[Senate Report 115-144]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                      Calendar No. 201
115th Congress     }                                    {       Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session       }                                    {      115-144

======================================================================



 
           JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017

                                _______
                                

                 August 3, 2017.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

   Mr. Barrasso, from the Committee on Environment and Public Works, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 1359]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 
referred the bill (S. 1359) to amend the John F. Kennedy Center 
Act to authorize appropriations for the John F. Kennedy Center 
for the Performing Arts, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, reports favorably thereon without 
amendment and recommends that the bill do pass.

                    General Statement and Background

    In 1958, President Eisenhower signed the National Cultural 
Center Act (Pub. L. 85-874) into law, which established the 
National Cultural Center. In 1968, a bill (Pub. L. 88-260) was 
enacted to rename the performing arts center as the John F. 
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Kennedy Center), which 
established the center as a living memorial in honor of the 
late president. The Kennedy Center has been reauthorized on a 
regular basis.
    The Kennedy Center was designed by Edward Durrell Stone. In 
1965, President Lyndon Johnson broke ground on a site located 
along the banks of the Potomac River. In 1971, the building 
opened to its first visitors. Today, the Kennedy Center is the 
nation's busiest performing arts center. Each year, it hosts 
approximately 3,000 events and receives over 2 million 
visitors.
    The Kennedy Center's authorizing statute requires that 
designated Members of Congress provide full and appropriate 
oversight over the federal funding it receives. Designated 
Members of Congress include: the Speaker and Minority Leader of 
the House; the leadership of the Transportation and 
Infrastructure Committee, which is the Kennedy Center's 
authorizing committee in the House; three additional members 
appointed by House leadership; the Senate Majority and Minority 
Leaders; the leadership of the Environment and Public Works 
Committee, which is the Kennedy Center's authorizing committee 
in the Senate; and three additional members appointed by Senate 
leadership. These members are briefed on an ongoing basis 
regarding federal appropriations to ensure both transparency 
and accountability.
    The Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees (Board) raises 
private funds on an ongoing, annual basis to support a full 
range of programming in the fields of the performing arts, 
consistent with the congressionally-proscribed mandate. The 
Board is prudent with federal funds and, in an effort to 
respect federal budget limitations, embarked on a capital 
campaign to create a much-needed expansion of the building that 
includes education classrooms and additional public access to 
programming. This expansion, solely funded with private 
dollars, was authorized by Congress in the 2012 reauthorization 
of the Kennedy Center in order to ensure full collaboration 
with Congress in the Kennedy Center's efforts to fulfill and 
sustain its statutory mandate.
    Consistent with federal austerity measures, the Kennedy 
Center has adapted to across-the-board reductions in federal 
funding it receives, and has become even more cost conscious as 
it budgets for necessary expenditures relating to its 
expansion. Reductions in federal funding are challenging 
because this funding supports fixed costs for electricity, 
security, and other expenses that are expected to rise with the 
cost of living in the coming years. Federal funding may not be 
used for performing arts attractions, personnel, or 
administration, including production, fundraising, marketing, 
and ticket sales.

                     Objectives of the Legislation

    The John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2017 
authorizes appropriations for maintenance, repair, security, 
and capital projects at the Kennedy Center for each of fiscal 
years 2018 through 2021. This includes inflationary increases 
for maintenance, repair, and security necessary to maintain the 
new expansion project, which was solely funded with private 
dollars and authorized by Congress in 2012.
    The John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2017 also 
recognizes the year 2018 as the 60th anniversary of the 
National Cultural Center Act signed into law by President 
Eisenhower on September 4, 1958. The bill establishes the sense 
of the Congress that the 50th anniversary of the opening of the 
Kennedy Center should be recognized, and displays and 
commemorative programs regarding the anniversary should be 
allowed.

                      Section-by-Section Analysis


Section 1. Short title

    This Act may be cited as the ``John F. Kennedy Center 
Reauthorization Act of 2017.''

Section 2. Authorization of appropriations

    This section authorizes $24 million for fiscal year 2018, 
$25 million for each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020, and $26 
million for fiscal year 2021 for maintenance, repair, and 
security. This section also authorizes $13 million for each of 
fiscal years 2018 and 2019, and $14 million for each of fiscal 
years 2020 and 2021 for capital projects.

Section 3. Authorization for plaque

    This section establishes a sense of Congress that the 
Kennedy Center should recognize the year 2018 as the 60th 
anniversary of the signing of the National Cultural Center Act 
(now known as the John F. Kennedy Center Act), signed into law 
by President Eisenhower on September 2, 1958. This section 
establishes the sense of Congress that the Kennedy Center 
should establish commemorative displays honoring President 
Eisenhower and the history of the National Cultural Center Act. 
This section also requires the Kennedy Center to create a 
plaque commemorating the 60th anniversary of the signing of the 
National Cultural Center Act by President Eisenhower. It 
requires that the plaque be placed at an appropriate location 
determined by the Board within the Kennedy Center approximate 
to the Eisenhower Theater. This section prohibits federal funds 
from being used to design, procure, or install the plaque. It 
requires that the Kennedy Center solicit and accept private 
contributions for the design, procurement and installation of 
the plaque.

