II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 599 

To establish a commission to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the 

American Civil War. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 16, 2011 

Mr. WEBB (for himself and Ms. LANDRIEU) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish a commission to commemorate the 

sesquicentennial of the American Civil War. 

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 ‘‘Civil War Sesqui5 centennial Commission Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

7 The purpose of this Act is to establish a Civil War 

8 Sesquicentennial Commemoration Commission to— 

9 (1) ensure a suitable national observance of the 

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1 ognition of the historic, social, legal, cultural, and 

2 political forces that— 

3 (A) brought about the Civil War; and 

4 (B) influenced the course and outcomes of 

5 the Civil War; 

6 (2) explore the causes of the Civil War to gain 

7 a better understanding of the reasons that the demo8 cratic framework of the United States failed to re9 solve the sectional issues without resorting to war; 

10 (3) fully examine and reflect on the con11 sequences of the Civil War, which Congress directed 

12 the National Park Service to address in National 

13 Park Service programs and materials beginning in 

14 1999, including consequences such as— 

15 (A) the Reconstruction era and the after16 math of that era; 

17 (B) the economic devastation of the entire 

18 South as a result of long-term post-war policies; 

19 (C) the concomitant constriction of equal 

20 rights for African-American citizens; and 

21 (D) the ultimate economic recovery of the 

22 region and the extension of civil rights for the 

23 descendants of enslaved peoples almost a cen24 tury later; 


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1 (4) assist States and national organizations 

2 with programs and activities for the observance of 

3 the sesquicentennial of the Civil War; 

4 (5) assist in ensuring that any observance of 

5 the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is inclusive and 

6 appropriately recognizes the experiences and points 

7 of view of all people affected by the Civil War; and 

8 (6) provide assistance for the development of 

9 programs, projects, and activities on the Civil War 

10 that have lasting educational and preservation value. 

11 SEC. 3. CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION 

12 COMMISSION. 

13 The Secretary of the Interior shall establish a com14 mission to be known as the Civil War Sesquicentennial 

15 Commemoration Commission (referred to in this Act as 

16 the ‘‘Commission’’). 

17 SEC. 4. COMPOSITION OF THE COMMISSION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be com19 posed of 25 members as follows: 

20 (1) GOVERNMENT MEMBERS.—The Commission 

21 shall include— 

22 (A) 2 Members of the Senate appointed by 

23 the President pro tempore of the Senate, in 

24 consultation with the majority leader and the 

25 minority leader of the Senate; 


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1 (B) 2 Members of the House of Represent2 atives appointed by the Speaker of the House of 

3 Representatives, in consultation with the minor4 ity leader of the House of Representatives; 

5 (C) the Secretary of the Interior or the 

6 designee of the Secretary; 

7 (D) the Secretary of the Smithsonian In8 stitution, or the designee of the Secretary; 

9 (E) the Secretary of Education, or the des10 ignee of the Secretary; 

11 (F) the Secretary of Defense, or the des12 ignee of the Secretary; 

13 (G) the Chairman of the National Endow14 ment for the Humanities, or the designee of the 

15 Chairman; 

16 (H) the Chairman of the National Endow17 ment for the Arts, or the designee of the Chair18 man; 

19 (I) the Archivist of the United States, or 

20 the designee of the Archivist; 

21 (J) the Librarian of Congress, or the des22 ignee of the Librarian; and 

23 (K) the Director of the National Park 

24 Service, or the designee of the Director. 


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1 (2) PRIVATE MEMBERS.—The Commission shall 

2 include— 

3 (A) 3 members appointed by the President 

4 from among individuals who are representative 

5 of the corporate community and nonprofit com6 munity; and 

7 (B) 9 individuals, appointed by the Presi8 dent, from among persons who by reason of 

9 education, training, and experience, are experts 

10 on the Antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruc11 tion eras and the preservation, interpretation, 

12 and presentation of those eras to the public, in13 cluding— 

14 (i) 5 individuals with expertise in his15 tory or related academic disciplines ger16 mane to the Civil War, including— 

17 (I) individuals representing the 

18 museum community, in particular his19 tory museums and historical societies, 

20 such as the National Civil War Mu21 seum; 

22 (II) individuals with expertise in 

23 art history, historic preservation, or a 

24 related field; 


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1 (III) individuals with expertise in 

2 anthropology, cultural geography, so3 ciology, or a related field; and 

4 (IV) individuals with expertise in 

5 political science, law, economics, or a 

6 related field; 

7 (ii) 1 individual with expertise in the 

8 preservation of Civil War historic sites and 

9 battlefields; and 

10 (iii) 3 individuals representing State 

11 Civil War sesquicentennial efforts. 

12 (b) TERMS.— 

13 (1) GOVERNMENT MEMBERS.—If any member 

14 of the Commission who was appointed as an officer 

15 under subsection (a)(1) leaves that office, the mem16 ber may continue as a member of the Commission 

17 for not longer than the 30-day period beginning on 

18 the date on which the member leaves the office. 

