I 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5159 

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 29, 2008 

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. EHLERS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration 

A BILL 

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. 

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: 


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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. 

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. 


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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— 

19 (1) provide enhanced security for persons work20 ing in or visiting the United States Capitol; and 

21 (2) improve the visitor experience by providing 

22 a structure that will afford improved visitor orienta23 tion and enhance the educational experience of those 


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1 who have come to learn about Congress and the 

2 Capitol. 

3 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT RELATING TO VIS4 ITOR CENTER SPACE IN THE CAPITOL.—Section 301 of 

5 the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 (2 

6 U.S.C. 2165) is repealed. 

7 SEC. 102. OVERSIGHT OF COMMITTEES. 

8 The Committee on Rules and Administration of the 

9 Senate and the Committee on House Administration of 

10 the House of Representatives (hereafter in this Act re11 ferred to as the ‘‘supervising Committees’’) shall exercise 

12 policy review and oversight over the Capitol Visitor Cen13 ter. 

14 SEC. 103. SPECIAL RULE FOR CERTAIN SPACES IN THE CAP15 ITOL VISITOR CENTER. 

16 (a) SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EX17 PANSION SPACE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 

18 this Act, the Senate and House of Representatives expan19 sion space described as ‘‘unassigned space’’ under the 

20 heading ‘‘Architect of the Capitol, Capitol Visitor Center’’ 

21 in the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2002 (Pub22 lic Law 107–68; 115 Stat. 588)— 

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

24 Visitor Center for purposes of this Act; and 


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1 (2) shall be treated for purposes of law (includ2 ing rules of the House of Representatives and Sen3 ate)— 

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

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

6 of the Capitol and subject to the authority and 

7 control of the Committee on Rules and Admin8 istration of the Senate, or 

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

10 use of the House, as part of the House of Rep11 resentatives wing of the Capitol and subject to 

12 the authority and control of the Speaker. 

13 (b) TREATMENT OF CONGRESSIONAL AUDITORIUM

14 AND RELATED ADJACENT AREAS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

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

17 Center known as the Congressional Auditorium, to18 gether with each of the areas referred to in para19 graph (2), shall be assigned for Congressional use by 

20 the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services 

21 under guidelines established by the supervising Com22 mittees. 

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

24 in this paragraph are as follows, as identified and 


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1 designated by the Architect of the Capitol on Octo2 ber 1, 2007: 

3 (A) The North Congressional Meeting 

4 Room (CVC268) and the South Congressional 

5 Meeting Room (CVC217). 

6 (B) The North Pre-function Area 

7 (CVC268CR) and the South Pre-function Area 

8 (CVC217CR). 

9 (C) Lobbies CVC215 and CVC 212. 

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

11 the South Cloak Room (CVC208). 

12 (E) The Projection Room (CVC209). 

13 (F) The Green Room (CVC207). 

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

15 (H) Offices CVC101, CVC102, CVC103, 

16 CVC104, CVC106, CVC204, and CVC205. 

17 Subtitle B—Office of the Capitol 

18 Visitor Center; Chief Executive 

19 Officer for Visitor Services 

20 SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT. 

21 There is established within the Office of the Architect 

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

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

24 Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services (in this Act 

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


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1 SEC. 112. APPOINTMENT AND SUPERVISION OF CHIEF EX2 ECUTIVE OFFICER FOR VISITOR SERVICES. 

3 (a) APPOINTMENT.—The Chief Executive Officer 

4 shall be appointed by the Architect of the Capitol. 

5 (b) SUPERVISION AND OVERSIGHT.—The Chief Exec6 utive Officer shall report directly to the Architect of the 

7 Capitol and shall be subject to policy review and oversight 

8 by the supervising Committees. 

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

10 Officer, the Architect of the Capitol shall immediately no11 tify the supervising Committees and the Committees on 

12 Appropriations of the House of Representatives and Sen13 ate, stating the reasons for the removal. 

14 (d) COMPENSATION.—The Chief Executive Officer 

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

16 rate of pay of the Deputy Architect of the Capitol and 

17 Chief Operating Officer of the Office of the Architect of 

18 the Capitol. 

