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


Public Law 115-32
115th Congress

An Act


 
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. <>

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 ``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.

[[Page 844]]

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''.

Approved May 8, 2017.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 534:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017):
Apr. 25, considered and passed House.
May 4, considered and passed Senate, amended. House
concurred in Senate amendment.