110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5159 

AN ACT 

To establish the Office of the Capitol Visitor Center within 

the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, headed by 

the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services, to provide for the effective management and administration 

of the Capitol Visitor Center, and for other purposes. 
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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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Capitol Visitor Center Act of 2008’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT OF CAPITOL 

VISITOR CENTER 

Subtitle A—Description of Facility 

Sec. 101. Description and purposes of Capitol Visitor Center. 

Sec. 102. Oversight of committees. 

Sec. 103. Special rule for certain spaces in the Capitol Visitor Center. 

Subtitle B—Office of the Capitol Visitor Center; Chief Executive Officer for 

Visitor Services 

Sec. 111. Establishment. 

Sec. 112. Appointment and supervision of Chief Executive Officer for Visitor 

Services. 

Sec. 113. General duties of Chief Executive Officer. 

Sec. 114. Acceptance of gifts and volunteer services. 

Sec. 115. Special rules regarding certain administrative matters. 

TITLE II—RELATED SERVICES PROVIDED AT CAPITOL VISITOR 

CENTER 

Subtitle A—Related Services Described 

Sec. 201. Gift shop. 

Sec. 202. Food service operations. 

Sec. 203. Licenses and other agreements for operations or other functions. 

Subtitle B—Capitol Visitor Center Revolving Fund 

Sec. 211. Establishment; accounts. 

Sec. 212. Deposits in the Fund. 

Sec. 213. Use of monies. 

Sec. 214. Administration of Fund. 

TITLE III—TREATMENT OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE 

Subtitle A—Transfer to Office of the Capitol Visitor Center 

Sec. 301. Transfer of Capitol Guide Service. 

Sec. 302. Duties of employees of Capitol Guide Service. 
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Subtitle B—Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 

Sec. 311. Establishment of Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. 

Sec. 312. Director of Accessibility Services. 

Sec. 313. Transfer from Capitol Guide Service. 

Subtitle C—Technical and Conforming Amendments 

Sec. 321. Technical and conforming amendments. 

Subtitle D—Transfer Date 

Sec. 331. Transfer date. 

TITLE IV—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Sec. 401. Authorization of appropriations. 

1 TITLE I—ADMINISTRATION AND 

2 MANAGEMENT OF CAPITOL 

3 VISITOR CENTER 

4 Subtitle A—Description of Facility 

5 SEC. 101. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSES OF CAPITOL VIS6 ITOR CENTER. 

7 (a) TREATMENT AS PART OF CAPITOL.—In this Act, 

8 the ‘‘Capitol Visitor Center’’ is the facility authorized for 

9 construction under the heading ‘‘Capitol Visitor Center’’ 

10 under chapter 5 of title II of division B of the Omnibus 

11 Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropria12 tions Act, 1999 (Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat. 2681– 

13 569), and such facility shall be considered to be part of 

14 the United States Capitol for all provisions of law in ac15 cordance with this Act. 

16 (b) PURPOSES OF THE FACILITY.—In accordance 

17 with the provisions of this Act, the Capitol Visitor Center 

18 shall be used to— 
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1 (1) provide enhanced security for persons work2 ing in or visiting the United States Capitol; and 

3 (2) improve the visitor experience by providing 

4 a structure that will afford improved visitor orienta5 tion and enhance the educational experience of those 

6 who have come to learn about Congress and the 

7 Capitol. 

8 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO VIS9 ITOR CENTER SPACE IN THE CAPITOL.—Section 301 of 

10 the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 (2 

11 U.S.C. 2165) is repealed. 

12 SEC. 102. OVERSIGHT OF COMMITTEES. 

13 The Committee on Rules and Administration of the 

14 Senate and the Committee on House Administration of 

15 the House of Representatives (hereafter in this Act re16 ferred to as the ‘‘supervising Committees’’) shall exercise 

17 policy review and oversight over the Capitol Visitor Cen18 ter. 

19 SEC. 103. SPECIAL RULE FOR CERTAIN SPACES IN THE CAP20 ITOL VISITOR CENTER. 

21 (a) SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EX22 PANSION SPACE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 

23 this Act, the Senate and House of Representatives expan24 sion space described as ‘‘unassigned space’’ under the 

25 heading ‘‘Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Visitor Center’’ 
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1 in the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2002 (Pub2 lic Law 107–68; 115 Stat. 588)— 

3 (1) shall not be treated as part of the Capitol 

4 Visitor Center for purposes of this Act; and 

5 (2) shall be treated for purposes of law (includ6 ing rules of the House of Representatives and Sen7 ate)— 

8 (A) in the case of space assigned for the 

9 use of the Senate, as part of the Senate wing 

10 of the Capitol and subject to the authority and 

11 control of the Committee on Rules and Admin12 istration of the Senate, or 

13 (B) in the case of space assigned for the 

14 use of the House, as part of the House of Rep15 resentatives wing of the Capitol and subject to 

16 the authority and control of the Speaker. 

17 (b) TREATMENT OF CONGRESSIONAL AUDITORIUM

18 AND RELATED ADJACENT AREAS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

20 provision of this Act, the space in the Capitol Visitor 

21 Center known as the Congressional Auditorium, to22 gether with each of the areas referred to in para23 graph (2), shall be assigned for Congressional use by 

24 the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services 
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1 under guidelines established by the supervising Com2 mittees. 

