II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2077 

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 

JUNE 16, 2021 

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 2021’’. 

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 the Nation’s own di4 verse ancestry history and the major contributions of 

5 immigrants to our country. 

6 (2) Our Nation recognizes its imperfections yet 

7 continues to strive to uphold the principles, aspira8 tions, and ideals based on its founding documents 

9 upon which our Nation was founded and built. 

10 (3) Our Nation is searching for unity and a Na11 tional Museum of the American People can serve as 

12 a vehicle to bring all Americans together to help heal 

13 our Nation’s divisive wounds. 

14 (4) A National Museum of the American People 

15 would tell the full story about the making of the 

16 American people from wherever they came: Europe, 

17 Asia and the Pacific Islands, Oceania, the Middle 

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

19 Peoples. 

20 (5) There is no national museum in Wash21 ington, DC, that— 

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

23 the United States; or 


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1 (B) tells a history of indigenous peoples, 

2 colonization, slavery, immigration, and migra3 tion to and within the United States. 

4 (6) A National Museum of the American People 

5 would— 

6 (A) recount the history of all groups of 

7 people who came to the United States and the 

8 contributions of those people to the United 

9 States; 

10 (B) embody the theme ‘‘E Pluribus 

11 Unum’’, the original motto of the United 

12 States; 

13 (C) celebrate all ethnicities, nationalities 

14 and minorities within the United States; 

15 (D) foster a sense of belonging by all 

16 Americans; 

17 (E) contribute to a common national iden18 tity as people of the United States; 

19 (F) recognize the continued importance of 

20 immigrants to our Nation’s success; 

21 (G) highlight the role of the Declaration of 

22 Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of 

23 Rights, the founding documents of the United 

24 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 Americans with com4 mon values and a dedication to a democratic 

5 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) include the stories of and benefit all 

11 people of the United States. 

12 (7) People from every ethnic group in the 

13 United States would visit a National Museum of the 

14 American People to learn their own history and the 

15 history of every other ethnic group in the United 

16 States. 

17 (8) Leaders and visitors from every country 

18 would visit a National Museum of the American 

19 People to learn about the American people. 

20 (9) The goal of a National Museum of the 

21 American People would be to— 

22 (A) be the best storytelling museum in the 

23 world; 

24 (B) recount one of the most amazing sto25 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 mi7 gration and immigration stories that contrib8 uted to the successes and advancement of our 

9 Nation; and 

10 (F) foster learning about the American 

11 people at the Museum and throughout the Na12 tion. 

13 (10) Upon the date of enactment of this Act, 

14 non-Federal sources will be sought to support fund15 ing for a Presidential Commission to study the es16 tablishment of the National Museum of the Amer17 ican People. 

18 (11) Non-Federal sources are anticipated to 

19 provide funding to design and build the National 

20 Museum of the American People, its exhibitions, and 

21 its components. 

22 (12) Two hundred and fifty organizations rep23 resenting 73 different ethnic, nationality, minority, 

24 and genealogical groups support the establishment of 


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1 a museum to tell their stories in a national Wash2 ington, DC, museum about becoming Americans. 

3 SEC. 3. COMMISSION TO STUDY ESTABLISHMENT OF A NA4 TIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish a bi6 partisan commission (referred to in this section as the 

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

8 Museum of the American People (referred to as the ‘‘Mu9 seum’’). 

10 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

11 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

12 composed of 32 members appointed not later than 

13 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act as 

14 follows: 

15 (A) The President shall appoint 16 voting 

16 members, including the Chair and Vice Chair of 

17 the Commission. 

18 (B) The Speaker of the House of Rep19 resentatives, the minority leader of the House 

20 of Representatives, the majority leader of the 

21 Senate, and the minority leader of the Senate 

22 shall each appoint 4 voting members. 

23 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Com24 mission shall be chosen from among individuals, or 


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1 representatives of institutions or entities, who pos2 sess either— 

3 (A) a demonstrated commitment to the re4 search, study, or promotion of the American 

5 people as described in section 2 of this Act, to6 gether with— 

7 (i) expertise in museum administra8 tion; 

9 (ii) expertise in fundraising or serving 

10 as a funder for nonprofit or cultural insti11 tutions; 

12 (iii) experience as a scholar focused on 

13 any aspect of the making of the American 

14 people from first peoples through today; 

15 (iv) experience in studying the Smith16 sonian Institution’s representation of 

17 American art, life, history, and culture; 

18 (v) extensive experience in public or 

19 elected service; 

20 (vi) leadership of, or national rep21 resentation for, ethnic or minority groups; 

22 or 

23 (vii) extensive experience with mu24 seum public relations and instituting a new 

25 national museum; or 


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1 (B) experience or expertise in the adminis2 tration of, or the planning and design for the 

3 establishment of, museums or other institutions 

4 devoted to the study and promotion of the role 

5 of ethnic, racial, or cultural groups in American 

6 history. 

7 (3) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.— 

8 Members shall be appointed for the life of the Com9 mission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 

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

11 manner as the original appointment. 

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

13 the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a 

14 lesser number of members may hold hearings. 

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

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

17 Commission have been appointed, the Commission 

18 shall hold its first meeting. 

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

20 the call of the Chair. 

21 (c) DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.— 

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

23 thorough study of all matters relating to the estab24 lishment of a National Museum of the American 

25 People. 


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1 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after 

2 the date of the first meeting of the Commission, the 

3 Commission shall submit a publicly available report 

4 to the President and Congress, which shall contain 

5 a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions 

6 of the Commission, together with the Commission’s 

7 recommendations for such legislation or administra8 tive actions as the Commission considers appro9 priate, on the following issues: 

10 (A) The mission of the National Museum 

11 of the American People, which is to advance 

12 and share knowledge about the full history of 

13 the making of the American people who came 

14 from every corner of our planet and are tied to15 gether by our Constitution’s first words: ‘‘We 

16 the People’’. 