19 (e) TRANSITION FOR CURRENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE

20 OFFICER FOR VISITOR SERVICES.— 

21 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The individual who serves 

22 as the Chief Executive Officer for Visitor Services 

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

24 Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Ac25 countability Appropriation Act of 2007 (2 U.S.C. 

26 1806) as of the date of the enactment of this Act 


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1 shall be the first Chief Executive Officer for Visitor 

2 Services appointed by the Architect under this sec3 tion. 

4 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 6701 

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

6 Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appro7 priation Act of 2007 (2 U.S.C. 1806) is repealed. 

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

9 (a) ADMINISTRATION OF FACILITIES, SERVICES, AND

10 ACTIVITIES.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except to the extent other12 wise provided in this Act, the Chief Executive Offi13 cer shall be responsible for— 

14 (A) the operation, management, and budg15 et preparation and execution of the Capitol Vis16 itor Center, including all long term planning 

17 and day-today operational services and activities 

18 provided within the Capitol Visitor Center; and 

19 (B) in accordance with subtitle A of title 

20 III, the management of guided tours of the in21 terior of the United States Capitol. 

22 (2) INDEPENDENT BUDGET SUBMISSION.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The proposed budget 

24 for the Office for a fiscal year shall be prepared 

25 by the Chief Executive Officer, and shall be inVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:47 Jan 31, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5159.IH H5159

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1 cluded without revision in the proposed budget 

2 for the year for the Office of the Architect of 

3 the Capitol (as submitted by the Architect of 

4 the Capitol to the President). 

5 (B) EXCLUSION OF COSTS OF GENERAL

6 MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF VISITOR CEN7 TER.—In preparing the proposed budget for the 

8 Office under subparagraph (A), the Chief Exec9 utive Officer shall exclude costs attributable to 

10 the activities and services described in section 

11 115(b) (relating to continuing jurisdiction of 

12 the Architect of the Capitol for the care and su13 perintendence of the Capitol Visitor Center). 

14 (b) PERSONNEL AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE PRO15 VISIONS.— 

16 (1) PERSONNEL, DISBURSEMENTS, AND CON17 TRACTS.—In carrying out this Act, the Chief Execu18 tive Officer shall have the authority— 

19 (A) to appoint, hire, and fix the compensa20 tion of such personnel as may be necessary for 

21 operations of the Office, except that no em22 ployee may be paid at an annual rate in excess 

23 of the maximum rate payable for level 15 of the 

24 General Schedule unless otherwise authorized 

25 by law; 


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1 (B) to disburse funds as may be necessary 

2 and available for the needs of the Office (con3 sistent with the requirements of section 213 in 

4 the case of amounts in the Capitol Visitor Cen5 ter Revolving Fund); and 

6 (C) to designate an employee of the Office 

7 to serve as contracting officer for the Office, 

8 subject to subsection (c). 

9 (2) TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF PER10 SONNEL.—The Chief Executive Officer shall tempo11 rarily assign personnel of the Office based on a re12 quest from the Capitol Police Board to assist the 

13 United States Capitol Police by providing ushering 

14 and informational services, and other services not di15 rectly involving law enforcement, in connection 

16 with— 

17 (A) the inauguration of the President and 

18 Vice President of the United States; 

19 (B) the official reception of representatives 

20 of foreign nations and other persons by the 

21 Senate or House of Representatives; or 

22 (C) other special or ceremonial occasions 

23 in the United States Capitol or on the United 

24 States Capitol Grounds that require the pres25 ence of additional Government personnel. 


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1 (3) AGREEMENTS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE

2 ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL, WITH OTHER LEGISLA3 TIVE BRANCH AGENCIES, AND WITH OFFICES OF

4 THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

5 Subject to the approval of the supervising Commit6 tees, the Chief Executive Officer may place orders 

7 and enter into agreements with the Office of the Ar8 chitect of the Capitol, with other legislative branch 

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

10 Senate or House of Representatives for procuring 

11 goods and providing financial and administrative 

12 services on behalf of the Office, or to otherwise as13 sist the Chief Executive Officer in the administra14 tion and management of the Capitol Visitor Center. 

