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[115th Congress Public Law 32]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

[[Page 131 STAT. 843]]

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. <<NOTE: May 8, 2017 -  [H.R. 
                                 534]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: U.S. Wants to 
Compete for a World Expo Act. 22 USC 2452b note.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Wants to Compete for a World 
Expo Act''.
SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 22 USC 2452b note.>>  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. <<NOTE: 22 USC 2452b note.>>  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 131 STAT. 844]]

SEC. 4. <<NOTE: 22 USC 2452b note.>>  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. <<NOTE: 22 USC 2452b note.>>  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:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017):
            Apr. 25, considered and passed House.
            May 4, considered and passed Senate, amended. House 
                concurred in Senate amendment.

                                  <all>
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