19 (2) PRIVATE MEMBERS.—Private members ap20 pointed under subsection (a)(2) shall be appointed 

21 for the life of the Commission. 

22 (c) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the Commission 

23 shall not affect its powers, and shall be filled in the same 

24 manner as the original appointment. 


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1 (d) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The appointment of 

2 the members of the Commission shall be made not later 

3 than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 SEC. 5. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 

5 (a) MEETINGS.— 

6 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 60 days 

7 after the date on which all members of the Commis8 sion have been appointed, the members appointed 

9 under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 4(a)(2) 

10 shall call the first meeting of the Commission. 

11 (2) SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS.—The Commission 

12 shall hold subsequent meetings at the call of the 

13 chairperson. 

14 (b) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.—At the 

15 initial meeting, the Commission shall elect a Chairperson 

16 and Vice Chairperson from among its voting members. 

17 (c) QUORUM.—A majority of voting members shall 

18 constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold meet19 ings. 

20 (d) VOTING.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall act 

22 only on an affirmative vote of a majority of the vot23 ing members of the Commission. 

24 (2) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The individuals 

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1 tion 4(a)(1) shall be nonvoting members, and shall 

2 serve only in an advisory capacity. 

3 SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION. 

4 (a) ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE SESQUICENTEN5 NIAL.—The Commission shall— 

6 (1) plan, develop, and carry out programs and 

7 activities appropriate to commemorate the sesqui8 centennial of the Civil War, including activities in 

9 recognition of the historic, social, legal, cultural, and 

10 political forces that— 

11 (A) caused the Civil War; and 

12 (B) influenced the course and outcomes of 

13 the Civil War; 

14 (2) encourage interdisciplinary examination of 

15 the Civil War; 

16 (3) facilitate and promote Civil War-related ac17 tivities throughout the United States; 

18 (4) encourage civic, historical, educational, eco19 nomic, preservation, and other organizations 

20 throughout the United States to organize and par21 ticipate in activities to expand the understanding 

22 and appreciation of the significance of the Civil War; 

23 (5) coordinate and facilitate the public distribu24 tion of scholarly research, publications, and interpre25 tations of the Civil War through institutions such as 


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1 the Virginia Center for Digital History at the Uni2 versity of Virginia, the Valley of the Shadow, Center 

3 for Study of the American South at the University 

4 of North Carolina, and the Center for the Study of 

5 Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi; 

6 (6) coordinate with, and provide technical as7 sistance to, States, units of local government, and 

8 nonprofit organizations (including State and local 

9 sesquicentennial commemoration entities) to further 

10 the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the 

11 Civil War; 

12 (7) coordinate and facilitate commemoration ac13 tivities of Federal agencies relating to the sesqui14 centennial of the Civil War; 

15 (8) develop programs and facilities to ensure 

16 that the sesquicentennial commemoration of the 

17 Civil War results in a positive legacy and long-term 

18 public benefit; 

19 (9) encourage and facilitate the preservation of 

20 Civil War-related historic sites and battlefields as a 

21 lasting legacy of the sesquicentennial commemora22 tion; 

23 (10) plan, develop, and carry out programs and 

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1 dations, and corporations for sesquicentennial activi2 ties at the national level; 

3 (11) at the election of the Commission, provide 

4 funds to State and local programs to carry out ac5 tivities that advance the goals of the Commission; 

6 and 

7 (12) encourage the development and conduct of 

8 programs designed to involve the international com9 munity in activities that commemorate the Civil 

10 War. 

11 (b) PLANS AND REPORT.— 

12 (1) STRATEGIC PLAN AND ANNUAL PERFORM13 ANCE PLANS.—The Commission shall prepare a 

14 strategic plan in accordance with section 306 of title 

15 5, United States Code, and annual performance 

16 plans in accordance with section 1115 of title 31, 

17 United States Code, for the activities of the Com18 mission carried out under this Act. 

19 (2) REPORTS.— 

20 (A) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Commission 

21 shall submit to Congress an annual report that 

22 contains a list of each gift, bequest, or devise 

23 with a value of more than $250, together with 

24 the identity of the donor of each such gift, be25 quest, or devise. 


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1 (B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than De2 cember 30, 2015, the Commission shall submit 

3 to Congress a final report that contains— 

4 (i) a summary of activities of the 

5 Commission; 

6 (ii) a final accounting of funds re7 ceived and expended by the Commission; 

8 and 

9 (iii) the findings and recommenda10 tions of the Commission. 