3 (2) AREAS DESCRIBED.—The areas referred to 

4 in this paragraph are as follows, as identified and 

5 designated by the Architect of the Capitol on Octo6 ber 1, 2007: 

7 (A) The North Congressional Meeting 

8 Room (CVC268) and the South Congressional 

9 Meeting Room (CVC217). 

10 (B) The North Pre-function Area 

11 (CVC268CR) and the South Pre-function Area 

12 (CVC217CR). 

13 (C) Lobbies CVC215 and CVC212. 

14 (D) The North Cloak Room (CVC210) and 

15 the South Cloak Room (CVC208). 

16 (E) The Projection Room (CVC209). 

17 (F) The Green Room (CVC207). 

18 (G) The TV Control Room (CVC105). 

19 (H) Offices CVC101, CVC102, CVC103, 

20 CVC104, CVC106, CVC204, and CVC205. 
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1 Subtitle B—Office of the Capitol 

2 Visitor Center; Chief Executive 

3 Officer for Visitor Services 

4 SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT. 

5 There is established within the Office of the Architect 

6 of the Capitol the Office of the Capitol Visitor Center (in 

7 this Act referred to as the ‘‘Office’’), to be headed by the 

8 Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services (in this Act 

9 referred to as the ‘‘Chief Executive Officer’’). 

10 SEC. 112. APPOINTMENT AND SUPERVISION OF CHIEF EX11 ECUTIVE OFFICER FOR VISITOR SERVICES. 

12 (a) APPOINTMENT.—The Chief Executive Officer 

13 shall be appointed by the Architect of the Capitol. 

14 (b) SUPERVISION AND OVERSIGHT.—The Chief Exec15 utive Officer shall report directly to the Architect of the 

16 Capitol and shall be subject to policy review and oversight 

17 by the supervising Committees. 

18 (c) REMOVAL.—Upon removal of the Chief Executive 

19 Officer, the Architect of the Capitol shall immediately no20 tify the supervising Committees and the Committees on 

21 Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Sen22 ate, stating the reasons for the removal. 

23 (d) COMPENSATION.—The Chief Executive Officer 

24 shall be paid at an annual rate of pay equal to the annual 

25 rate of pay of the Deputy Architect of the Capitol and 
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1 Chief Operating Officer of the Office of the Architect of 

2 the Capitol. 

3 (e) TRANSITION FOR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE

4 OFFICER FOR VISITOR SERVICES.— 

5 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The individual who serves 

6 as the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services 

7 under section 6701 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, 

8 Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Ac9 countability Appropriation Act of 2007 (2 U.S.C. 

10 1806) as of the date of the enactment of this Act 

11 shall be the first Chief Executive Officer for Visitor 

12 Services appointed by the Architect under this sec13 tion. 

14 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 6701 

15 of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, 

16 Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appro17 priation Act of 2007 (2 U.S.C. 1806) is repealed. 

18 SEC. 113. GENERAL DUTIES OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. 

19 (a) ADMINISTRATION OF FACILITIES, SERVICES, AND

20 ACTIVITIES.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except to the extent other22 wise provided in this Act, the Chief Executive Offi23 cer shall be responsible for— 

24 (A) the operation, management, and budg25 et preparation and execution of the Capitol Vis-
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1 itor Center, including all long term planning 

2 and day-today operational services and activities 

3 provided within the Capitol Visitor Center; and 

4 (B) in accordance with subtitle A of title 

5 III, the management of guided tours of the in6 terior of the United States Capitol. 

7 (2) INDEPENDENT BUDGET SUBMISSION.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The proposed budget 

9 for the Office for a fiscal year shall be prepared 

10 by the Chief Executive Officer, and shall be in11 cluded without revision in the proposed budget 

12 for the year for the Office of the Architect of 

13 the Capitol (as submitted by the Architect of 

14 the Capitol to the President). 

15 (B) EXCLUSION OF COSTS OF GENERAL

16 MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF VISITOR CEN17 TER.—In preparing the proposed budget for the 

18 Office under subparagraph (A), the Chief Exec19 utive Officer shall exclude costs attributable to 

20 the activities and services described in section 

21 115(b) (relating to continuing jurisdiction of 

22 the Architect of the Capitol for the care and su23 perintendence of the Capitol Visitor Center). 

24 (b) PERSONNEL AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE PRO25 VISIONS.— 
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1 (1) PERSONNEL, DISBURSEMENTS, AND CON2 TRACTS.—In carrying out this Act, the Chief Execu3 tive Officer shall have the authority— 

4 (A) to appoint, hire, and fix the compensa5 tion of such personnel as may be necessary for 

6 operations of the Office, except that no em7 ployee may be paid at an annual rate in excess 

8 of the maximum rate payable for level 15 of the 

9 General Schedule unless otherwise authorized 

10 by law; 

11 (B) to disburse funds as may be necessary 

12 and available for the needs of the Office (con13 sistent with the requirements of section 213 in 

14 the case of amounts in the Capitol Visitor Cen15 ter Revolving Fund); and 

16 (C) to designate an employee of the Office 

17 to serve as contracting officer for the Office, 

18 subject to subsection (c). 

