II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4963 

To establish a bipartisan Presidential Commission to study the establishment 

of a National Museum of the American People to tell the story about 

the making of the American People, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 3, 2020 

Mr. SCHATZ introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish a bipartisan Presidential Commission to study 

the establishment of a National Museum of the American 

People to tell the story about the making of the American People, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘National Museum of 

5 the American People Presidential Commission Establish6 ment Act of 2020’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Our Nation continues to struggle with ac2 ceptance of immigrant communities and individuals 

3 having diverse ancestry despite their major contribu4 tions to our country. 

5 (2) Our Nation is reeling from grave health dis6 parities among minority and immigrant commu7 nities, and structural inequities which have been ex8 posed by the pandemic. 

9 (3) Our Nation recognizes its imperfections yet 

10 continues to strive to uphold the principles, aspira11 tions, and ideals upon which our Nation was found12 ed. 

13 (4) Our Nation is searching for unity and a Na14 tional Museum of the American People can serve as 

15 a vehicle to bring all Americans together to help heal 

16 our Nation’s divisive wounds. 

17 (5) A National Museum of the American People 

18 would tell the full story about the making of the 

19 American People from wherever they came: Europe, 

20 Asia and the Pacific Islands, Oceania, the Middle 

21 East, Africa, and the Americas, including the First 

22 Peoples. 

23 (6) There is no national museum in Wash24 ington, DC, that— 


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1 (A) tells the story of all of the people of 

2 the United States; or 

3 (B) tells a history of indigenous peoples, 

4 colonization, slavery, immigration, and migra5 tion within the United States. 

6 (7) A National Museum of the American People 

7 would— 

8 (A) recount the history of all groups of 

9 people who came to the United States and the 

10 contributions of those people to the United 

11 States; 

12 (B) have the theme ‘‘E Pluribus Unum’’, 

13 the original motto of the United States; 

14 (C) celebrate all ethnicities in the United 

15 States; 

16 (D) foster a sense of inclusivity within the 

17 United States; 

18 (E) contribute to a common national iden19 tity as people of the United States; 

20 (F) recognize the continued importance of 

21 immigrants to our Nation’s success; 

22 (G) highlight the Declaration of Independ23 ence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, 

24 the founding documents of the United States; 


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1 (H) explore the ways in which those docu2 ments shaped the character of the people of the 

3 United States and infused the people of the 

4 United States with common values and a dedi5 cation to a democratic form of government; 

6 (I) be a resource for State, local, and eth7 nic museums throughout the United States that 

8 present exhibits that celebrate the heritage of 

9 the people of the United States; and 

10 (J) benefit all people of the United States. 

11 (8) People from every ethnic group in the 

12 United States would visit a National Museum of the 

13 American People to learn their own history and the 

14 history of every other ethnic group in the United 

15 States. 

16 (9) Visitors from every country would visit a 

17 National Museum of the American People to learn 

18 about the American experience. 

19 (10) The goal of a National Museum of the 

20 American People would be to— 

21 (A) be the best storytelling museum in the 

22 world; 

23 (B) recount one of the most amazing sto24 ries in human history; 


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1 (C) honor all of the people who have be2 come people of the United States; 

3 (D) acknowledge that our Nation cele4 brates justice, equal opportunity, and respect 

5 for the human dignity of all; 

6 (E) educate every American about the im7 migration stories that contributed to the suc8 cesses and advancement of our Nation; and 

9 (F) foster learning at the National Mu10 seum of the American People and throughout 

11 the Nation. 

12 (11) Upon the date of enactment of this Act, 

13 non-Federal sources will be sought to support fund14 ing for a Commission to study the establishment of 

15 the National Museum of the American People. 

16 (12) Non-Federal sources are anticipated to 

17 provide funding to design and build the National 

18 Museum of the American People, its exhibitions, and 

19 its components. 

20 (13) Two hundred and fifty organizations rep21 resenting 73 different ethnic, nationality, minority, 

22 and genealogical groups support the establishment of 

23 a museum to tell their stories in a national Wash24 ington, DC, museum about becoming Americans. 