11 SEC. 7. GRANT PROGRAM. 

12 (a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The National Endow13 ment for the Humanities shall award grants under this 

14 section for the uses described in subsection (b). 

15 (b) USE OF GRANTS.—Grants awarded under this 

16 section shall be used for appropriate activities relating to 

17 the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. 

18 (c) CONSIDERATION.—In awarding grants under this 

19 section, the National Endowment of the Humanities shall 

20 consider and give priority to programs carried out by insti21 tutions of higher education, museums, nonprofit organiza22 tions, professional associations, or State sesquicentennial 

23 commissions with a national scope that support the duties 

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1 grams that concentrate on the role of African Americans 

2 in the Civil War. 

3 SEC. 8. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. 

4 The Commission may— 

5 (1) solicit, accept, use, and dispose of gifts, be6 quests, or devises of money or other real or personal 

7 property for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the 

8 work of the Commission; 

9 (2) appoint any advisory committee as the 

10 Commission considers appropriate for the purposes 

11 of this Act; 

12 (3) authorize any voting member or employee of 

13 the Commission to take any action that the Commis14 sion is authorized to take under this Act; 

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

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

17 agreements to carry out this Act (except that any 

18 contracts, leases, or other legal agreements entered 

19 into by the Commission shall not extend beyond the 

20 date of the termination of the Commission); 

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

22 manner and under the same conditions as other 

23 Federal agencies; and 

24 (6) establish a foundation that is independent 

25 from, but affiliated with, the Commission to support, 


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1 as the Commission determines to be necessary, the 

2 efforts of the Commission. 

3 SEC. 9. PERSONNEL MATTERS. 

4 (a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.—Members of the 

5 Commission, and members of any advisory committee ap6 pointed under section 8(2), shall serve without compensa7 tion. 

8 (b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the Commis9 sion, and members of any advisory committees appointed 

10 under section 8(2), shall be allowed travel expenses, in11 cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized 

12 for an employee of an agency under subchapter I of chap13 ter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 

14 the home or regular place of business of the member in 

15 the performance of the duties of the Commission. 

16 (c) STAFF.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the 

18 Commission may, without regard to civil service laws 

19 (including regulations), appoint and terminate an ex20 ecutive director and such other additional personnel 

21 as are necessary to enable the Commission to per22 form the duties of the Commission. 

23 (2) CONFIRMATION OF EXECUTIVE DIREC24 TOR.—The employment of an executive director shall 

25 be subject to confirmation by the Commission. 


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1 (3) COMPENSATION.— 

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

3 subparagraph (B), the Chairperson of the Com4 mission may fix the compensation of the execu5 tive director and other personnel without regard 

6 to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 

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

8 relating to classification of positions and Gen9 eral Schedule pay rates. 

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

11 pay for the executive director and other per12 sonnel shall not exceed the rate payable for 

13 level V of the Executive Schedule under section 

14 5316 of title 5, United States Code. 

15 (d) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—At the request of the Com17 mission, the head of any Federal agency may detail, 

18 on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, any of 

19 the personnel of the agency to the Commission to as20 sist the Commission in carrying out the duties of the 

21 Commission under this Act. 

22 (2) CIVIL SERVICE STATUS.—The detail of an 

23 employee under paragraph (1) shall be without inter24 ruption or loss of civil service status or privilege. 


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1 (e) VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED SERVICES.— 

2 Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States 

3 Code, the Commission may accept and use voluntary and 

4 uncompensated services as the Commission determines 

5 necessary. 

6 (f) SUPPORT SERVICES.—The Director of the Na7 tional Park Service shall provide to the Commission, on 

8 a reimbursable basis, such administrative support services 

9 as the Commission may request. 

10 (g) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT11 TENT SERVICES.—The Chairperson of the Commission 

12 may procure temporary and intermittent services under 

13 section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at daily 

14 rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equiva15 lent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level 

16 V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of that 

17 title. 

18 (h) FACA NONAPPLICABILITY.—Section 14(b) of the 

19 Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 

20 apply to the Commission. 

21 (i) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate 

22 on the date that is 90 days after the date on which the 

23 Commission submits its report under section 6(b)(2). 


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1 SEC. 10. AUDIT OF COMMISSION. 

2 The Inspector General of the Department of the Inte3 rior shall perform an annual audit of the Commission and 

4 shall make the results of the audit available to the public. 

5 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro7 priated to carry out this Act (other than section 7) 

8 $500,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016. 

9 (b) GRANTS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 

10 $3,500,000 to the National Endowment for the Human11 ities to provide grants under section 7, to remain available 

12 until expended. 

Æ 


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