19 (2) TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF PER20 SONNEL.—The Chief Executive Officer shall tempo21 rarily assign personnel of the Office based on a re22 quest from the Capitol Police Board to assist the 

23 United States Capitol Police by providing ushering 

24 and informational services, and other services not di-
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1 rectly involving law enforcement, in connection 

2 with— 

3 (A) the inauguration of the President and 

4 Vice President of the United States; 

5 (B) the official reception of representatives 

6 of foreign nations and other persons by the 

7 Senate or House of Representatives; or 

8 (C) other special or ceremonial occasions 

9 in the United States Capitol or on the United 

10 States Capitol Grounds that require the pres11 ence of additional Government personnel. 

12 (3) AGREEMENTS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE

13 ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL, WITH OTHER LEGISLA14 TIVE BRANCH AGENCIES, AND WITH OFFICES OF

15 THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

16 Subject to the approval of the supervising Commit17 tees, the Chief Executive Officer may place orders 

18 and enter into agreements with the Office of the Ar19 chitect of the Capitol, with other legislative branch 

20 agencies, and with any office or other entity of the 

21 Senate or House of Representatives for procuring 

22 goods and providing financial and administrative 

23 services on behalf of the Office, or to otherwise as24 sist the Chief Executive Officer in the administra25 tion and management of the Capitol Visitor Center. 
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1 (c) REQUIRING APPROVAL OF CERTAIN CON2 TRACTS.—The Chief Executive Officer may not enter into 

3 a contract for which the amount involved exceeds 

4 $250,000 without the prior approval of the supervising 

5 Committees. 

6 (d) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—The Chief Executive 

7 Officer shall submit a report to the supervising Commit8 tees not later than 45 days following the close of each 

9 semiannual period ending on June 30 or December 31 of 

10 each year on the financial and operational status during 

11 the period of each function under the jurisdiction of the 

12 Chief Executive Officer. Each such report shall include fi13 nancial statements and a description or explanation of 

14 current operations, the implementation of new policies and 

15 procedures, and future plans for each function. 

16 SEC. 114. ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS AND VOLUNTEER SERV17 ICES. 

18 (a) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS.— 

19 (1) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT AND USE GIFTS.— 

20 The Chief Executive Officer, with the approval of 

21 the supervising Committees, is authorized to receive, 

22 accept, and hold unrestricted gifts of money on be23 half of the Capitol Visitor Center, and to use the 

24 gifts for the benefit of the Capitol Visitor Center. 
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1 (2) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS OF WORKS OF ART

2 AND OTHER RELATED OBJECTS BY OTHER LEGISLA3 TIVE BRANCH ENTITIES.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a gift 

5 consisting of a work of art, historical object, or 

6 exhibit for which the authority to accept the 

7 gift for display in the Capitol is provided to an 

8 entity referred to in subparagraph (B), the enti9 ty shall have the authority to accept the gift for 

10 display in the Capitol Visitor Center in accord11 ance with the authority provided under applica12 ble law. 

13 (B) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—The entities 

14 referred to in this subparagraph are as follows: 

15 (i) The Joint Committee on the Li16 brary under section 1831 of the Revised 

17 Statutes of the United States (2 U.S.C. 

18 2133). 

19 (ii) The United States Capitol Preser20 vation Commission under section 801 of 

21 the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 

22 1988 (2 U.S.C. 2081). 

23 (iii) The House of Representatives 

24 Fine Arts Board under section 1000 of the 
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1 Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988 (2 

2 U.S.C. 2121). 

3 (iv) The Senate Commission on Art 

4 under section 1 of Senate Resolution 382, 

5 Ninetieth Congress, agreed to October 1, 

6 1968 and enacted into law by section 

7 901(a) of Public Law 100–690 (2 U.S.C. 

8 2101). 

9 (3) ANNUAL REPORT ON GIFTS ACCEPTED.— 

10 Each semiannual report submitted under section 

11 113(d) shall include a description of each accepted 

12 by the Chief Executive Officer under this subsection 

13 during the period covered by the report. 

14 (b) ACCEPTANCE OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES.—Not15 withstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, 

16 the Chief Executive Officer may accept and use voluntary 

17 and uncompensated services for the Capitol Visitor Center 

18 as the Chief Executive Officer determines necessary. No 

19 person shall be permitted to donate his or her personal 

20 services under this section unless such person has first 

21 agreed, in writing, to waive any and all claims against the 

22 United States arising out of or connection with such serv23 ices, other than a claim under the provisions of chapter 

24 81 of title 5, United States Code. No person donating per25 sonal services under this section shall be considered an 
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1 employee of the United States for any purpose other than 

2 for purposes of chapter 81 of such title. In no case shall 

3 the acceptance of personal services under this subsection 

4 result in the reduction of pay or displacement of any em5 ployee of the Office. 

6 SEC. 115. SPECIAL RULES REGARDING CERTAIN ADMINIS7 TRATIVE MATTERS. 

8 (a) SPECIAL RULES REGARDING SECURITY.— 

9 (1) SECURITY JURISDICTION OF LAW ENFORCE10 MENT AGENCIES UNAFFECTED.—Nothing in this Act 

11 granting any authority to the Chief Executive Offi12 cer shall be construed to affect the exclusive jurisdic13 tion of the United States Capitol Police, the Capitol 

14 Police Board, the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper 

15 of the Senate, and the Sergeant at Arms of the 

16 House of Representatives to provide security for the 

17 Capitol Visitor Center. 

18 (2) ATTENDANCE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI19 CER AT CERTAIN MEETINGS OF CAPITOL POLICE

20 BOARD.—At the request of the Capitol Police Board, 

21 the Chief Executive Officer shall attend any portion 

22 of any meeting of the Capitol Police Board during 

23 which the Board considers issues relating to the se24 curity of the Capitol Visitor Center, including activi-
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1 ties described in paragraph (3), or other issues relat2 ing to services provided by employees of the Office. 

