[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7637 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7637

To establish a New Executive Workgroup for the White House as an Iconic 
Treasure Expressing Honor, Obligation, Unity, Strength, and Excellence 
  of our Nation (a New White House) to develop a plan to replace the 
  existing White House with a new residence and working space for the 
                   President, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 16, 2020

 Ms. Jackson Lee introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                 the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a New Executive Workgroup for the White House as an Iconic 
Treasure Expressing Honor, Obligation, Unity, Strength, and Excellence 
  of our Nation (a New White House) to develop a plan to replace the 
  existing White House with a new residence and working space for the 
                   President, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``New Executive 
Workgroup for the White House as an Iconic Treasure Expressing Honor, 
Obligation, Unity, Strength, and Excellence of our Nation Act'' or the 
``New White House Act''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 1789, the United States became the world's first 
        modern national constitutional republic.
            (2) In 1791, the Nation's first president, George 
        Washington, selected the site for the White House, and the 
        cornerstone was laid in 1792, after a competition design 
        submitted by Irish-born architect James Hoban was chosen.
            (3) The security of the White House and the First Family 
        has always been of utmost importance to the Nation.
            (4) The security needs of the White House have evolved 
        along with the Nation. As conditions warranted, the White House 
        has been modified in order to meet these evolving needs.
            (5) In 1808, the first fence around the White House was 
        constructed under the oversight of Thomas Jefferson's 
        administration. This fence was constructed of wooden split-rail 
        barriers on three sides of the grounds and a retaining wall on 
        the other side which bordered the Potomac River wetlands.
            (6) In the 1930s, the wrought-iron fence of the 19th 
        century was replaced by a steel fence tipped with tall bronze 
        spears.
            (7) The current fence is about 7-feet tall and there are 
        plans to install a taller one in 2018.
            (8) During World War II, security became especially strict. 
        The remaining gaps in the White House fence were closed and 
        access to the driveways was restricted. At the same time, the 
        gates to the White House grounds were reinforced.
            (9) In 1983, following a truck-bomb attack on the U.S. 
        Marine barracks in Lebanon, low concrete walls were put up 
        around the White House.
            (10) With the rise of vehicle traffic in Washington DC, 
        bollards--sturdy, vertical posts--were added to prevent 
        security breaches by automobiles.
            (11) In 1950, an assassination attempt on President Harry 
        S. Truman further raised concerns over the safety of the 
        President.
            (12) In the 20th century, there were numerous instances of 
        the White House perimeter being breached by those who wished to 
        reach the President.
            (13) On April 13, 1912, Michael Winter made it several feet 
        inside the front door of the White House before being stopped 
        by staff. This was his second attempt to reach President 
        William Howard Taft.
            (14) On September 26, 1963, Doyle Allen Hicks rammed his 
        pickup truck through the White House gates and drove 25 feet 
        into the North Portico main entrance. He intended to reach 
        President John F. Kennedy.
            (15) On February 17, 1974, Robert K. Preston, an Army 
        private, stole a helicopter from Fort Meade, Maryland. He 
        hovered over the Washington Monument and the White House 
        grounds before leading two State police helicopters on an 
        aerial chase around Maryland and Washington, DC. Preston then 
        returned to the White House and officers were forced to shoot 
        at the helicopter. Preston was upset about flunking out of 
        flight school.
            (16) On February 22, 1974, Samuel Joseph Byck tried to 
        hijack a Delta passenger jet at Baltimore-Washington 
        International Airport. His intention was to crash the jet into 
        the White House. He forced his way onto the plane and killed an 
        airport policeman and the copilot before being shot by police.
            (17) On December 25, 1974, Marshall Fields crashed his 
        automobile through the Northwest Gate of the White House and 
        drove close to the North Portico. He threatened to detonate 
        explosives which he had strapped to his body. Fields 
        surrendered to officials after hours of negotiation.
            (18) In October 1978, Anthony Henry scaled the White House 
        fence while wielding a knife. He slashed two officers before 
        White House guards were able to subdue him. He intended to find 
        President Jimmy Carter.
            (19) On September 12, 1994, Frank Eugene Corder stole a 
        Cessna plane and entered the prohibited airspace around the 
        White House. He crashed on the lawn just south of the Executive 
        Mansion.
            (20) On October 29, 1994, Francisco Martin Duran, armed 
        with a semiautomatic rifle, fired over 29 rounds at the White 
        House from the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue. He intended to 
        kill President Bill Clinton.
            (21) On May 23, 1995, Leland W. Modjeski climbed over the 
        White House fence and ran towards the White House with a 
        handgun. He was shot by the Secret Service.
            (22) On September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was 
        taken to an undisclosed location due to security concerns at 
        the White House following attacks on the World Trade Center and 
        the Pentagon.
            (23) A 2015 House of Representatives report showed that 
        there were 104 attempted breaches of White House security 
        between April 2005 and April 2015.
            (24) On November 11, 2011, Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez 
        fired an assault rifle at the White House. He hit the 
        residential wing of the building at least seven times. This 
        attack was not immediately detected and Ortega-Hernandez was 
        not found and arrested for 5 days.
            (25) On January 26, 2015, the Secret Service was forced to 
        lock down the White House due to a drone flying above the White 
        House grounds. The drone crashed on the Southeast side of the 
        complex.
            (26) On November 26, 2015, a man draped in an American flag 
        jumped the White House fence during a Thanksgiving celebration 
        at the Executive Residence.
            (27) It is now time to build an Executive Office and 
        Residence which takes modern national security concerns into 
        account and will be able to serve the Office of the President 
        far into the future.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

    There is established the Commission for the Construction of a 
Modern Executive Mansion and Office Complex for the President 
(hereafter referred to as the ``Commission'').

