[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 147 (Wednesday, October 7, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H6893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

            By Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas:
        H.R. 3702.
        Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant 
     to the following:
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, giving Congress exclusive 
     jurisdiction over the District of Columbia. That clause was 
     cited as the authority for the government's ability to accept 
     the original Smithson donation and the creation of the 
     Smithsonian Institution via the Act of August 10, 1846.
       Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18, the Necessary and Proper 
     clause, which provides the power to enact legislation 
     necessary to effectuate one of the earlier enumerated powers, 
     such as the authority granted in Clause 17 above.