3 (3) CONSULTATION WITH CAPITOL POLICE

4 BOARD ON SECURITY MATTERS.—The Office shall 

5 consult with the Capitol Police Board in carrying 

6 out any activity which affects the security of the 

7 Capitol Visitor Center or any other part of the Cap8 itol, including activities relating to the hours of oper9 ation, tour routes and the number of visitors per 

10 tour guide, and other activities relating to the entry 

11 of members of the general public into the Capitol 

12 and the movement of members of the general public 

13 within the Capitol. 

14 (4) PLAN FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR EM15 PLOYEES.—The Chief Executive Officer, in coordi16 nation with the Chief of the Capitol Police, shall de17 velop plans and procedures for conducting criminal 

18 history background checks on employees of the Of19 fice and individuals seeking employment with the Of20 fice (including employees of the Capitol Guide Serv21 ice who are transferred to the Office under title III). 

22 (b) SPECIAL RULES REGARDING CARE AND MAINTE23 NANCE OF FACILITIES.— 

24 (1) ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL JURISDICTION

25 UNAFFECTED.—Nothing in this Act granting any 
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1 authority to the Chief Executive Officer (including 

2 section 114) shall be construed to affect the exclu3 sive jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol for 

4 the care and superintendence of the Capitol Visitor 

5 Center or any other part of the Capitol, and all 

6 maintenance services, groundskeeping services, im7 provements, alterations, additions, and repairs for 

8 the Capitol Visitor Center shall be carried out pur9 suant to the direction and supervision of the Archi10 tect subject to the oversight of Congress under ap11 plicable law (including rules of the House of Rep12 resentatives and Senate). 

13 (2) BUDGET SUBMISSION.—The Architect of 

14 the Capitol shall submit with the annual budget for 

15 the Office of the Architect of the Capitol for a fiscal 

16 year a separate, detailed statement of the costs an17 ticipated to be incurred during the year for the ac18 tivities and services described in paragraph (1) 

19 which are excluded from the annual budget for the 

20 Office which is submitted by the Chief Executive Of21 ficer under section 113(a)(2). 

22 (c) SPECIAL RULE REGARDING EXHIBITS AND

23 TOURS.—The Chief Executive Officer shall consider com24 ments and recommendations from the Clerk of the House 

25 of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate regard-
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1 ing the content of exhibits contained in and tours operated 

2 out of the Capitol Visitor Center. 

3 TITLE II—RELATED SERVICES 

4 PROVIDED AT CAPITOL VIS5 ITOR CENTER 

6 Subtitle A—Related Services 

7 Described 

8 SEC. 201. GIFT SHOP. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—In consultation with the su10 pervising Committees, the Chief Executive Officer shall es11 tablish a gift shop within the Capitol Visitor Center for 

12 the purpose of providing for the sale of gift items. 

13 (b) EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION OF SALE OR SOLIC14 ITATION ON CAPITOL GROUNDS.—Section 5104(c) of title 

15 40, United States Code, shall not apply to any activity 

16 carried out under this subsection. 

17 SEC. 202. FOOD SERVICE OPERATIONS. 

18 (a) RESTAURANT, CATERING, AND VENDING.—The 

19 Chief Executive Officer is authorized to establish within 

20 the Capitol Visitor Center a restaurant and other food 

21 service facilities, including catering services and vending 

22 machines. 

23 (b) USE OF CONTRACT TO CARRY OUT FOOD SERV24 ICE OPERATIONS.—The Chief Executive Officer shall 

25 carry out all food service operations within the Capitol 
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1 Visitor Center pursuant to a contract entered into with 

2 a private vendor. 

3 (c) EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION OF SALE OR SOLIC4 ITATION ON CAPITOL GROUNDS.—Section 5104(c) of title 

5 40, United States Code, shall not apply to any activity 

6 carried out under this subsection. 

7 SEC. 203. LICENSES AND OTHER AGREEMENTS FOR OPER8 ATIONS OR OTHER FUNCTIONS. 

9 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Chief Executive Officer is au10 thorized— 

11 (1) subject to the approval of the supervising 

12 Committees, to enter into licenses and other agree13 ments to allow operations or other functions to occur 

14 within the Capitol Visitor Center; and 

15 (2) to assess and collect charges or other fees 

16 as may be appropriate under such licenses and 

17 agreements, including the recoupment of costs asso18 ciated with the operation or function being held. 

19 (b) EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION OF SALE OR SOLIC20 ITATION ON CAPITOL GROUNDS.—To the extent that a li21 cense or agreement entered into by the Chief Executive 

22 Officer under this section permits any person to sell or 

23 solicit the sale of goods or services within the Capitol Vis24 itor Center, section 5104(c) of title 40, United States 
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1 Code, shall not apply to the sale or solicitation of sales 

2 of such goods or services. 

3 (c) APPROVAL OF CONGRESS REQUIRED FOR CER4 TAIN EVENTS.—No event intended for purposes other 

5 than those described in section 101(b) shall be held in the 

6 central hall of the Capitol Visitor Center unless authorized 

7 by a resolution agreed to by both houses of the Congress. 

