I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4346 

To establish a commission to commemorate the ending of chattel slavery 

in the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 16, 2009 

Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, and Mr. HASTINGS of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To establish a commission to commemorate the ending of 

chattel slavery in the United States, 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 Emancipation 

5 Commemoration Act of 2009’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 The purpose of this Act is to establish the National 

8 Emancipation Commemoration Commission in order to— 

9 (1) ensure a suitable national observance of the 

10 150th anniversary of the ending of chattel slavery in 


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1 the United States through the Emancipation Procla2 mation and the Thirteenth Amendment of the Con3 stitution; 

4 (2) highlight the protections of the living 13th 

5 Amendment against modern slavery in all its forms 

6 and explore why servitude still exists in the United 

7 States and elsewhere; 

8 (3) provide assistance to the development of 

9 programs, curricula, and activities concerning both 

10 antebellum and modern slavery, in conjunction with 

11 the 150th anniversary of Emancipation and there12 after; and 

13 (4) support and facilitate efforts for events, a 

14 commemorative coin, stamp, and related activities 

15 for the observances of the 150th anniversary of 

16 Emancipation and the adoption of the Thirteenth 

17 Amendment. 

18 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

20 (1) COMMEMORATION.—The term ‘‘commemo21 ration’’ means the commemoration of the 150th an22 niversaries of the Preliminary Emancipation Procla23 mation, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thir24 teenth Amendment to the United States Constitu25 tion and its ongoing application to modern slavery, 


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1 passage of Federal anti-peonage legislation and the 

2 extension of the Thirteenth Amendment protections 

3 to all races and ethnicities, and the activities of the 

4 Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned 

5 Lands (‘‘Freedman’s Bureau’’) in attempting to 

6 meet the needs of newly freed persons in the years 

7 following the Civil War. 

8 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

9 means the Commission established by this Act. 

10 (3) MODERN SLAVERY.—The term ‘‘modern 

11 slavery’’ means activities that violate the Federal 

12 statutory prohibitions against slavery and human 

13 trafficking set forth in chapter 77 of title 18, United 

14 States Code. 

15 SEC. 4. ATTORNEY GENERAL TO ASSIST THE COMMEMORA16 TION. 

17 In order to ensure that the 150th anniversary of 

18 Emancipation provides a lasting legacy and long-term 

19 public benefit by assisting in the development of appro20 priate programs and facilities, the Attorney General, 

21 through the Office of Justice Programs, may make grants 

22 and provide technical assistance to appropriate Federal, 

23 State, and local entities and nonprofit organizations— 

24 (1) to plan and carry out programs and activi25 ties appropriate to for the commemoration; 


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1 (2) to generally facilitate commemoration-re2 lated activities throughout the United States; 

3 (3) to encourage civic, patriotic, historical, edu4 cational, religious, economic, and other organizations 

5 throughout the United States to organize and par6 ticipate in anniversary activities to expand the un7 derstanding and appreciation of the significance of 

8 the events commemorated by the commemoration; 

9 (4) to coordinate and facilitate public scholarly 

10 research on, publication about, and interpretation of: 

11 chattel slavery, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the 

12 lives and work of such historical figures as Abraham 

13 Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Levi 

14 and Catherine Coffin, and Harriet Tubman, the 

15 Emancipation, success and failures in implementing 

16 the Emancipation, expansion of the protections of 

17 the Thirteenth Amendment to all persons in the 

18 United States, modern effects of chattel slavery and 

19 the Emancipation on American culture and society, 

20 and the continued application of the Thirteenth 

21 Amendment and enabling legislation in combating 

22 modern slavery in the United States and abroad; 

23 (5) to encourage efforts for a commemorative 

24 coin, stamp, and related activities for the commemo25 ration; 


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1 (6) to assist in the appropriate development of 

2 commemoration-related heritage tourism and the 

3 economic benefits of that tourism to the United 

4 States; and 

5 (7) to facilitate commemoration-related activi6 ties and informational displays at sites and locations 

7 that are part of the National Park Service Under8 ground Railroad Network to Freedom Program and 

9 the National Underground Railroad Freedom Cen10 ter. 

