[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 131, 115th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 115-77
115th Congress

An Act


 
To establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission <>

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Frederick Douglass Bicentennial
Commission Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in
1818 and given the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey
after his mother Harriet Bailey, Frederick Douglass has been
called the father of the civil rights movement.
(2) Douglass rose through determination, brilliance, and
eloquence to shape the American Nation. He was an abolitionist,
human rights and women's rights activist, orator, author,
journalist, publisher, and social reformer.
(3) Taught basic reading skills by his mistress until she
was forced to stop, Douglass continued to teach himself to read
and write and taught other slaves to read despite risks
including death.
(4) During the course of his remarkable life Frederick
Douglass escaped from slavery, became internationally renowned
for his eloquence in the cause of liberty, and went on to serve
the national government in several official capacities.
(5) Forced to leave the country to avoid arrest as an
escaped slave, he returned to become a staunch advocate of the
Union cause and helped recruit African-American troops for the
Union Army, including two of his sons, Charles and Lewis
Douglass. His personal relationship with Abraham Lincoln helped
persuade the President to make emancipation a cause of the Civil
War.
(6) With the abolition of slavery at the close of the Civil
War, Douglass then turned his attention to the full integration
of African-Americans into the political and economic life of the
United States. Committed to freedom, Douglass dedicated his life
to achieving justice for all Americans, in particular African-
Americans, women, and minority groups. He envisioned America as
an inclusive Nation strengthened by diversity and free of
discrimination.
(7) Douglass served as an advisor to Presidents. Abraham
Lincoln referred to him as the most meritorious man of the
nineteenth century. Douglass was appointed to several offices.

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He served as the United States Marshal of the District of
Columbia under Rutherford B. Hayes' administration; President
James Garfield appointed Douglass the District of Columbia
Recorder of Deeds. In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison
appointed Frederick Douglass to be the United States minister to
Haiti. He was also appointed by President Grant to serve as
Assistant Secretary of the Commission of Inquiry to Santo
Domingo.
(8) Douglass lived in the District of Columbia for 23 of his
57 years as a free man, and in recognition of his leadership and
continuous fight for justice and freedom, his home, Cedar Hill,
was established as a National Historic Site in Anacostia, in
Southeast Washington, DC.
(9) The statue of Frederick Douglass in the United States
Capitol is a gift from the almost 700,000 residents of the
District of Columbia.
(10) All Americans could benefit from studying the life of
Frederick Douglass, for Douglass dedicated his own life to
ensuring freedom and equality for future generations of
Americans. This Nation should ensure that his tireless struggle,
transformative words, and inclusive vision of humanity continue
to inspire and sustain us.
(11) The year 2018 marks the bicentennial anniversary of the
birth of Frederick Douglass, and a commission should be
established to plan, develop, and carry out, and to recommend to
Congress, programs and activities that are fitting and proper to
celebrate that anniversary in a manner that appropriately honors
Frederick Douglass.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.

There is established a commission to be known as the Frederick
Douglass Bicentennial Commission (referred to in this Act as the
``Commission'').
SEC. 4. DUTIES.

The Commission shall have the following duties:
(1) To plan, develop, and carry out programs and activities
that are fitting and proper to honor Frederick Douglass on the
occasion of the bicentennial anniversary of Douglass' birth.
(2) To recommend to Congress programs and activities that
the Commission considers fitting and proper to honor Frederick
Douglass on such occasion, and the entity or entities in the
Federal Government that the Commission considers most
appropriate to carry out such programs and activities.
SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP.

(a) <>  Number and Appointment.--The Commission
shall be composed of 16 members appointed as follows:
(1) Two members, each of whom shall be a qualified citizen
described in subsection (b), appointed by the President.
(2) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described
in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the
recommendation of the Governor of Maryland.
(3) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described
in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the
recommendation of the Governor of Massachusetts.