8 Subtitle B—Capitol Visitor Center 

9 Revolving Fund 

10 SEC. 211. ESTABLISHMENT; ACCOUNTS. 

11 There is established in the Treasury of the United 

12 States a revolving fund to be known as the Capitol Visitor 

13 Center Revolving Fund (in this section referred to as the 

14 ‘‘Fund’’), consisting of the following individual accounts: 

15 (1) The Gift Shop Account. 

16 (2) The Miscellaneous Receipts Account. 

17 SEC. 212. DEPOSITS IN THE FUND. 

18 (a) GIFT SHOP ACCOUNT.—There shall be deposited 

19 in the Gift Shop Account all monies received from sales 

20 and other services by the gift shop established under sec21 tion 201, together with any interest accrued on balances 

22 in the Account. 

23 (b) MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS ACCOUNT.—There 

24 shall be deposited in the Miscellaneous Receipts Account 
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1 each of the following (together with any interest accrued 

2 on balances in the Account): 

3 (1) Any gifts of money accepted under section 

4 114(a). 

5 (2) Any net profits or commissions paid to the 

6 Capitol Visitor Center under any contract for food 

7 service operations entered into under section 202(b). 

8 (3) Any charges or fees collected from the oper9 ations or other functions within the Capitol Visitor 

10 Center under licenses or other arrangements entered 

11 into under section 203(a). 

12 (4) Any other receipts received from the oper13 ation of the Capitol Visitor Center. 

14 SEC. 213. USE OF MONIES. 

15 (a) GIFT SHOP ACCOUNT.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—All monies in the Gift Shop 

17 Account shall be available without fiscal year limita18 tion for obligation by the Chief Executive Officer in 

19 connection with the operation of the gift shops under 

20 section 201(a), including supplies, inventories, equip21 ment, and other expenses. In addition, such monies 

22 may be used by the Chief Executive Officer to reim23 burse any applicable appropriations account for 

24 amounts used from such appropriations account to 

25 pay the salaries of employees of the gift shops. 
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1 (2) OBLIGATION OF FUNDS REMAINING AFTER

2 USE OF FUNDS FOR GIFT SHOP.—To the extent 

3 monies in the Gift Shop Account are available after 

4 disbursements and reimbursements are made under 

5 subparagraph (A), the Chief Executive Officer may 

6 obligate such monies for the operation of the Capitol 

7 Visitor Center, after consultation with— 

8 (A) the supervising Committees; and 

9 (B) the Committees on Appropriations of 

10 the House of Representatives and Senate. 

11 (b) MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS ACCOUNT.—All mon12 ies in the Miscellaneous Receipts Account shall be avail13 able without fiscal year limitation for obligation by the 

14 Chief Executive Officer for the operations of the Capitol 

15 Visitor Center, after consultation with— 

16 (1) the supervising Committees; and 

17 (2) the Committees on Appropriations of the 

18 House of Representatives and Senate. 

19 SEC. 214. ADMINISTRATION OF FUND. 

20 (a) OBLIGATIONS.—Obligations from the Fund may 

21 be made by the Chief Executive Officer. 

22 (b) INVESTMENT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of the 

23 Treasury shall invest any portion of the Fund that, as de24 termined by the Chief Executive Officer, is not required 

25 to meet current expenses. Each investment shall be made 
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1 in an interest-bearing obligation of the United States or 

2 an obligation guaranteed both as to principal and interest 

3 by the United States that, as determined by the Chief Ex4 ecutive Officer, has a maturity date suitable for the pur5 poses of the Fund. The Secretary of the Treasury shall 

6 credit interest earned on the obligations to the Fund. 

7 (c) AUDIT.—The Fund shall be subject to audit by 

8 the Comptroller General at the discretion of the Comp9 troller General. 

10 TITLE III—TREATMENT OF 

11 CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE 

12 Subtitle A—Transfer to Office of 

13 the Capitol Visitor Center 

14 SEC. 301. TRANSFER OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE. 

15 (a) TRANSFER OF AUTHORITIES AND PERSONNEL TO

16 OFFICE OF THE CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER.—Except as 

17 provided in subsection (c), effective on the transfer date— 

18 (1) the contracts, liabilities, records, property, 

19 and other assets and interests of the Capitol Guide 

20 Service, established pursuant to section 441 of the 

21 Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (2 U.S.C. 

22 2166), and the employees of the Capitol Guide Serv23 ice, are transferred to the Office, except that the 

24 transfer of any amounts appropriated to the Capitol 

25 Guide Service that remain available as of the trans-
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1 fer date shall occur only upon the approval of the 

2 Committees on Appropriations of the House of Rep3 resentatives and Senate; and 

4 (2) the Capitol Guide Service shall be subject to 

5 the direction, supervision, and control of the Chief 

6 Executive Officer in accordance with this subtitle. 

7 (b) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES OF CAPITOL GUIDE

8 SERVICE AT TIME OF TRANSFER.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Any individual who is an 

10 employee of the Capitol Guide Service on a perma11 nent basis on the transfer date who is transferred to 

12 the Office under subsection (a) shall be subject to 

13 authority of the Chief Executive Officer under sec14 tion 302(b), except that the individual shall not be 

15 reduced in grade, compensation, rate of leave, or 

16 other benefits that apply with respect to the indi17 vidual at the time of transfer while such individual 

18 remains continuously so employed as a Capitol 

19 Guide within the Office, other than for cause. 

20 (2) ELIGIBILITY FOR IMMEDIATE RETIREMENT

21 ON BASIS OF INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION.—For pur22 poses of section 8336(d) and section 8414(b) of title 

23 5, United States Code, an individual described in 

24 paragraph (1) who is separated from service with 

25 the Office shall be considered to have separated from 
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1 the service involuntarily if, at the time the individual 

2 is separated from service— 

3 (A) the individual has completed 25 years 

4 of service under such title; or 

5 (B) the individual has completed 20 years 

6 of service under such title and is 50 years of 

7 age or older. 