11 SEC. 5. NATIONAL EMANCIPATION COMMEMORATION COM12 MISSION. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a commission 

14 to be known as the ‘‘National Emancipation Commemora15 tion Commission’’. 

16 (b) DUTIES.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall— 

18 (A) advise the Attorney General with re19 gard to making grants and giving technical as20 sistance under this Act; and 

21 (B) conduct a study on modern slavery in 

22 all its forms that— 

23 (i) addresses why slavery in all its 

24 forms still exists globally; 


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1 (ii) analyzes the persistence of modern 

2 slavery in the United States from 1865 to 

3 the present; and 

4 (iii) makes recommendations to ad5 dress issues and concerns highlighted by 

6 the study. 

7 (2) REPORTS.— 

8 (A) INTERIM REPORT.—Not later than 

9 January 1, 2013, the Commission shall com10 plete an interim report that contains— 

11 (i) a summary of the activities of the 

12 Commission; 

13 (ii) any interim results, findings, or 

14 recommendations of the study conducted 

15 under paragraph (1)(B); and 

16 (iii) an accounting of funds received 

17 and expended by the Commission through 

18 September 30, 2012. 

19 (B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 

20 March 2, 2017, the Commission shall complete 

21 a final report that contains— 

22 (i) a summary of the activities of the 

23 Commission; 

24 (ii) the results of the study conducted 

25 under paragraph (1)(B); 


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1 (iii) a final accounting of funds re2 ceived and expended by the Commission; 

3 and 

4 (iv) any findings and recommenda5 tions of the Commission. 

6 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be 

8 composed of 18 members, of whom— 

9 (A) one shall be the Assistant Attorney 

10 General for Civil Rights, who shall be the Chair 

11 of the Commission; 

12 (B) one shall be the Ambassador at Large, 

13 Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat 

14 Trafficking in Persons, who shall be the Vice15 Chair of the Commission; 

16 (C) one shall be the Librarian of Congress, 

17 or a designee of the Librarian of Congress; 

18 (D) one shall be the Director of the Na19 tional Park Service, or a designee of the Direc20 tor; 

21 (E) one shall be the Director of the Na22 tional Museum of American History of the 

23 Smithsonian Institution, or a designee of the 

24 Director; 


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1 (F) one shall be the Director of the Na2 tional Underground Railroad Freedom Center 

3 (or any successor institution), or a designee of 

4 the Director; 

5 (G) one shall be the Director of the Na6 tional Civil Rights Museum, or a designee of 

7 the Director; 

8 (H) one shall be the Executive Director of 

9 the National Hispanic Cultural Center, or a 

10 designee of the Executive Director; 

11 (I) one shall be the Executive Director of 

12 the Asian Law Alliance, or a designee of the 

13 Executive Director; 

14 (J) four shall be appointed by the Speaker 

15 of the House in consultation with the minority 

16 leader; and 

17 (K) four shall be appointed by the majority 

18 leader of the Senate in consultation with the 

19 minority leader. 

20 (2) TERM; VACANCIES.— 

21 (A) TERM.—The term of an appointed 

22 member of the Commission is for the life of the 

23 Commission. 

24 (B) VACANCIES.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—A vacancy among 

2 the appointed members of the Commission 

3 shall be filled in the same manner in which 

4 the original appointment was made. 

5 (ii) PARTIAL TERM.—A member ap6 pointed to fill a vacancy on the Commis7 sion shall serve for the remainder of the 

8 term for which the predecessor of the 

9 member was appointed. 

10 (3) MEETINGS.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 

12 meet— 

13 (i) at least twice each year; and 

14 (ii) additionally, at the call of the 

15 Chairperson or the majority of the mem16 bers of the Commission. 

17 (B) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 

18 days after the date on which all appointed 

19 members of the Commission have been ap20 pointed, the Commission shall hold the initial 

21 meeting of the Commission. 

22 (4) VOTING.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 

24 act only on an affirmative vote of a majority of 

25 the members of the Commission. 


