[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2496 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2496

To authorize a national museum, including a research center and related 
   visitor facilities, in the city of El Paso, Texas, to commemorate 
            migration at the United States southern border.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 17, 2003

  Mr. Reyes introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 
 by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as 
        fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize a national museum, including a research center and related 
   visitor facilities, in the city of El Paso, Texas, to commemorate 
            migration at the United States southern border.

    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 ``Paso al Norte National Museum of 
Immigration History Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) more than 20,000,000 people currently living in the 
        United States trace their roots to Mexico, and Mexican-
        Americans represent one of the fastest growing population 
        groups in this country;
            (2) people of Hispanic descent have made significant 
        contributions in all areas of American life;
            (3) Hispanic-Americans, their ancestors, and other cultural 
        groups on both sides of the border have a rich history that 
        must be preserved and told for the benefit of current and 
        future generations of Americans;
            (4) the histories of the many individuals and families, who 
        came from many different backgrounds and who faced hardship and 
        adversity as they migrated in search of better lives for 
        themselves and their descendants, need to be better documented 
        and incorporated into the larger history of the United States;
            (5) the histories of these courageous people reflect the 
        strong relationship between the people of the United States and 
        the people of Mexico;
            (6) there is no museum dedicated to the history of 
        migration at the United States southern border;
            (7) historically, El Paso, Texas, has been the largest port 
        of entry for people immigrating to the United States from 
        Mexico;
            (8) El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Royal Road of the 
        Interior) passes through El Paso and served as the primary 
        route between the colonial Spanish capital of Mexico City and 
        the Spanish Provincial capitals San Juan de los Caballeros, San 
        Gabriel, and Santa Fe, all part of the present day United 
        States;
            (9) El Paso and its sister city, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, 
        together form the largest international border city;
            (10) the University of Texas at El Paso, a majority of 
        whose students are Mexican-American, is coordinating a national 
        effort to create in El Paso a national museum dedicated to 
        preserving the history of people who, for many centuries, have 
        moved between Mexico and territories that are now part of the 
        United States; and
            (11) the City of El Paso has made the establishment of the 
        Paso al Norte National Museum of Immigration History a priority 
        in an effort to draw large numbers of visitors as part of its 
        plan for revitalization and development.

SEC. 3. PASO AL NORTE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION HISTORY.

    (a) Establishment.--If land is made available to or by the 
University of Texas at El Paso as described in subsection (b), the 
Secretary of the Interior shall make a grant under section 4 for the 
establishment of the Paso al Norte National Museum of Immigration 
History (referred to in this Act as ``the museum''), a museum and 
research center for the interpretation and commemoration of migration 
at the United States southern border.
    (b) Land.--The land referred to in subsection (a) is land within 
the boundary of the city of El Paso, Texas, either made available by 
the University of Texas at El Paso, or, if the university agrees to the 
location, by the city of El Paso or by any other entity.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT GRANT.

    (a) Grant.--The Secretary of the Interior shall, within 90 days 
after receiving a proposal meeting the requirements of subsection (b), 
award a grant to the University of Texas at El Paso for the 
establishment of the museum, including planning, design, construction, 
furnishing, and startup expenses.
    (b) Grant Proposal.--In order to receive a grant under this section 
the University of Texas at El Paso, in agreement with the city of El 
Paso, shall, not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, transmit to the Secretary of the Interior a proposal that 
includes--
            (1) a designation of land made available for the museum as 
        described in section 3(b);
            (2) plans detailing the location and function of each 
        museum facility;
            (3) plans for design and construction that will meet all 
        applicable Federal, State, and local building codes and laws, 
        and that are in accordance with professional museum standards;
            (4) a timetable for completion of construction and opening 
        of the museum before October 1, 2007;
            (5) detailed plans concerning the operation and maintenance 
        of the museum;
            (6) a description of proposed museum collections and 
        educational programming; and
            (7) a plan for the design of exhibits, including 
        collections to be exhibited, preservation, protection, 
        environmental controls, security, and presentations in 
        accordance with professional museum standards.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the 
Interior $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, and such sums as may be 
necessary for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2008, to carry out this 
Act. All sums authorized to be appropriated shall remain available for 
expenditure through fiscal year 2008.
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