8 (3) CONTINUATION OF PARTICIPATION IN STU9 DENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.—Notwith10 standing any other provision of law, if an individual 

11 described in paragraph (1) has a written service 

12 agreement in effect under section 102 of the Legis13 lative Branch Appropriations Act, 2002 (2 U.S.C. 

14 60c–5) at the time the individual is transferred to 

15 the Office, the agreement shall remain in effect in 

16 accordance with the terms and conditions applicable 

17 to the agreement at the time the individual is trans18 ferred (including the provisions of such section per19 mitting the individual to enter into additional service 

20 agreements for successive 1-year periods of employ21 ment), except that in applying such section to the in22 dividual, the following shall apply: 

23 (A) The Office shall serve as the employing 

24 office, and the Chief Executive Officer shall 

25 serve as the head of the employing office. 
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1 (B) The Architect of the Capitol shall 

2 carry out the responsibilities of the Secretary of 

3 the Senate. 

4 (C) Any reference to the Committee on 

5 Rules and Administration of the Senate and the 

6 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate 

7 shall be treated as a reference to the super8 vising Committees. 

9 (D) If the individual is required to make 

10 any reimbursement under such section with re11 spect to payments made after the individual is 

12 transferred, the individual shall reimburse the 

13 Office of the Architect of the Capitol. 

14 (4) PROHIBITING IMPOSITION OF PROBA15 TIONARY PERIOD.—The Chief Executive Officer may 

16 not impose a period of probation with respect to the 

17 transfer of any individual who is transferred to the 

18 Office under subsection (a). 

19 (c) EXCEPTION FOR CONGRESSIONAL SPECIAL SERV20 ICES OFFICE.—This section does not apply with respect 

21 to any employees, contracts, liabilities, records, property, 

22 and other assets and interests of the Congressional Special 

23 Services Office of the Capitol Guide Service that are trans24 ferred to the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 

25 under subtitle B. 
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1 SEC. 302. DUTIES OF EMPLOYEES OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERV2 ICE. 

3 (a) PROVISION OF GUIDED TOURS.— 

4 (1) TOURS.—In accordance with this section, 

5 the Capitol Guide Service shall provide guided tours 

6 of the interior of the United States Capitol without 

7 charge, including the Capitol Visitor Center, for the 

8 education and enlightenment of the general public. 

9 (2) ACCEPTANCE OF FEES PROHIBITED.—An 

10 employee of the Capitol Guide Service shall not 

11 charge or accept any fee, or accept any gratuity, for 

12 or on account of his official services. 

13 (3) REGULATIONS OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI14 CER.— All such tours shall be conducted in compli15 ance with regulations approved by the Chief Execu16 tive Officer. 

17 (b) AUTHORITY OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.— 

18 In providing for the direction, supervision, and control of 

19 the Capitol Guide Service, the Chief Executive Officer is 

20 authorized— 

21 (1) subject to the availability of appropriations, 

22 to establish and revise such number of positions of 

23 Guide in the Capitol Guide Service as the Chief Ex24 ecutive Officer considers necessary to carry out ef25 fectively the activities of the Capitol Guide Service; 
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1 (2) to appoint, on a permanent basis without 

2 regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis 

3 of fitness to perform their duties, a Chief Guide and 

4 such deputies as the Chief Executive Officer con5 siders appropriate for the effective administration of 

6 the Capitol Guide Service and, in addition, such 

7 number of Guides as may be authorized; 

8 (3) with the approval of the supervising Com9 mittees, with respect to the individuals appointed 

10 pursuant to paragraph (2)— 

11 (A) to prescribe the individual’s duties and 

12 responsibilities, 

13 (B) to fix, and adjust from time to time, 

14 respective rates of pay at single per annum 

15 (gross) rates, and 

16 (C) to take appropriate disciplinary action, 

17 including, when circumstances warrant, suspen18 sion from duty without pay, reduction in pay, 

19 demotion, or termination of employment with 

20 the Capitol Guide Service, against any employee 

21 who violates any provision of this section or any 

22 regulation prescribed by the Chief Executive 

23 Officer pursuant to paragraph (7); 
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1 (4) to prescribe a uniform dress, including ap2 propriate insignia, which shall be worn by personnel 

3 of the Capitol Guide Service; 

4 (5) from time to time and as may be necessary, 

5 to procure and furnish such uniforms to such per6 sonnel without charge to such personnel; 

7 (6) to receive and consider advice and informa8 tion from any private historical or educational orga9 nization, association, or society with respect to those 

10 operations of the Capitol Guide Service which involve 

11 the furnishing of historical and educational informa12 tion to the general public; and 

13 (7) with the approval of the supervising Com14 mittees, to prescribe such regulations as the Chief 

15 Executive Officer considers necessary and appro16 priate for the operation of the Capitol Guide Service, 

17 including regulations with respect to tour routes and 

18 hours of operation, number of visitors per guide, 

19 staff-led tours, and non-law enforcement security 

20 and special event related support. 