17 (B) The story about the making of the 

18 American people in 4 chapters: 

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

20 years ago (est.)–1607. 

21 (ii) The Nation Takes Form: 1607– 

22 1820. 

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

24 1924. 

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


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1 (C) A review of possible Museum compo2 nents, including— 

3 (i) a Center for the Advanced Study 

4 of the American People; 

5 (ii) a National Ancestry Center; 

6 (iii) an Archive and Library of Amer7 ican Immigration and Migration; 

8 (iv) an Education Resource Center; 

9 (v) a National Museum of the Amer10 ican People Film Center; 

11 (vi) a Peopling of America Center; 

12 (vii) Museum collections; 

13 (viii) public programs; 

14 (ix) special exhibitions; 

15 (x) traveling exhibitions; 

16 (xi) Museum bookstores and gift 

17 shops; and 

18 (xii) Museum food venues. 

19 (D) The availability and cost of collections 

20 to be acquired and housed in the Museum. 

21 (E) Possible locations for the Museum in 

22 Washington, DC, and its environs, to be consid23 ered in consultation with the National Capital 

24 Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine 

25 Arts, and the National Park Service. 


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1 (F) The governance and organizational 

2 structure from which the Museum should oper3 ate, including whether the Museum should be 

4 part of the Smithsonian Institution. 

5 (G) The cost of constructing, operating, 

6 and maintaining the Museum. 

7 (3) LEGISLATION TO CARRY OUT PLAN OF AC8 TION.—Based on the recommendations from the 

9 study under paragraph (1) and the report submitted 

10 under paragraph (2), the Commission shall submit 

11 for consideration to the Committee on Transpor12 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent13 atives, the Committee on House Administration of 

14 the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

15 Rules and Administration of the Senate, the Com16 mittee on Natural Resources of the House of Rep17 resentatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural 

18 Resources of the Senate, and the Committees on Ap19 propriations of the House of Representatives and the 

20 Senate recommendations for a legislative plan of ac21 tion to create and construct the Museum. 

22 (4) FUNDRAISING PLAN.—The Commission 

23 shall develop a fundraising plan for supporting the 

24 creation and maintenance of the Museum through 


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1 contributions by the American people and other 

2 sources. 

3 (d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 

4 (1) HEARINGS.—The Commission may hold 

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

6 take such testimony, and receive such evidence as 

7 the Commission considers advisable to carry out this 

8 Act. 

9 (2) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 

10 The Commission may secure directly from any Fed11 eral department or agency such information as the 

12 Commission considers necessary to carry out this 

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

14 the head of such department or agency shall furnish 

15 such information to the Commission. 

16 (3) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may 

17 use the United States mails in the same manner and 

18 under the same conditions as other departments and 

19 agencies of the Federal Government. 

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

21 and dispose of gifts or donations of services or prop22 erty. 

23 (e) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 

24 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—Each mem25 ber of the Commission who is not an officer or emVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077

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1 ployee of the Federal Government shall be com2 pensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of 

3 the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV 

4 of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 

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

6 time) during which such member is engaged in the 

7 performance of the duties of the Commission. All 

8 members of the Commission who are officers or em9 ployees of the United States shall serve without com10 pensation in addition to that received for their serv11 ices as officers or employees of the United States. 

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

13 Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, includ14 ing per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates author15 ized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of 

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

17 away from their homes or regular places of business 

18 in the performance of services for the Commission. 

19 (3) STAFF.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Chair of the Com21 mission may, without regard to the civil service 

22 laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an 

23 executive director and such other additional 

24 personnel as may be necessary to enable the 

25 Commission to perform its duties. The employVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:29 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2077.IS S2077

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1 ment of an executive director shall be subject to 

2 confirmation by the Commission. 

3 (B) COMPENSATION.—The Chair of the 

4 Commission may fix the compensation of the 

5 executive director and other personnel without 

6 regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of 

7 chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, relat8 ing to classification of positions and General 

9 Schedule pay rates, except that the rate of pay 

10 for the executive director and other personnel 

11 may not exceed the rate payable for level V of 

12 the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

13 such title. 

14 (C) PERSONNEL AS FEDERAL EMPLOY15 EES.— 

16 (i) IN GENERAL.—The executive di17 rector and any personnel of the Commis18 sion who are employees shall be employees 

19 under section 2105 of title 5, United 

20 States Code, for purposes of chapters 63, 

21 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 89A, 89B, and 90 

22 of that title. 

23 (ii) MEMBERS OF COMMISSION.— 

24 Clause (i) shall not be construed to apply 

25 to members of the Commission. 


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1 (4) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

2 Any Federal Government employee may be detailed 

3 to the Commission without reimbursement, and such 

4 detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil 

5 service status or privilege. 

6 (5) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTER7 MITTENT SERVICES.—The Chair of the Commission 

8 may procure temporary and intermittent services 

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

10 at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily 

11 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed 

12 for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 

13 5316 of such title. 

14 (f) TERMINATION OF THE COMMISSION.—The Com15 mission shall terminate 90 days after the date on which 

16 the Commission submits its recommendations under sub17 section (c)(3). 

18 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out the ac20 tivities of the Commission $3,000,000 for the fiscal year 

21 beginning after the date of enactment of this Act. Such 

22 amount shall remain available until expended. 

Æ 


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