I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2449

To establish a commission to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the 

American Civil War. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 12, 2003

Mr. BAKER (for himself, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. JOHN, Mr. VITTER, Mr. 

MCCRERY, Mr. GOODE, and Mr. PLATTS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform 

A BILL

To establish a commission to commemorate the 

sesquicentennial of the American Civil War.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Civil War Sesqui5 centennial Commission Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find8 ings: 

9 (1) The American Civil War was a defining ex10 perience in the development of the United States. 
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1 (2) The people of the United States continue to 

2 struggle with issues of race, civil rights, the politics 

3 of federalism, and heritage which are legacies of the 

4 Civil War and Reconstruction. 

5 (3) There is a resurgence of interest in the Civil 

6 War that is evidenced by the multitude of publica7 tions, exhibits, reenactments, research organizations, 

8 Internet and multimedia resources, historic parks, 

9 and preservation associations focused on the Civil 

10 War. 

11 (4) The years 2011 through 2015 mark the ses12 quicentennial of the Civil War. 

13 (5) The sesquicentennial of the Civil War pre14 sents a significant opportunity for Americans to re15 call and reflect upon the Civil War and its legacy in 

16 a spirit of reconciliation and reflection. 

17 (6) The United States Civil War Center at Lou18 isiana State University, Louisiana, and the Civil 

19 War Institute at Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, 

20 have been designated by the Federal government to 

21 plan and facilitate the commemoration of the sesqui22 centennial of the Civil War. 

23 (7) The State of Virginia—

24 (A) witnessed more Civil War military en25 gagements on its soil than any other State; 
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1 (B) hosts more historic sites related to the 

2 Civil War than any other State; and 

3 (C) is home to the Pamplin Historical 

4 Park and the National Museum of the Civil 

5 War Soldier and the Virginia Center for Civil 

6 War Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute 

7 and State University, both of which are nation8 ally recognized centers of expertise in the study 

9 of the Civil War. 

10 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to estab11 lish a Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Com12 mission to—

13 (1) ensure a suitable national observance of the 

14 sesquicentennial of the Civil War; 

15 (2) cooperate with and assist States and na16 tional organizations with programs and activities for 

17 the observance of the sesquicentennial of the Civil 

18 War; 

19 (3) assist in ensuring that any observance of 

20 the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is inclusive and 

21 appropriately recognizes the experiences and points 

22 of view of all people affected by the Civil War; and 

23 (4) provide assistance for the development of 

24 programs, projects, and activities on the Civil War 

25 that have lasting educational value. 
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1 SEC. 3. CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION 

2 COMMISSION. 

3 There is established a commission to be known as the 

4 Civil War Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission 

5 (hereafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

6 SEC. 4. COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be com8 posed of 27 members as follows: 

9 (1) GOVERNMENT MEMBERS.—The Commission 

10 shall include—

11 (A) 2 Members of the House of Represent12 atives appointed by the Speaker of the House of 

13 Representatives; 

14 (B) 2 Members of the Senate appointed by 

15 the President pro tempore of the Senate, in 

16 consultation with the Majority Leader and the 

17 Minority Leader of the Senate; 

18 (C) the Secretary of the Smithsonian Insti19 tution, or the designee of the Secretary; 

20 (D) the Secretary of the Department of 

21 Education, or the designee of the Secretary; 

22 (E) the Chairman of the National Endow23 ment for the Humanities, or the designee of the 

24 Chairman; 

25 (F) the Archivist of the United States, or 

26 the designee of the Archivist; 
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1 (G) the Librarian of Congress, or the des2 ignee of the Librarian; and 

3 (H) the Director of the National Park 

4 Service, or the designee of the Director. 

5 (2) PRIVATE MEMBERS.—The Commission shall 

6 include—

7 (A) an individual appointed by the Presi8 dent after consultation with the Director of the 

9 United States Civil War Center at Louisiana 

10 State University, Louisiana; 

11 (B) an individual appointed by the Presi12 dent after consultation with the Director of the 

13 Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, 

14 Pennsylvania; 

15 (C) 5 members appointed by the President 

16 from among individuals who are representative 

17 of the corporate community; 

18 (D) an individual appointed by the Presi19 dent after consultation with—

20 (i) the Director of the Virginia Center 

21 for Civil War Studies at Virginia Poly22 technic Institute and State University, Vir23 ginia; and 
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1 (ii) the Director of Pamplin Historical 

2 Park and the National Museum of the 

3 Civil War Soldier, Virginia; and 

4 (E) 9 individuals, appointed by the Presi5 dent, from among persons who by reason of 

6 education, training, and experience, are experts 

7 on the Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruc8 tion eras, including—

9 (i) 6 individuals with expertise in his10 tory; 

11 (ii) 1 individual with specific expertise 

12 in art history, historic preservation, or a 

13 related field; 

14 (iii) 1 individual with expertise in an15 thropology, cultural geography, sociology, 

16 or a related field; and 

17 (iv) 1 individual with expertise in po18 litical science, law, economics, or a related 

19 field. 

20 (b) TERMS.—Members shall be appointed for the life 

21 of the Commission. 

22 (c) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Commission 

23 shall not affect its powers, and shall be filled in the same 

24 manner as the original appointment. 
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1 (d) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The appointment of 

2 the members of the Commission shall be made not later 

3 than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 5. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 

5 (a) MEETINGS.—

6 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 60 days 

7 after the date on which all members of the Commis8 sion have been appointed, the members appointed 

9 under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 4(a)(2) 

10 shall call the first meeting of the Commission. 

