[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7572]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




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

  Mr. EMMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the 
Speaker's table the 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, 
with the Senate amendment thereto, and concur in the Senate amendment.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kustoff of Tennessee). The Clerk will 
report the Senate amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:
  Senate amendment:

       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     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''.

  Mr. EMMER (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
to dispense with the reading of the amendment.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the original request 
of the gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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