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(4) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described
in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the
recommendation of the Governor of New York.
(5) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described
in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the
recommendation of the Mayor of the District of Columbia.
(6) Three members, at least one of whom shall be a Member of
the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
(7) Three members, at least one of whom shall be a Senator,
appointed by the majority leader of the Senate.
(8) Two members, at least one of whom shall be a Member of
the House of Representatives, appointed by the minority leader
of the House of Representatives.
(9) Two members, at least one of whom shall be a Senator,
appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.

(b) Qualified Citizen.--A qualified citizen described in this
subsection is a private citizen of the United States with--
(1) a demonstrated dedication to educating others about the
importance of historical figures and events; and
(2) substantial knowledge and appreciation of Frederick
Douglass.

(c) Time of Appointment.--Each initial appointment of a member of
the Commission shall be made before the expiration of the 60-day period
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) <>  Continuation of Membership.--If a member
of the Commission was appointed to the Commission as a Member of
Congress, and ceases to be a Member of Congress, that member may
continue to serve on the Commission for not longer than the 30-day
period beginning on the date that member ceases to be a Member of
Congress.

(e) Terms.--Each member shall be appointed for the life of the
Commission.
(f) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect the
powers of the Commission but shall be filled in the manner in which the
original appointment was made.
(g) Basic Pay.--Members shall serve on the Commission without pay.
(h) Travel Expenses.--Each member shall receive travel expenses,
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sections
5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
(i) Quorum.--Six members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum
but a lesser number may hold hearings.
(j) Chair.--The Commission shall select a Chair from among the
members of the Commission.
(k) <>  Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the
call of the Chair. Periodically, the Commission shall hold a meeting in
Rochester, New York.
SEC. 6. DIRECTOR AND STAFF.

(a) Director.--The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of a
Director and such additional personnel as the Commission considers to be
appropriate.
(b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--
(1) Director.--The Director of the Commission may be
appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, United

[[Page 1254]]

States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service,
and may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51
and subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to
classification and General Schedule pay rates.
(2) Staff.--The staff of the Commission shall be appointed
subject to the provisions of title 5, United States Code,
governing appointments in the competitive service, and shall be
paid in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and
subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to
classification and General Schedule pay rates.
SEC. 7. POWERS.

(a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the purpose of
carrying out this Act, hold such hearings, sit and act at such times and
places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission
considers to be appropriate.
(b) Powers of Members and Agents.--Any member or agent of the
Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action that
the Commission is authorized to take by this Act.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure directly
from any department or agency of the United States information necessary
to enable the Commission to carry out this Act. Upon request of the
Chair of the Commission, the head of that department or agency shall
furnish that information to the Commission.
(d) Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails in the
same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and
agencies of the United States.
(e) <>  Administrative Support Services.--Upon
the request of the Commission, the Administrator of General Services
shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the
administrative support services necessary for the Commission to carry
out its responsibilities under this Act.

(f) Gifts.--The Commission may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of
gifts, bequests, or devises of money or other property for the purpose
of carrying out its duties.
(g) Volunteer and Uncompensated Services.--Notwithstanding section
1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Commission may accept and use
voluntary and uncompensated services as the Commission determines
necessary.
SEC. 8. REPORTS.

(a) Initial Report.--Not later than August 1, 2018, the Commission
shall submit to Congress an initial report containing its
recommendations under section 4(2).
(b) Final Report.--Not later than June 1, 2019, the Commission shall
submit a final report to Congress, and shall include in the final
report--
(1) a summary of its activities and programs;
(2) a final accounting of the funds the Commission received
and expended; and
(3) any other information that the Commission considers to
be appropriate.
SEC. 9. TERMINATION.

The Commission shall terminate 30 days after submitting the final
report pursuant to section 8(b).

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SEC. 10. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.

No Federal funds are authorized or may be obligated to carry out
this Act.

Approved November 2, 2017.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 2989:
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HOUSE REPORTS: No. 115-340 (Comm. on Oversight and Government Reform).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017):
Oct. 11, considered and passed House.
Oct. 18, considered and passed Senate.
DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2017):
Nov. 2, Presidential statement.