[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 534 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                        Calendar No. 48
115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 534


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2017

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                              May 3, 2017

               Reported by Mr. Corker, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To require the Secretary of State to take such actions as may be 
 necessary for the United States to rejoin the Bureau of International 
                  Expositions, and for other purposes.

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

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Wants to Compete for a 
World Expo Act''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. FINDINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress finds the following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) The Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) 
        is the organization responsible for governing World Fairs and 
        International Expositions.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Section 1(a) of Public Law 91-269 (22 U.S.C. 
        2801(a)) found that ``international expositions ) ) ) have a 
        significant impact on the economic growth of the region 
        surrounding the exposition and ) ) ) are important instruments 
        of national policy''.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) The United States has not been an active 
        member of the BIE since 2001.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) State and local governments and private 
        entities in the United States have continued to participate in 
        international expositions held in foreign countries as a means 
        of promoting United States exports and creating jobs, but face 
        significantly higher costs for such participation because the 
        United States is not an active member.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) State and local governments and private 
        entities in the United States have expressed interest in an 
        international exposition being hosted in the United States, but 
        the bid of a United States city, region, or State to host an 
        international exposition is unlikely to be successful if the 
        United States is not a member of the BIE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    It is the sense of Congress that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the United States should rejoin the BIE 
        immediately to promote domestic job creation, global branding, 
        and tourism to the United States;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the Secretary of State, in partnership with 
        the Secretary of Commerce, State and local governments, and 
        private and non-profit entities, should take all necessary 
        steps to facilitate the timely submission of a request to 
        rejoin the BIE; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) funding for the participation of the United 
        States in international expositions or other events facilitated 
        by the BIE should continue to be privately solicited and 
        sourced, in accordance with existing law.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State is authorized to 
take such actions as the Secretary determines necessary for the United 
States to rejoin and maintain membership in the BIE.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Authorization to Accept Private Contributions.--In 
addition to funds otherwise available to the Secretary to carry out 
this section, the Secretary is authorized to accept contributions for 
such purpose.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Notification.--The Secretary of State shall notify the 
Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Foreign Relations and 
Appropriations of the Senate upon taking any action under subsection 
(a).</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. CONTINUATION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS 
              FOR WORLD'S FAIR PAVILIONS AND EXHIBITS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize any 
obligation or expenditure prohibited by section 204 of the Admiral 
James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, 
Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b) (relating to limitations 
on the obligation or expenditure of funds by the Department of State 
for a United States pavilion or exhibit at an international exposition 
or world's fair registered by the BIE).</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Wants to Compete for a World 
Expo Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) is the 
        organization responsible for governing World Fairs and 
        International Expositions.
            (2) Section 1(a) of Public Law 91-269 (22 U.S.C. 2801(a)) 
        found that ``international expositions . . . have a significant 
        impact on the economic growth of the region surrounding the 
        exposition and . . . are important instruments of national 
        policy''.
            (3) The United States has not been an active member of the 
        BIE since 2001.
            (4) State and local governments and private entities in the 
        United States have continued to participate in international 
        expositions held in foreign countries as a means of promoting 
        United States exports and creating jobs, but face significantly 
        higher costs for such participation because the United States 
        is not an active member.
            (5) State and local governments and private entities in the 
        United States have expressed interest in an international 
        exposition being hosted in the United States, but the bid of a 
        United States city, region, or State to host an international 
        exposition is unlikely to be successful if the United States is 
        not a member of the BIE.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should rejoin the BIE immediately to 
        promote domestic job creation, global branding, and tourism to 
        the United States; and
            (2) the Secretary of State, in partnership with the 
        Secretary of Commerce, State and local governments, and private 
        and non-profit entities, should take all necessary steps to 
        facilitate the timely submission of a request to rejoin the 
        BIE.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State is authorized to take such 
actions as the Secretary determines necessary for the United States to 
rejoin and maintain membership in the BIE.
    (b) Authorization to Accept Private Contributions.--In addition to 
funds otherwise available to the Secretary to carry out this section, 
the Secretary is authorized to accept contributions for such purpose.
    (c) Notification.--The Secretary of State shall notify the 
Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Committees on Foreign Relations and 
Appropriations of the Senate upon taking any action under subsection 
(a).

SEC. 5. CONTINUATION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR WORLD'S 
              FAIR PAVILIONS AND EXHIBITS.

    (a) Continuation of Prohibition.--Nothing in this Act may be 
construed to authorize any obligation or expenditure prohibited by 
section 204 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign 
Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 
2452b) (relating to limitations on the obligation or expenditure of 
funds by the Department of State for a United States pavilion or 
exhibit at an international exposition or world's fair registered by 
the BIE).
    (b) Prohibition on Solicitation of Funds.--Section 204(b)(1)(C) of 
the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations 
Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 
2452b(b)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting after ``expositions'' the 
following: ``, except that no employees of the Department of State may, 
in their official capacity, solicit funds to pay expenses for a United 
States pavilion or other major exhibit at any international exposition 
or world's fair registered by the Bureau of International 
Expositions''.
                                                        Calendar No. 48

115th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 534

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

   To require the Secretary of State to take such actions as may be 
 necessary for the United States to rejoin the Bureau of International 
                  Expositions, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                              May 3, 2017

                       Reported with an amendment