[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 77 (Thursday, May 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2737-S2738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               U.S. WANTS TO COMPETE FOR A WORLD EXPO ACT

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 48, H.R. 534.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the bill by 
title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 534) 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.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with 
an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu 
thereof the following:

     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''.

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that 
the committee-reported amendment be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be 
read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or 
debate.

[[Page S2738]]

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was 
agreed to.
  The amendment was ordered to be engrossed, and the bill to be read a 
third time.
  The bill was read the third time.
  The bill (H.R. 534), as amended, was passed.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority whip.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I thank my friend and colleague from 
Minnesota for working with us on this piece of legislation. People 
sometimes say nothing ever gets done around here on a bipartisan basis, 
and this proves that is wrong. While that isn't one of the biggest 
pieces of legislation to come down the pike, it is important because of 
the importance of the State Department's rejoining the Bureau of 
International Expositions in order to preserve the possibility, in my 
case, for Houston's world fair bid to be considered. I know the Senator 
from Minnesota has a similar interest in her State. So it was a 
pleasure to work with her on it, and I am happy we are able to see this 
accomplished today.

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