[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2136 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2136

 To provide funds to help establish the William H. Rehnquist Center on 
 Constitutional Structures and Judicial Independence at the University 
               of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 16, 2005

  Mr. McCain (for himself and Mr. Kyl) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide funds to help establish the William H. Rehnquist Center on 
 Constitutional Structures and Judicial Independence at the University 
               of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

    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 ``William H. Rehnquist Center Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The late William H. Rehnquist, the 16th Chief Justice 
        of the United States, distinguished himself with one of the 
        longest and most influential tenures on the United States 
        Supreme Court.
            (2) The judicial branch of government, in Chief Justice 
        Rehnquist's own words, is ``a vital and uniquely American 
        institutional participant in the everlasting search of 
        civilized society for the proper balance between liberty and 
        authority, between the state and the individual.''.
            (3) Among the principles that the Chief Justice held 
        dearest were those of constitutional federalism, judicial 
        independence, and the separation of powers. These principles 
        are central to the Supreme Court's role in the governance of 
        our Nation.
            (4) Because of the crucial nature of federalism, judicial 
        independence, and the separation of powers, the public would be 
        well-served by a more robust body of scholarship and broader 
        education about these aspects of American constitutional law.
            (5) Honoring the legacy of Chief Justice Rehnquist and 
        creating a forum for greater scholarship and public education 
        about the principles of federalism, judicial independence, and 
        the separation of powers would best be achieved by establishing 
        the William H. Rehnquist Center on Constitutional Structures 
        and Judicial Independence at the University of Arizona James E. 
        Rogers College of Law, which would advance non-partisan 
        scholarship about the judicial branch of government and create 
        an academic center for discussions about the judicial branch of 
        government.

SEC. 3. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    In recognition of the contributions of the late William H. 
Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, to the 
democratic process of governance, the Attorney General is authorized to 
make grants in accordance with the provisions of this Act to assist in 
the establishment of the William H. Rehnquist Center on Constitutional 
Structures and Judicial Independence at the University of Arizona James 
E. Rogers College of Law.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION.

    No payment may be made under this Act except upon an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing or accompanied by such 
information as the Attorney General may require.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out the provisions of this Act $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 
through 2011.
    (b) Unobligated Amounts.--Any amounts appropriated under subsection 
(a) that are unexpended and unobligated after December 31, 2011, shall 
be covered into the general fund of the Treasury.
                                 <all>