[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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