SEC. 3. DUTIES.

    The Commission shall carry out the following duties:
            (1) The development of a plan, including a site selection 
        plan, to replace the existing White House with a new residence 
        and working space for the President in the District of Columbia 
        which meets modern standards for security, access, and the 
        needs of the President and the President's staff.
            (2) The development of a plan (including a plan for 
        fundraising) for the preservation of the documents, artifacts, 
        and artworks which reflect the history of the existing White 
        House and for making such items accessible for public viewing, 
        including by establishing a museum, with the goal of promoting 
        public knowledge of the history of the White House and the 
        individuals, including family members of the Presidents, who 
        lived and worked there.
            (3) The development of a plan for the temporary relocation 
        of the residence and working space of the President and the 
        President's staff while the new residence and working space is 
        under construction.

SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission shall be composed of 
the following members:
            (1) Each living former President (as of the date of the 
        enactment of this Act) or the living former President's 
        designee.
            (2) The Administrator of General Services or the 
        Administrator's designee.
            (3) The Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary's 
        designee.
            (4) Each former Director of the Secret Service who served 
        during the term of office of President George W. Bush or 
        President Barack Obama.
            (5) The Archivist of the United States or the Archivist's 
        designee.
            (6) A representative of each Presidential library which is 
        not administered by the National Archives and Records 
        Administration though the Office of Presidential Libraries.
            (7) One individual appointed by the President from among a 
        list provided by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
            (8) One individual appointed by the President from among a 
        list provided by the minority leader of the House of 
        Representatives.
            (9) One individual appointed by the President from among a 
        list provided by the majority leader of the Senate.
            (10) One individual appointed by the President from among a 
        list provided by the minority leader of the Senate.
            (11) One individual appointed by the President with 
        expertise in the field of historic preservation.
            (12) One individual appointed by the President with 
        expertise in the field of civil engineering.
            (13) One individual appointed by the President with 
        expertise in the field of landscape architecture and botany.
            (14) One individual appointed by the President with 
        expertise in the field of security.
    (b) Time of Appointment.--Each initial appointment of a member of 
the Commission shall be made before the expiration of the 180-day 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Terms.--Each member shall be appointed for the life of the 
Commission.
    (d) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the 
powers of the Commission but shall be filled in the manner in which the 
original appointment was made.
    (e) Basic Pay.--Members shall serve on the Commission without pay.
    (f) Travel Expenses.--Each member shall receive travel expenses, 
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sections 
5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
    (g) Chair.--The Commission shall select a Chair from among the 
members of the Commission.
    (h) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the Chair.

SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF.

    (a) Director.--The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of a 
Director and such additional personnel as the Commission considers to 
be appropriate.
    (b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--
            (1) Director.--The Director 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 that title relating to 
        classification and General Schedule pay rates.
            (2) Staff.--The staff of the Commission shall be appointed 
        subject to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, 
        governing appointments in the competitive service, and shall be 
        paid in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and 
        subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to 
        classification and General Schedule pay rates.
    (c) Staff of Federal Agencies.--Upon the request of the Chair of 
the Commission, the head of any Federal department or agency may 
detail, without reimbursement, any of the personnel of that department 
or agency to the Commission to assist in carrying out its duties under 
this Act.

SEC. 6. POWERS.

    (a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the purpose of 
carrying out this Act, hold such hearings, sit and act at such times 
and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the 
Commission considers to be appropriate.
    (b) Powers of Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of the 
Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action that 
the Commission is authorized to take by this Act.
    (c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure directly 
from any department or agency of the United States information 
necessary to enable the Commission to carry out this Act. Upon request 
of the Chair of the Commission, the head of that department or agency 
shall furnish that information to the Commission.
    (d) 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.
    (e) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of the 
Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the 
Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support 
services necessary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities 
under this Act.
    (f) Donations.--The Commission may accept donations of supplies, 
money, and services to carry out its responsibilities.

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    (a) Interim Reports.--The Commission may submit to Congress such 
interim reports as the Commission considers to be appropriate.
    (b) Final Report.--The Commission shall submit a final report to 
Congress not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this 
Act. The final report shall contain final versions of the plans the 
Commission is required to develop under section 3, together with such 
other information and recommendations as the Commission considers 
appropriate with respect to such plans.

SEC. 8. TERMINATION.

    The Commission shall terminate 120 days after submitting the final 
report of the Commission under section 7.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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