[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 131 Introduced in House (IH)]







111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 131

         To establish the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2009

 Mr. Gallegly (for himself, Mr. Blunt, and Mr. Foster) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
                           Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
         To establish the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission.

    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 ``Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.

    There is established a commission to be known as the ``Ronald 
Reagan Centennial Commission'' (in this Act referred to as the 
``Commission'').

SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.

    The Commission shall--
            (1) plan, develop, and carry out such activities as the 
        Commission considers fitting and proper to honor Ronald Reagan 
        on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth;
            (2) provide advice and assistance to Federal, State, and 
        local governmental agencies, as well as civic groups to carry 
        out activities to honor Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the 
        100th anniversary of his birth;
            (3) develop activities that may be carried out by the 
        Federal Government to determine whether the activities are 
        fitting and proper to honor Ronald Reagan on the occasion of 
        the 100th anniversary of his birth; and
            (4) submit to the President and Congress reports pursuant 
        to section 7.

SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission shall be composed of 11 
members as follows:
            (1) The Secretary of the Interior.
            (2) Four members appointed by the President after 
        considering the recommendations of the Board of Trustees of the 
        Ronald Reagan Foundation.
            (3) Two Members of the House of Representatives appointed 
        by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
            (4) One Member of the House of Representatives appointed by 
        the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
            (5) Two Members of the Senate appointed by the majority 
        leader of the Senate.
            (6) One Member of the Senate appointed by the minority 
        leader of the Senate.
    (b) Ex Officio Member.--The Archivist of the United States shall 
serve in an ex officio capacity on the Commission to provide advice and 
information to the Commission.
    (c) Terms.--Each member shall be appointed for the life of the 
Commission.
    (d) Deadline for Appointment.--All members of the Commission shall 
be appointed not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
    (e) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission shall--
            (1) not affect the powers of the Commission; and
            (2) be filled in the manner in which the original 
        appointment was made.
    (f) Rates of Pay.--Members shall serve without pay.
    (g) Travel Expenses.--Each member of the Commission shall be 
reimbursed for travel and per diem in lieu of subsistence expenses 
during the performance of duties of the Commission while away from home 
or his or her regular place of business, in accordance with applicable 
provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
Code.
    (h) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall 
constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings.
    (i) Chairperson.--The chairperson of the Commission shall be 
elected by a majority vote of the members of the Commission.

SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Director.--The Commission may appoint an executive director. 
The executive director may be paid at a rate not to exceed the maximum 
rate of basic pay for GS-15 of the General Schedule.
    (b) Staff.--The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of 
additional personnel as it considers appropriate except that an 
individual so appointed may not receive pay in excess of the maximum 
rate of basic pay for GS-13 of the General Schedule.
    (c) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--The executive 
director and staff of the Commission may be appointed without regard to 
the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments 
in the competitive service, and may be paid without regard to the 
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title 
relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, except as 
provided in subsections (a) and (b).
    (d) Detail of Federal Employees.--Upon request of the Commission, 
the Secretary of the Interior or the Archivist of the United States may 
detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that 
department or agency to the Commission to assist it in carrying out its 
duties under this Act.
    (e) Experts and Consultants.--The Commission may procure temporary 
and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
States Code, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the daily 
equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay for GS-14 of the 
General Schedule.
    (f) Volunteer and Uncompensated Services.--Notwithstanding section 
1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Commission may accept and use 
voluntary and uncompensated services as the Commission determines 
necessary.

SEC. 6. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Hearings.--The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying out 
this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and places, take 
testimony, and receive evidence as the Commission considers 
appropriate.
    (b) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails in the 
same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and 
agencies of the United States.
    (c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure directly 
from any department or agency of the United States information 
necessary to enable it to carry out its duties under this Act. Upon 
request of the chairperson of the Commission, the head of that 
department or agency shall furnish that information to the Commission.
    (d) Gifts, Bequests, Devises.--The Commission may solicit, accept, 
use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of money, services, or 
property, both real and personal, for the purpose of aiding or 
facilitating its work.
    (e) Available Space.--Upon the request of the Commission, the 
Administrator of General Services shall make available nationwide to 
the Commission, at a normal rental rate for Federal agencies, such 
assistance and facilities as may be necessary for the Commission to 
carry out its duties under this Act.
    (f) Contract Authority.--To the extent or in the amounts provided 
in advance in appropriations Acts, the Commission may enter into 
contracts with and compensate government and private agencies or 
persons to enable the Commission to discharge its duties under this 
Act, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 
5).

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    (a) Annual Reports.--The Commission shall submit to the President 
and the Congress annual reports on the revenue and expenditures of the 
Commission, including a list of each gift, bequest, or devise to the 
Commission with a value of more than $250, together with the identity 
of the donor of each gift, bequest, or devise.
    (b) Interim Reports.--The Commission may submit to the President 
and Congress interim reports as the Commission considers appropriate.
    (c) Final Report.--Not later than April 30, 2011, the Commission 
shall submit a final report to the President and the Congress 
containing--
            (1) a summary of the activities of the Commission;
            (2) a final accounting of funds received and expended by 
        the Commission; and
            (3) the findings, conclusions, and final recommendations of 
        the Commission.

SEC. 8. TERMINATION.

    (a) In General.--The Commission may terminate on such date as the 
Commission may determine after it submits its final report pursuant to 
section 7(c), but not later than May 30, 2011.
    (b) FACA Nonapplicability.--Section 14(b) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2) shall not apply to the Commission.

SEC. 9. ANNUAL AUDIT.

    For any fiscal year for which the Commission receives an 
appropriation of funds, the Inspector General of the Department of the 
Interior shall perform an audit of the Commission, shall make the 
results of the audit available to the public, and shall transmit such 
results to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
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