15 (c) REQUIRING APPROVAL OF CERTAIN CON16 TRACTS.—The Chief Executive Officer may not enter into 

17 a contract for which the amount involved exceeds 

18 $250,000 without the prior approval of the supervising 

19 Committees. 

20 (d) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—The Chief Executive 

21 Officer shall submit a report to the supervising Commit22 tees not later than 45 days following the close of each 

23 semiannual period ending on June 30 or December 31 of 

24 each year on the financial and operational status during 

25 the period of each function under the jurisdiction of the 


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1 Chief Executive Officer. Each such report shall include fi2 nancial statements and a description or explanation of 

3 current operations, the implementation of new policies and 

4 procedures, and future plans for each function. 

5 SEC. 114. ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS AND VOLUNTEER SERV6 ICES. 

7 (a) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS.— 

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

9 The Chief Executive Officer, with the approval of 

10 the supervising Committees, is authorized to receive, 

11 accept, and hold unrestricted gifts of money on be12 half of the Capitol Visitor Center, and to use the 

13 gifts for the benefit of the Capitol Visitor Center 

14 (2) ACCEPTANCE OF GIFTS OF WORKS OF ART

15 AND OTHER RELATED OBJECTS BY OTHER LEGISLA16 TIVE BRANCH ENTITIES.— 

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

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

19 exhibit for which the authority to accept the 

20 gift for display in the Capitol is provided to an 

21 entity referred to in subparagraph (B), the enti22 ty shall have the authority to accept the gift for 

23 display in the Capitol Visitor Center in accord24 ance with the authority provided under applica25 ble law. 


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1 (B) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—The entities 

2 referred to in this subparagraph are as follows: 

3 (i) The Joint Committee on the Li4 brary under section 1831 of the Revised 

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

6 2133). 

7 (ii) The United States Capitol Preser8 vation Commission under section 801 of 

9 the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 

10 1988 (2 U.S.C. 2081). 

11 (iii) The House of Representatives 

12 Fine Arts Board under section 1000 of the 

13 Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988 (2 

14 U.S.C. 2121). 

15 (iv) The Senate Commission on Art 

16 under section 1 of Senate Resolution 382, 

17 Ninetieth Congress, agreed to October 1, 

18 1968 and enacted into law by section 

19 901(a) of Public Law 100–690 (2 U.S.C. 

20 2101). 

21 (3) ANNUAL REPORT ON GIFTS ACCEPTED.— 

22 Each semiannual report submitted under section 

23 113(d) shall include a description of each accepted 

24 by the Chief Executive Officer under this subsection 

25 during the period covered by the report. 


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1 (b) ACCEPTANCE OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES.—Not2 withstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, 

3 the Chief Executive Officer may accept and use voluntary 

4 and uncompensated services for the Capitol Visitor Center 

5 as the Chief Executive Officer determines necessary. No 

6 person shall be permitted to donate his or her personal 

7 services under this section unless such person has first 

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

9 United States arising out of or connection with such serv10 ices, other than a claim under the provisions of chapter 

11 81 of title 5, United States Code. No person donating per12 sonal services under this section shall be considered an 

13 employee of the United States for any purpose other than 

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

15 the acceptance of personal services under this subsection 

16 result in the reduction of pay or displacement of any em17 ployee of the Office. 