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1 SEC. 3. COMMISSION TO STUDY ESTABLISHMENT OF A NA2 TIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish a bi4 partisan commission (referred to in this section as the 

5 ‘‘Commission’’) to study the establishment of a National 

6 Museum of the American People (referred to as the ‘‘Mu7 seum’’). 

8 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

9 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

10 composed of 23 members appointed not later than 6 

11 months after the date of enactment of this Act as 

12 follows: 

13 (A) The President shall appoint 7 voting 

14 members. 

15 (B) The Speaker of the House of Rep16 resentatives, the minority leader of the House 

17 of Representatives, the majority leader of the 

18 Senate, and the minority leader of the Senate 

19 shall each appoint 3 voting members. 

20 (C) In addition to the members appointed 

21 under subparagraph (B), the Speaker of the 

22 House of Representatives, the minority leader 

23 of the House of Representatives, the majority 

24 leader of the Senate, and the minority leader of 

25 the Senate shall each appoint 1 nonvoting mem26 ber. 


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1 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Com2 mission shall be chosen from among individuals, or 

3 representatives of institutions or entities, who pos4 sess either— 

5 (A) a demonstrated commitment to the re6 search, study, or promotion of the American 

7 people as described in section 2 of this Act, to8 gether with— 

9 (i) expertise in museum administra10 tion; 

11 (ii) expertise in fundraising for non12 profit or cultural institutions; 

13 (iii) experience in the study and 

14 teaching of American culture and history 

15 at the postsecondary level; 

16 (iv) experience in studying the issue of 

17 the Smithsonian Institution’s representa18 tion of American art, life, history, and cul19 ture; or 

20 (v) extensive experience in public or 

21 elected service; or 

22 (B) experience in the administration of, or 

23 the planning for the establishment of, museums 

24 devoted to the study and promotion of the role 


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1 of ethnic, racial, or cultural groups in American 

2 history. 

3 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 

4 Members shall be appointed for the life of the Com5 mission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 

6 affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same 

7 manner as the original appointment. 

8 (4) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 

9 the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a 

10 lesser number of members may hold hearings. 

11 (5) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days 

12 after the date on which a quorum of members of the 

13 Commission have been appointed, the Commission 

14 shall hold its first meeting. 

15 (6) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at 

16 the call of the Chair. 

17 (7) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.—The Commission 

18 shall select a Chair and Vice Chair from among its 

19 members. 

20 (c) DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.— 

21 (1) STUDY.—The Commission shall conduct a 

22 thorough study of all matters relating to the estab23 lishment of a National Museum of the American 

24 People. 


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1 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

2 date of the enactment of this Act, the Commission 

3 shall submit a report to the President and Congress, 

4 which shall contain a detailed statement of the find5 ings and conclusions of the Commission, together 

6 with the Commission’s recommendations for such 

7 legislation or administrative actions as the Commis8 sion considers appropriate, on the following issues: 

9 (A) The mission of the National Museum 

10 of the American People, which is to advance 

11 and share knowledge about the full history of 

12 the making of the American People who came 

13 from every corner of our planet and are tied to14 gether by our Constitution’s first words: ‘‘We 

15 the People’’. 

16 (B) The story about the making of the 

17 American People in 4 chapters: 

18 (i) First Peoples Come: 10,000+ 

19 years ago (est.)–1607. 

20 (ii) The Nation Takes Form: 1607– 

21 1820. 

22 (iii) The Great In-Gathering: 1820– 

23 1924. 

24 (iv) Still They Come: 1924–present. 


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1 (C) The availability and cost of collections 

2 to be acquired and housed in the Museum. 

3 (D) Possible locations for the Museum in 

4 Washington, DC, and its environs, to be consid5 ered in consultation with the National Capital 

6 Planning Commission and the Commission of 

7 Fine Arts, the Department of the Interior, and 

8 the Smithsonian Institution. 

9 (E) Whether the Museum should be part 

10 of the Smithsonian Institution. 

