[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1668 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1668

To authorize the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative 
 work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to 
           honor former President John Adams and his family.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2001

  Mr. Roemer (for himself, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Houghton, Mr. Olver, Mr. 
    Neal of Massachusetts, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Frank, Mr. Meehan, Mr. 
  Tierney, Mr. Markey, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Moakley, Mr. Greenwood, Mrs. 
  Johnson of Connecticut, Mr. Souder, Mr. Kind, and Mrs. Christensen) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Adams Memorial Foundation to establish a commemorative 
 work on Federal land in the District of Columbia and its environs to 
           honor former President John Adams and his family.

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

SECTION 1. COMMEMORATIVE WORK TO HONOR JOHN ADAMS AND HIS FAMILY.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Few families have contributed as profoundly to the 
        United States as the family that gave the Nation its second 
        president, John Adams; its sixth president, John Quincy Adams; 
        first ladies Abigail Smith Adams and Louisa Catherine Johnson 
        Adams; and succeeding generations of statesmen, diplomats, 
        advocates, and authors.
            (2) John Adams (1735-1826), a lawyer, a statesman, and a 
        patriot, was the author of the Constitution of the Commonwealth 
        of Massachusetts (the oldest written constitution still in 
        force), the leader of the Second Continental Congress, a 
        driving force for independence, a negotiator of the Treaty of 
        Paris (which brought the Revolutionary War to an end), the 
        first Vice President, the second President, and an unwavering 
        exponent of freedom of conscience and the rule of law.
            (3) Abigail Smith Adams (1744-1818) was one of the most 
        remarkable women of her time. Wife of one president and mother 
        of another, she was an early advocate for the rights of women 
        and served the cause of liberty as a prolific writer, fierce 
        patriot, and staunch abolitionist.
            (4) John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), was a distinguished 
        lawyer, legislator, and diplomat and a master of 7 languages, 
        who served as Senator, Minister to the Netherlands under 
        President George Washington, Minister to Prussia under the 
        first President Adams, Minister to Great Britain under 
        President James Madison, chief negotiator of the Treaty of 
        Ghent (which ended the War of 1812), Secretary of State under 
        President James Monroe, author of the Monroe Doctrine (which 
        declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to European imperial 
        expansion), sixth President, and the only former President to 
        be elected to the House of Representatives, where he was known 
        as ``Old Man Eloquent'' and served with great distinction as a 
        leader in the fight against slavery and a champion of unpopular 
        causes.
            (5) Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (1775-1852) was an 
        educated, accomplished woman and the only first lady born 
        outside the United States. Like Abigail Adams, she wrote 
        eloquently on behalf of the rights of women and in opposition 
        to slavery.
            (6) Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886), the son of John 
        Quincy and Louisa Adams, served 6 years in the Massachusetts 
        legislature, was a steadfast abolitionist who received the Free 
        Soil Party's vice-presidential nomination in 1848, was elected 
        to his father's seat in the House of Representatives in 1856, 
        and served as ambassador to Great Britain during the Civil War, 
        where his efforts were decisive in preventing the British 
        Government from recognizing the independence of the 
        Confederacy.
            (7) Henry Adams (1838-1918), the son of Charles Francis 
        Adams, was an eminent writer, scholar, historian, and public 
        intellectual, and was the author of many celebrated works, 
        including ``Democracy'', ``The Education of Henry Adams'', and 
        his 9-volume ``History of the United States during the 
        Administrations of Jefferson and Madison''.
            (8) Both individually and collectively, the members of this 
        illustrious family have enriched the Nation through their 
        profound civic consciousness, abiding belief in the 
        perfectibility of the Nation's democracy, and commitment to 
        service and sacrifice for the common good.
            (9) Although the Congress has authorized the establishment 
        of commemorative works on Federal lands in the District of 
        Columbia honoring such celebrated former Presidents as George 
        Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln, the National 
        Capital has no comparable memorial to the Adams legacy.
            (10) In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the end of 
        the presidency of John Adams, the time has come to correct this 
        oversight so that future generations of Americans will know and 
        understand the preeminent historical and lasting significance 
        to the Nation of his contributions and those of his family.
    (b) Authority to Establish Commemorative Work.--The Adams Memorial 
Foundation may establish a commemorative work on Federal land in the 
District of Columbia and its environs to honor former President John 
Adams and his wife Abigail, former President John Quincy Adams and his 
wife Louisa, and their legacy of public service.
    (c) Compliance with Standards for Commemorative Works.--The 
establishment of the commemorative work shall be in accordance with the 
Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001, et seq.).
    (d) Use of Federal Funds Prohibited.--Federal funds may not be used 
to pay any expense of the establishment of the commemorative work. The 
Adams Memorial Foundation shall be solely responsible for acceptance of 
contributions for, and payment of the expenses of, the establishment of 
the commemorative work.
    (e) Deposit of Excess Funds.--If, upon payment of all expenses of 
the establishment of the commemorative work (including the maintenance 
and preservation amount provided for in section 8(b) of the 
Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1001, et seq.)), or upon expiration 
of the authority for the commemorative work under section 10(b) of such 
Act, there remains a balance of funds received for the establishment of 
the commemorative work, the Adams Memorial Foundation shall transmit 
the amount of the balance to the Secretary of the Treasury for deposit 
in the account provided for in section 8(b)(1) of such Act.
    (f) Definitions.--For purposes of this Act, the terms 
``commemorative work'' and ``the District of Columbia and its 
environs'' have the meanings given to such terms in section 2 of the 
Commemorative Works Act (40 U.S.C. 1002).
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