I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 131 

To establish the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 6, 2009 

Mr. GALLEGLY (for himself, Mr. BLUNT, and Mr. FOSTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To establish the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission. 

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 ‘‘Ronald Reagan Cen5 tennial Commission Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 

7 There is established a commission to be known as the 

8 ‘‘Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission’’ (in this Act re9 ferred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

10 SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION. 

11 The Commission shall— 


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1 (1) plan, develop, and carry out such activities 

2 as the Commission considers fitting and proper to 

3 honor Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the 100th 

4 anniversary of his birth; 

5 (2) provide advice and assistance to Federal, 

6 State, and local governmental agencies, as well as 

7 civic groups to carry out activities to honor Ronald 

8 Reagan on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of 

9 his birth; 

10 (3) develop activities that may be carried out by 

11 the Federal Government to determine whether the 

12 activities are fitting and proper to honor Ronald 

13 Reagan on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of 

14 his birth; and 

15 (4) submit to the President and Congress re16 ports pursuant to section 7. 

17 SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP. 

18 (a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission 

19 shall be composed of 11 members as follows: 

20 (1) The Secretary of the Interior. 

21 (2) Four members appointed by the President 

22 after considering the recommendations of the Board 

23 of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Foundation. 


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1 (3) Two Members of the House of Representa2 tives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Rep3 resentatives. 

4 (4) One Member of the House of Representa5 tives appointed by the minority leader of the House 

6 of Representatives. 

7 (5) Two Members of the Senate appointed by 

8 the majority leader of the Senate. 

9 (6) One Member of the Senate appointed by the 

10 minority leader of the Senate. 

11 (b) EX OFFICIO MEMBER.—The Archivist of the 

12 United States shall serve in an ex officio capacity on the 

13 Commission to provide advice and information to the Com14 mission. 

15 (c) TERMS.—Each member shall be appointed for the 

16 life of the Commission. 

17 (d) DEADLINE FOR APPOINTMENT.—All members of 

18 the Commission shall be appointed not later than 90 days 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

20 (e) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Commission 

21 shall— 

22 (1) not affect the powers of the Commission; 

23 and 

24 (2) be filled in the manner in which the original 

25 appointment was made. 


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1 (f) RATES OF PAY.—Members shall serve without 

2 pay. 

3 (g) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member of the Com4 mission shall be reimbursed for travel and per diem in lieu 

5 of subsistence expenses during the performance of duties 

6 of the Commission while away from home or his or her 

7 regular place of business, in accordance with applicable 

8 provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 

9 United States Code. 

10 (h) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the 

11 Commission shall constitute a quorum but a lesser number 

12 may hold hearings. 

13 (i) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson of the Commis14 sion shall be elected by a majority vote of the members 

15 of the Commission. 

16 SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF COMMISSION. 

17 (a) DIRECTOR.—The Commission may appoint an ex18 ecutive director. The executive director may be paid at a 

19 rate not to exceed the maximum rate of basic pay for GS– 

20 15 of the General Schedule. 

21 (b) STAFF.—The Commission may appoint and fix 

22 the pay of additional personnel as it considers appropriate 

23 except that an individual so appointed may not receive pay 

24 in excess of the maximum rate of basic pay for GS–13 

25 of the General Schedule. 


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1 (c) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN CIVIL SERVICE

2 LAWS.—The executive director and staff of the Commis3 sion may be appointed without regard to the provisions 

4 of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in 

5 the competitive service, and may be paid without regard 

6 to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chap7 ter 53 of such title relating to classification and General 

8 Schedule pay rates, except as provided in subsections (a) 

9 and (b). 

10 (d) DETAIL OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Upon re11 quest of the Commission, the Secretary of the Interior or 

12 the Archivist of the United States may detail, on a reim13 bursable basis, any of the personnel of that department 

14 or agency to the Commission to assist it in carrying out 

15 its duties under this Act. 

16 (e) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Commission 

17 may procure temporary and intermittent services under 

18 section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, but at rates 

19 for individuals not to exceed the daily equivalent of the 

20 maximum annual rate of basic pay for GS–14 of the Gen21 eral Schedule. 

22 (f) VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED SERVICES.— 

23 Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States 

24 Code, the Commission may accept and use voluntary and 


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1 uncompensated services as the Commission determines 

2 necessary. 

3 SEC. 6. POWERS OF COMMISSION. 

4 (a) HEARINGS.—The Commission may, for the pur5 pose of carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act 

6 at times and places, take testimony, and receive evidence 

7 as the Commission considers appropriate. 

8 (b) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United 

9 States mails in the same manner and under the same con10 ditions as other departments and agencies of the United 

11 States. 

12 (c) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The Commission 

13 may secure directly from any department or agency of the 

14 United States information necessary to enable it to carry 

15 out its duties under this Act. Upon request of the chair16 person of the Commission, the head of that department 

17 or agency shall furnish that information to the Commis18 sion. 

19 (d) GIFTS, BEQUESTS, DEVISES.—The Commission 

20 may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or 

21 devises of money, services, or property, both real and per22 sonal, for the purpose of aiding or facilitating its work. 

23 (e) AVAILABLE SPACE.—Upon the request of the 

24 Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall 

25 make available nationwide to the Commission, at a normal 


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1 rental rate for Federal agencies, such assistance and facili2 ties as may be necessary for the Commission to carry out 

3 its duties under this Act. 

4 (f) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—To the extent or in the 

5 amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the 

6 Commission may enter into contracts with and com7 pensate government and private agencies or persons to en8 able the Commission to discharge its duties under this 

9 Act, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Stat10 utes (41 U.S.C. 5). 

11 SEC. 7. REPORTS. 

12 (a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The Commission shall sub13 mit to the President and the Congress annual reports on 

14 the revenue and expenditures of the Commission, includ15 ing a list of each gift, bequest, or devise to the Commission 

16 with a value of more than $250, together with the identity 

17 of the donor of each gift, bequest, or devise. 

18 (b) INTERIM REPORTS.—The Commission may sub19 mit to the President and Congress interim reports as the 

20 Commission considers appropriate. 

21 (c) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than April 30, 2011, 

22 the Commission shall submit a final report to the Presi23 dent and the Congress containing— 

24 (1) a summary of the activities of the Commis25 sion; 


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1 (2) a final accounting of funds received and ex2 pended by the Commission; and 

3 (3) the findings, conclusions, and final rec4 ommendations of the Commission. 

5 SEC. 8. TERMINATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may terminate 

7 on such date as the Commission may determine after it 

8 submits its final report pursuant to section 7(c), but not 

9 later than May 30, 2011. 

10 (b) FACA NONAPPLICABILITY.—Section 14(b) of the 

11 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2) shall 

12 not apply to the Commission. 

13 SEC. 9. ANNUAL AUDIT. 

14 For any fiscal year for which the Commission receives 

15 an appropriation of funds, the Inspector General of the 

16 Department of the Interior shall perform an audit of the 

17 Commission, shall make the results of the audit available 

18 to the public, and shall transmit such results to the Com19 mittee on Oversight and Government Reform of the House 

20 of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Secu21 rity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 

Æ 


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