21 (c) PROVISION OF ACCESSIBLE TOURS IN COORDINA22 TION WITH OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ACCESSIBILITY

23 SERVICES.—The Chief Executive Officer shall coordinate 

24 the provision of accessible tours for individuals with dis-
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1 abilities with the Office of Congressional Accessibility 

2 Services established under subtitle B. 

3 Subtitle B—Office of Congressional 

4 Accessibility Services 

5 SEC. 311. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL 

6 ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

8 legislative branch the Office of Congressional Accessibility 

9 Services, to be headed by the Director of Accessibility 

10 Services. 

11 (b) SUPERVISION AND CONTROL.—The Office of 

12 Congressional Accessibility Services shall be subject to the 

13 direction, supervision, and control of the Capitol Police 

14 Board. 

15 (c) MISSION AND FUNCTIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Congressional 

17 Accessibility Services shall— 

18 (A) provide and coordinate accessibility 

19 services for individuals with disabilities, includ20 ing Members of Congress, employees of the 

21 House of Representatives and the Senate, and 

22 visitors, in the United States Capitol Complex; 

23 and 

24 (B) in consultation with the Office of 

25 House Employment Counsel and the Senate 
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1 Chief Counsel for Employment, provide infor2 mation regarding accessibility for individuals 

3 with disabilities, as well as related training and 

4 staff development, to Members of Congress and 

5 employees of the House of Representatives and 

6 Senate. 

7 (2) SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS.—The Director of Ac8 cessibility Services shall submit to the supervising 

9 Committees a list of the specific functions that the 

10 Office of Congressional Accessibility Services will 

11 perform in carrying out this subtitle with the ap12 proval of the supervising committees. The Director 

13 of Accessibility Services shall submit the list not 

14 later than 30 days after the transfer date. 

15 (3) NO EFFECT ON AUTHORITY OF EMPLOY16 MENT COUNSELS.—Nothing in this subtitle shall be 

17 construed to limit any authority or function of the 

18 Office of House Employment Counsel or the Senate 

19 Chief Counsel for Employment that such Office or 

20 Counsel carries out prior to the transfer date. 

21 (4) UNITED STATES CAPITOL COMPLEX DE22 FINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘United States 

23 Capitol Complex’’ means the Capitol buildings (as 

24 defined in section 5101 of title 40, United States 
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1 Code) and the United States Capitol Grounds (as 

2 described in section 5102 of such title). 

3 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 310 of the 

4 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1990 (2 U.S.C. 

5 130e) is repealed. 

6 SEC. 312. DIRECTOR OF ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES. 

7 (a) APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL; COMPENSA8 TION.— 

9 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The Director of Accessi10 bility Services shall be appointed by the Capitol Po11 lice Board. 

12 (2) REMOVAL.—The Director of Accessibility 

13 Services may be removed by the Capitol Police 

14 Board, upon notification to the supervising Commit15 tees. 

16 (3) COMPENSATION.—The Director of Accessi17 bility Services shall be paid at an annual rate of pay 

18 determined by the Capitol Police Board, except that 

19 such rate may not exceed the maximum rate payable 

20 for level 15 of the General Schedule. 

21 (4) TRANSITION FOR CURRENT HEAD OF CON22 GRESSIONAL SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICE OF CAPITOL

23 GUIDE SERVICE.—The individual serving as the head 

24 of the Congressional Special Services Office of the 

25 Capitol Guide Service as of the transfer date shall 
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1 be appointed by the Capitol Police Board as the first 

2 Director of Accessibility Services under this subtitle. 

3 (b) PERSONNEL AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE

4 FUNCTIONS.— 

5 (1) PERSONNEL, DISBURSEMENTS, AND CON6 TRACTS.—In carrying out the functions of the Office 

7 of Congressional Accessibility Services under section 

8 311, the Director of Accessibility Services shall have 

9 the authority— 

10 (A) to appoint, hire, and fix the compensa11 tion of such personnel as may be necessary for 

12 operations of the Office of Congressional Acces13 sibility Services, except that no employee may 

14 be paid at an annual rate in excess of the an15 nual rate of pay for the Director of Accessibility 

16 Services; 

17 (B) to disburse funds as may be necessary 

18 and available for the needs of the Office of Con19 gressional Accessibility Services; and 

20 (C) to serve as contracting officer for the 

21 Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. 

22 (2) AGREEMENTS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE

23 ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL, WITH OTHER LEGISLA24 TIVE BRANCH AGENCIES, AND WITH OFFICES OF

25 THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 
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1 Subject to the approval of the supervising Commit2 tees, the Director of Accessibility Services may place 

3 orders and enter into agreements with the Office of 

4 the Architect of the Capitol, with other legislative 

5 branch agencies, and with any office or other entity 

6 of the Senate or House of Representatives for pro7 curing goods and providing financial and administra8 tive services on behalf of the Office of Accessibility 

9 Services, or to otherwise assist the Director in the 

10 administration and management of the Office of Ac11 cessibility Services. 

