architectural blueprints for the Annex; and
                    (B) enter into a memorandum of understanding with 
                the Secretary under subsection (d).
    (d) Memorandum of Understanding.--At the request of the Office, the 
Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the 
Office that--
            (1) requires that the Office award the contract for 
        construction of the Annex after a competitive bidding process 
        and in accordance with the New Mexico Procurement Code; and
            (2) specifies a date for completion of the Annex.
    (e) Non-federal share.--The non-Federal share of the costs of the 
final design, construction, management, inspection, furnishing, and 
equipping of the Annex--
            (1) may be in cash or in kind fairly evaluated, including 
        land, art and artifact collections, plant, equipment, or 
        services; and
            (2) shall include any contribution received by the State 
        (including contributions from the New Mexico Foundation and 
        other endowment funds) for, and any expenditure made by the 
        State for, the Palace of the Governors or the Annex, 
        including--
                    (A) design;
                    (B) land acquisition (including the land at 110 
                Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, New Mexico);
                    (C) acquisitions for and renovation of the library;
                    (D) conservation of the Palace of the Governors;
                    (E) construction, management, inspection, 
                furnishing, and equipping of the Annex; and
                    (F) donations of art collections and artifacts to 
                the Museum of New Mexico on or after the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
    (f) Use of Funds.--The funds received under a grant awarded under 
subsection (c) shall be used only for the final design, construction, 
management, inspection, furnishing and equipment of the Annex.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), subject to the 
        availability of appropriations, there is authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section 
        $15,000,000, to remain available until expended.
            (2) Condition.--Paragraph (1) authorizes sums to be 
        appropriated on the condition that--
                    (A) after the date of enactment of this Act and 
                before January 1, 2010, the State appropriate at least 
                $8,000,000 to pay the costs of the final design, 
                construction, management, inspection, furnishing, and 
                equipping of the Annex; and
                    (B) other non-Federal sources provide sufficient 
                funds to pay the remainder of the 50 percent non-
                Federal share of those costs.

            Passed the Senate April 13, 2000.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.