11 (2) SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS.—The Commission 

12 shall hold subsequent meetings at the call of the 

13 chairperson. 

14 (b) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.—At the 

15 initial meeting, the Commission shall elect a Chairperson 

16 and Vice Chairperson from among its voting members. 

17 (c) QUORUM.—A majority of voting members shall 

18 constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold meet19 ings. 

20 (d) VOTING.—

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall act 

22 only on an affirmative vote of a majority of the vot23 ing members of the Commission. 

24 (2) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The individuals 

25 appointed under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of sec-
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1 tion 4(a)(1) shall be nonvoting members, and shall 

2 serve only in an advisory capacity. 

3 SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION. 

4 (a) ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE SESQUICENTEN5 NIAL.—The Commission shall—

6 (1) plan, develop, and carry out programs and 

7 activities appropriate to commemorate the sesqui8 centennial of the Civil War; 

9 (2) encourage interdisciplinary examination of 

10 the Civil War; 

11 (3) facilitate Civil War-related activities 

12 throughout the United States; 

13 (4) encourage civic, historical, educational, eco14 nomic, and other organizations throughout the 

15 United States to organize and participate in activi16 ties to expand the understanding and appreciation of 

17 the significance of the Civil War; 

18 (5) coordinate and facilitate the public distribu19 tion of scholarly research, publications, and interpre20 tations of the Civil War; 

21 (6) provide technical assistance to States, local22 ities, and nonprofit organizations to further the com23 memoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War; 

24 (7) develop programs and facilities to ensure 

25 that the sesquicentennial commemoration of the 
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1 Civil War results in a positive legacy and long-term 

2 public benefit; 

3 (8) administer the grant program under section 

4 7; and 

5 (9) encourage the development and conduct of 

6 programs designed to involve the international com7 munity in activities that commemorate the Civil 

8 War. 

9 (b) PLANS AND REPORT.—

10 (1) PLANS.—The Commission shall prepare a 

11 strategic plan in accordance with section 306 of title 

12 5, United States Code, and the annual plan and re13 port required by sections 1115 and 1116, respec14 tively, of title 31, United States Code. 

15 (2) REPORT.—Not later than December 30, 

16 2015, the Commission shall submit to Congress a 

17 final report that contains—

18 (A) a summary of activities of the Com19 mission; 

20 (B) a final accounting of funds received 

21 and expended by the Commission; and 

22 (C) the findings and recommendations of 

23 the Commission. 
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1 SEC. 7. GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Commission shall 

3 award a grant in each of the fiscal years 2004 through 

4 2016 to each of the following: 

5 (1) The United States Civil War Center at Lou6 isiana State University, Louisiana. 

7 (2) The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg Col8 lege, Pennsylvania. 

9 (3) The Virginia Center for Civil War Studies 

10 at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univer11 sity, Virginia, and the Pamplin Historical Park and 

12 the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, Vir13 ginia. 

14 (b) LIMITATIONS.—The amount of any grant under 

15 subsection (a) in any fiscal year may not exceed $100,000, 

16 nor may the amount of such grant be less than $80,000. 

17 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts awarded under sub18 section (a) shall be used for appropriate activities relating 

19 to the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. 

20 SEC. 8. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.——The Commission may—

22 (1) solicit, accept, use, and dispose of gifts or 

23 donations of services or property, and acknowledge 

24 publicly the sources of such gifts and donations; 
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1 (2) appoint any advisory committee as the 

2 Commission considers appropriate for the purposes 

3 of this Act; 

4 (3) authorize any voting member or employee of 

5 the Commission to take any action that the Commis6 sion is authorized to take under this Act; and 

7 (4) procure supplies and services to carry out 

8 this Act. 

9 (b) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may use 

10 the United States mails in the same manner and under 

11 the same conditions as other departments and agencies of 

12 the Federal Government. 

13 SEC. 9. PERSONNEL MATTERS. 

14 (a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—Members of the 

15 Commission, and members of any advisory committee ap16 pointed under section 8(a)(2), shall serve without com17 pensation. 

18 (b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the Commis19 sion, and members of any advisory committees appointed 

20 under section 8(a)(2), shall be allowed travel expenses, in21 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized 

22 for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of chap23 ter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 

24 the home or regular place of business of the member in 

25 the performance of the duties of the Commission. 
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1 (c) STAFF.—

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the 

3 Commission may, without regard to civil service laws 

4 and regulations, appoint and terminate an executive 

5 director and other additional personnel as may be 

6 necessary to enable the Commission to perform its 

7 duties. 

8 (2) CONFIRMATION OF THE EXECUTIVE DIREC9 TOR.—The employment of an executive director shall 

10 be subject to confirmation by the Commission. 

11 (d) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.—Any 

12 Federal Government employee may be detailed to the 

13 Commission without reimbursement, and any detail shall 

14 be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 

15 privilege. 

16 (e) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT17 TENT SERVICES.—The Chairperson of the Commission 

18 may procure temporary and intermittent services under 

19 section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at daily 

20 rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equiva21 lent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level 

22 V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such 

23 title. 
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1 SEC. 10. TERMINATION. 

2 The Commission shall terminate on the date that is 

3 90 days after the date on which the Commission submits 

4 its report under section 6(b)(2). 

5 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro7 priated to carry out this Act $500,000 for each of the fis8 cal years 2004 through 2016. 

9 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts authorized to be appro10 priated by subsection (a) shall remain available until ex11 pended. Any unexpended balance of appropriations avail12 able pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in 

13 subsection (a) as of December 30, 2016 are canceled effec14 tive December 30, 2021.

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