12 (c) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—The Director of Acces13 sibility Services shall submit a report to the supervising 

14 Committees not later than 45 days following the close of 

15 each semiannual period ending on June 30 or December 

16 31 of each year on the financial and operational status 

17 during the period of each function under the jurisdiction 

18 of the Director. Each such report shall include financial 

19 statements and a description or explanation of current op20 erations, the implementation of new policies and proce21 dures, and future plans for each function. 

22 SEC. 313. TRANSFER FROM CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE. 

23 (a) TRANSFER OF AUTHORITIES AND PERSONNEL OF

24 CONGRESSIONAL SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICE OF CAPITOL
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1 GUIDE SERVICE.—In accordance with the provisions of 

2 this subtitle, effective on the transfer date— 

3 (1) the contracts, liabilities, records, property, 

4 and other assets and interests of the Congressional 

5 Special Services Office of the Capitol Guide Service, 

6 and the employees of such Office, are transferred to 

7 the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services es8 tablished under section 311(a), except that the 

9 transfer of any amounts appropriated to the Con10 gressional Special Services Office that remain avail11 able as of the transfer date shall occur only upon the 

12 approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the 

13 House of Representatives and Senate; and 

14 (2) the employees of such Office shall be sub15 ject to the direction, supervision, and control of the 

16 Director of Accessibility Services. 

17 (b) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES AT TIME OF TRANS18 FER.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Any individual who is an 

20 employee of the Congressional Special Services Of21 fice of the Capitol Guide Service on a permanent 

22 basis on the transfer date who is transferred under 

23 subsection (a) shall be subject to authority of the 

24 Director of Accessibility Services under section 312, 

25 except that the individual shall not be reduced in 
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•HR 5159 EH

1 grade, compensation, rate of leave, or other benefits 

2 that apply with respect to the individual at the time 

3 of transfer while such individual remains continu4 ously so employed within the Office of Congressional 

5 Accessibility Services established under section 

6 311(a), other than for cause. 

7 (2) ELIGIBILITY FOR IMMEDIATE RETIREMENT

8 ON BASIS OF INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION.—For pur9 poses of section 8336(d) and section 8414(b) of title 

10 5, United States Code, an individual described in 

11 paragraph (1) who is separated from service with 

12 the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 

13 shall be considered to have separated from the serv14 ice involuntarily if, at the time the individual is sep15 arated from service— 

16 (A) the individual has completed 25 years 

17 of service under such title; or 

18 (B) the individual has completed 20 years 

19 of service under such title and is 50 years of 

20 age or older. 

21 (3) PROHIBITING IMPOSITION OF PROBA22 TIONARY PERIOD.—The Director of Accessibility 

23 Services may not impose a period of probation with 

24 respect to the transfer of any individual who is 
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1 transferred to the Office of Congressional Accessi2 bility Services under subsection (a). 

3 Subtitle C—Technical and 

4 Conforming Amendments 

5 SEC. 321. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

6 (a) EXISTING AUTHORITY OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERV7 ICE.—Section 441 of the Legislative Reorganization Act 

8 of 1970 (2 U.S.C. 2166) is repealed. 

9 (b) COVERAGE UNDER CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNT10 ABILITY ACT OF 1995.— 

11 (1) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES AS COVERED

12 EMPLOYEES.—Section 101(3)(C) of the Congres13 sional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 

14 1301(3)(C)) is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘(C) the Office of Congressional Accessi16 bility Services;’’. 

17 (2) TREATMENT OF OFFICE AS EMPLOYING OF18 FICE.—Section 101(9)(D) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 

19 1301(9)(D)) is amended by striking ‘‘the Capitol 

20 Guide Board,’’ and inserting ‘‘the Office of Congres21 sional Accessibility Services,’’. 

22 (3) RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS RELATING TO

23 PUBLIC SERVICES AND ACCOMMODATIONS.—Section 

24 210(a)(4) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 1331(a)(4)) is 

25 amended to read as follows: 
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1 ‘‘(4) the Office of Congressional Accessibility 

2 Services;’’. 

3 (4) PERIODIC INSPECTIONS FOR OCCUPATIONAL

4 SAFETY AND HEALTH COMPLIANCE.—Section 

5 215(e)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 1341(e)(1)) is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘the Capitol Guide Service,’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘the Office of Congressional Accessi8 bility Services,’’. 

9 (c) TREATMENT AS CONGRESSIONAL EMPLOYEES

10 FOR RETIREMENT PURPOSES.—Section 2107(9) of title 5, 

11 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(9) an employee of the Office of Congressional 

13 Accessibility Services.’’. 

14 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 this section shall take effect on the transfer date. 

16 Subtitle D—Transfer Date 

17 SEC. 331. TRANSFER DATE. 

18 In this title, the ‘‘transfer date’’ means the date on 

19 which the Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with the 

20 Architect of the Capitol, certifies that a certificate of occu21 pancy for the Capitol Visitor Center has been issued by 

22 the appropriate authorities. 
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1 TITLE IV—GENERAL 

2 PROVISIONS 

3 SEC. 401. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

5 as are necessary to carry out this Act. 

Passed the House of Representatives March 5, 

2008. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5159 

AN ACT 

To establish the Office of the Capitol Visitor Center 

and for other purposes. and administration of the Capitol Visitor Center, Services, to provide for the effective management headed by the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor within the Office of the Architect of the Capitol,