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1 (B) QUORUM.—A majority of the Commis2 sion shall constitute a quorum. 

3 (d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.—The Commission 

4 may— 

5 (1) accept donations and make dispersions of 

6 money, personal services, and real and personal 

7 property related to its duties; 

8 (2) appoint such advisory committees of its 

9 members as the Commission determines to be nec10 essary to carry out its duties; 

11 (3) authorize any member or employee of the 

12 Commission to take any action that the Commission 

13 is authorized to take by this Act; 

14 (4) procure supplies, services, and property, and 

15 make or enter into contracts, leases, or other legal 

16 agreements, to carry out its duties (except that any 

17 contracts, leases, or other legal agreements made or 

18 entered into by the Commission shall not extend be19 yond the date of termination of the Commission); 

20 and 

21 (5) use the United States mails in the same 

22 manner and under the same conditions as a Federal 

23 agency. 

24 (e) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 


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1 (1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE COM2 MISSION.— 

3 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

4 this paragraph, a member of the Commission 

5 shall serve without compensation. 

6 (B) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of 

7 the Commission who is an officer or employee 

8 of the Federal Government shall serve without 

9 compensation in addition to the compensation 

10 received for the services of the member as an 

11 officer or employee of the Federal Government. 

12 (C) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member or 

13 employee of the Commission shall be allowed 

14 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

15 subsistence, at rates authorized for an employee 

16 of an agency under subchapter I of chapter 57 

17 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 

18 the home or regular place of business of the 

19 member or employee in the performance of the 

20 duties of the Commission. 

21 (2) STAFF.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the 

23 Commission may, without regard to the civil 

24 service laws (including regulations), appoint 

25 and terminate an executive director and such 


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1 other additional personnel as are necessary to 

2 enable the Commission to perform the duties of 

3 the Commission. 

4 (B) APPROVAL OF EXECUTIVE DIREC5 TOR.—The employment of an executive director 

6 shall require approval by a majority of the 

7 Commission members. 

8 (3) COMPENSATION.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

10 subparagraph (B), the Chairperson of the Com11 mission may fix the compensation of the execu12 tive director and other personnel without regard 

13 to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 

14 III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, 

15 relating to classification of positions and Gen16 eral Schedule pay rates. 

17 (B) MAXIMUM RATE OF PAY.—The rate of 

18 pay for the executive director and other per19 sonnel shall not exceed the rate payable for 

20 level V of the Executive Schedule under section 

21 5316 of title 5, United States Code. 

22 (4) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

23 (A) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.— 

24 (i) IN GENERAL.—On the request of 

25 the Commission, the head of any Federal 


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1 agency may detail, on a reimbursable or 

2 non-reimbursable basis, any of the per3 sonnel of the agency to the Commission to 

4 assist the Commission in carrying out the 

5 duties of the Commission under this Act. 

6 (ii) CIVIL SERVICE STATUS.—The de7 tail of an employee under clause (I) shall 

8 be without interruption or loss of civil serv9 ice status or privilege. 

10 (B) STATE EMPLOYEES.—The Commission 

11 may— 

12 (i) accept the services of personnel de13 tailed from States (including subdivisions 

14 of States); and 

15 (ii) reimburse States for services of 

16 detailed personnel. 

17 (5) VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED SERV18 ICES.—Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 

19 United States Code, the Commission may accept and 

20 use voluntary and uncompensated services as the 

21 Commission determines necessary. 

22 (6) SUPPORT SERVICES.—The Attorney General 

23 shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable 

24 basis, such administrative support services as the 

25 Commission may request. 


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1 (f) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT2 TENT SERVICES.—The Chairperson of the Commission 

3 may procure temporary and intermittent services in ac4 cordance with section 3109(b) of title 5, United States 

5 Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily 

6 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 

7 level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

8 that title. 

9 (g) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate 

10 on September 30, 2017. Any advisory committee estab11 lished under this Act that is not previously terminated by 

12 the Commission shall also terminate on that date. 

Æ 


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