11 (F) The governance and organizational 

12 structure from which the Museum should oper13 ate. 

14 (G) The cost of constructing, operating, 

15 and maintaining the Museum. 

16 (3) LEGISLATION TO CARRY OUT PLAN OF AC17 TION.—Based on the recommendations from the 

18 study under paragraph (1) and the report submitted 

19 under paragraph (2), the Commission shall submit 

20 for consideration to the Committee on Transpor21 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent22 atives, the Committee on House Administration of 

23 the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

24 Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Com25 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of RepVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Dec 20, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4963.IS S4963

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1 resentatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural 

2 Resources of the Senate, and the Committees on Ap3 propriations of the House of Representatives and the 

4 Senate recommendations for a legislative plan of ac5 tion to create and construct the Museum. 

6 (4) FUNDRAISING PLAN.—The Commission 

7 shall develop a fundraising plan for supporting the 

8 creation and maintenance of the Museum through 

9 contributions by the American people and other 

10 sources. 

11 (d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 

12 (1) HEARINGS.—The Commission may hold 

13 such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, 

14 take such testimony, and receive such evidence as 

15 the Commission considers advisable to carry out this 

16 Act. 

17 (2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

18 The Commission may secure directly from any Fed19 eral department or agency such information as the 

20 Commission considers necessary to carry out this 

21 Act. Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, 

22 the head of such department or agency shall furnish 

23 such information to the Commission. 

24 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may 

25 use the United States mails in the same manner and 


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1 under the same conditions as other departments and 

2 agencies of the Federal Government. 

3 (4) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, 

4 and dispose of gifts or donations of services or prop5 erty. 

6 (e) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

7 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—Each mem8 ber of the Commission who is not an officer or em9 ployee of the Federal Government shall be com10 pensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of 

11 the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV 

12 of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 

13 5, United States Code, for each day (including travel 

14 time) during which such member is engaged in the 

15 performance of the duties of the Commission. All 

16 members of the Commission who are officers or em17 ployees of the United States shall serve without com18 pensation in addition to that received for their serv19 ices as officers or employees of the United States. 

20 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 

21 Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, includ22 ing per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates author23 ized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 

24 chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while 


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1 away from their homes or regular places of business 

2 in the performance of services for the Commission. 

3 (3) STAFF.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Chair of the Com5 mission may, without regard to the civil service 

6 laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an 

7 executive director and such other additional 

8 personnel as may be necessary to enable the 

9 Commission to perform its duties. The employ10 ment of an executive director shall be subject to 

11 confirmation by the Commission. 

12 (B) COMPENSATION.—The Chair of the 

13 Commission may fix the compensation of the 

14 executive director and other personnel without 

15 regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of 

16 chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relat17 ing to classification of positions and General 

18 Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay 

19 for the executive director and other personnel 

20 may not exceed the rate payable for level V of 

21 the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

22 such title. 

23 (C) PERSONNEL AS FEDERAL EMPLOY24 EES.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—The executive di2 rector and any personnel of the Commis3 sion who are employees shall be employees 

4 under section 2105 of title 5, United 

5 States Code, for purposes of chapters 63, 

6 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 89A, 89B, and 90 

7 of that title. 

8 (ii) MEMBERS OF COMMISSION.— 

9 Clause (i) shall not be construed to apply 

10 to members of the Commission. 

11 (4) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

12 Any Federal Government employee may be detailed 

13 to the Commission without reimbursement, and such 

14 detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil 

15 service status or privilege. 

16 (5) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTER17 MITTENT SERVICES.—The Chair of the Commission 

18 may procure temporary and intermittent services 

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

20 at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily 

21 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed 

22 for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 

23 5316 of such title. 

24 (f) TERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.—The Com25 mission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which 


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1 the Commission submits its recommendations under sub2 section (c)(3). 

3 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out the ac5 tivities of the Commission $2,100,000 for the first fiscal 

6 year beginning after the date of enactment of this Act and 

7 $1,100,000 for the second fiscal year beginning after the 

8 date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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