Section 4. Commemoration of the John F. Kennedy Center for the 
        Performing Arts

    This section establishes a sense of Congress that the 
Kennedy Center should recognize the year 2021 as the 50th 
anniversary of the opening of the Kennedy Center, and that the 
Kennedy Center should appropriately acknowledge and commemorate 
the Kennedy Center as a national center for the performing arts 
and as a national memorial to President John F. Kennedy. This 
section authorizes the Kennedy Center to create displays and 
programs that memorialize the opening of the Kennedy Center.

                          Legislative History

    On June 14, 2017, Senators Barrasso, Carper, Capito and 
Cardin introduced S. 1359, a bill to reauthorize the John F. 
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and for other purposes. 
The bill was referred to the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works. On July 12, 2017, the Committee ordered S. 1359 
to be reported favorably.
    Previously, the Kennedy Center received a one-year 
authorization for fiscal year 2017, which was included in the 
omnibus appropriations bill for that fiscal year. S. 1359 
authorizes appropriations for each of fiscal years 2018 through 
2021.

                                Hearings

    No hearings were held on S. 1359.

                             Rollcall Votes

    On July 12, 2017, the Committee on Environment and Public 
Works met to consider S. 1359. The Committee ordered the bill 
to be reported favorably by voice vote.

                      Regulatory Impact Statement

    In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee finds that S. 1359 
does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor will it 
cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of 
individuals.

                          Mandates Assessment

    In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 
(Public Law 104-4), the Committee notes that the Congressional 
Budget Office found that S. 1359 contains no intergovernmental 
or private-sector mandates as defined in the UMRA and would 
impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.

                          Cost of Legislation

    Section 403 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act requires that a statement of the cost of the 
reported bill, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, be 
included in the report, if available. That statement follows:

                                                     July 28, 2017.
Hon. John Barrasso,
Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 1359, the John F. 
Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2017.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Christina 
Hawley Anthony.
            Sincerely,
                                                        Keith Hall.
    Enclosure.

S. 1359--John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act of 2017

    Summary: S. 1359 would amend the John F. Kennedy Center Act 
to authorize additional appropriations for maintenance, repair, 
and security of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing 
Arts, as well as for capital projects for the center. Assuming 
appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates that 
implementing S. 1359 would cost $146 million over the 2018-2022 
period. The bill also would authorize the center to design and 
display a commemorative plaque recognizing the year 2018 as the 
60th anniversary of the National Cultural Center Act, to be 
funded by private donors.
    Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or 
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO 
estimates that enacting the bill would not increase net direct 
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 
10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    S. 1359 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated 
budgetary effects of S. 1359 are shown in the following table. 
The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 500 
(education, employment, training, and social services).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                         -------------------------------------------------------
                                                            2018     2019     2020     2021     2022   2018-2022
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
 
John F. Kennedy Center Maintenance, Repair, and
 Security:
    Authorization Level.................................       24       25       25       26        0       100
    Estimated Outlays...................................       20       25       25       26        4       100
John F. Kennedy Center Capital Projects:
    Authorization Level.................................       13       13       14       14        0        54
    Estimated Outlays...................................        5        8       11       13        9        46
    Total Changes:
        Authorization Level.............................       37       38       39       40        0       154
        Estimated Outlays...............................       25       33       36       39       13       146
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Basis of estimate: S. 1359 would authorize appropriations 
totaling $154 million for the maintenance, repair, and security 
of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well 
as for capital projects for the Center. Those activities were 
previously authorized through fiscal year 2014. Appropriations 
for such activities totaled $36 million for fiscal year 2017.
    For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 1359 will be enacted 
late in 2017 and that the specified amounts will be 
appropriated for each year. The estimated outlays reflect 
historical spending patterns for the affected programs.
    Pay-As-You-Go considerations: None.
    Increase in long-term net direct spending and deficits: CBO 
estimates that enacting S. 1359 would not affect net direct 
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 
10-year periods beginning in 2028.
    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 1359 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 
tribal governments.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Christina Hawley 
Anthony; Impact on state, local, and tribal governments: Zach 
Byrum; Impact on the private sector: Logan Smith.
    Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Assistant Director for 
Budget Analysis.

                        Changes in Existing Law

    In compliance with section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill 
as reported are shown as follows: Existing law proposed to be 
omitted is enclosed in [black brackets], new matter is printed 
in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown 
in roman:



           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
                       JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER ACT




           *       *       *       *       *       *       *
SEC. 13. [20 U.S.C. 76R] AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  [(a) Maintenance, Repair, and Security.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Board to carry out section 
4(a)(1)(H)--
          [(1) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 1999;
          [(2) $14,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 and 
        2001; and
          [(3) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 and 
        2003.
  [(b) Capital Projects.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Board to carry out subparagraphs (F) and 
(G) of section 4(a)(1)--
          [(1) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1999, 2000, 
        and 2001;
          [(2) $19,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; and
          [(3) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.]
  (a) Maintenance, Repair, and Security.--There are authorized 
to be appropriated to the Board to carry out section 
4(a)(1)(H)--
          (1) $24,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;
          (2) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2019;
          (3) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and
          (4) $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2021.
  (b) Capital Projects.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Board to carry out subparagraphs (F) and 
(G) of section 4(a)(1)--
          (1) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;
          (2) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2019;
          (3) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and
          (4) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2021.

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