18 SEC. 115. SPECIAL RULES REGARDING CERTAIN ADMINIS19 TRATIVE MATTERS. 

20 (a) SPECIAL RULES REGARDING SECURITY.— 

21 (1) SECURITY JURISDICTION OF LAW ENFORCE22 MENT AGENCIES UNAFFECTED.—Nothing in this Act 

23 granting any authority to the Chief Executive Offi24 cer shall be construed to affect the exclusive jurisdic25 tion of the United States Capitol Police, the Capitol 


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1 Police Board, the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper 

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

3 House of Representatives to provide security for the 

4 Capitol Visitor Center. 

5 (2) ATTENDANCE OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI6 CER AT CERTAIN MEETINGS OF CAPITOL POLICE

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

8 the Chief Executive Officer shall attend any portion 

9 of any meeting of the Capitol Police Board during 

10 which the Board considers issues relating to the se11 curity of the Capitol Visitor Center, including activi12 ties described in paragraph (3), or other issues relat13 ing to services provided by employees of the Office. 

14 (3) CONSULTATION WITH CAPITOL POLICE

15 BOARD ON SECURITY MATTERS.—The Office shall 

16 consult with the Capitol Police Board in carrying 

17 out any activity which affects the security of the 

18 Capitol Visitor Center or any other part of the Cap19 itol, including activities relating to the hours of oper20 ation, tour routes and the number of visitors per 

21 tour guide, and other activities relating to the entry 

22 of members of the general public into the Capitol 

23 and the movement of members of the general public 

24 within the Capitol. 


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1 (4) PLAN FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR EM2 PLOYEES.—The Chief Executive Officer, in coordi3 nation with the Chief of the Capitol Police, shall de4 velop plans and procedures for conducting criminal 

5 history background checks on employees of the Of6 fice and individuals seeking employment with the Of7 fice (including employees of the Capitol Guide Serv8 ice who are transferred to the Office under title III). 

9 (b) SPECIAL RULES REGARDING CARE AND MAINTE10 NANCE OF FACILITIES.— 

11 (1) ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL JURISDICTION

12 UNAFFECTED.—Nothing in this Act granting any 

13 authority to the Chief Executive Officer shall be con14 strued to affect the exclusive jurisdiction of the Ar15 chitect of the Capitol for the care and superintend16 ence of the Capitol Visitor Center or any other part 

17 of the Capitol, and all maintenance services, 

18 groundskeeping services, improvements, alterations, 

19 additions, and repairs for the Capitol Visitor Center 

20 shall be carried out pursuant to the direction and 

21 supervision of the Architect subject to the oversight 

22 of Congress under applicable law. 

23 (2) BUDGET SUBMISSION.—The Architect of 

24 the Capitol shall submit with the annual budget for 

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


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1 year a separate, detailed statement of the costs an2 ticipated to be incurred during the year for the ac3 tivities and services described in paragraph (1) 

4 which are excluded from the annual budget for the 

5 Office which is submitted by the Chief Executive Of6 ficer under section 113(a)(2). 

7 (c) SPECIAL RULE REGARDING EXHIBITS AND

8 TOURS.—The Chief Executive Officer shall consider com9 ments and recommendations from the Clerk of the House 

10 of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate regard11 ing the content of exhibits contained in and tours operated 

12 out of the Capitol Visitor Center. 

13 TITLE II—RELATED SERVICES 

14 PROVIDED AT CAPITOL VIS15 ITOR CENTER 

16 Subtitle A—Related Services 

17 Described 

18 SEC. 201. GIFT SHOP. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—In consultation with the su20 pervising Committees, the Chief Executive Officer shall es21 tablish a gift shop within the Capitol Visitor Center for 

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

23 (b) EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION OF SALE OR SOLIC24 ITATION ON CAPITOL GROUNDS.—Section 5104(c) of title 


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1 40, United States Code, shall not apply to any activity 

2 carried out under this subsection. 

3 SEC. 202. FOOD SERVICE OPERATIONS. 

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

5 Chief Executive Officer is authorized to establish within 

6 the Capitol Visitor Center a restaurant and other food 

7 service facilities, including catering services and vending 

8 machines. 

9 (b) USE OF CONTRACT TO CARRY OUT FOOD SERV10 ICE OPERATIONS.—The Chief Executive Officer shall 

11 carry out all food service operations within the Capitol 

12 Visitor Center pursuant to a contract entered into with 

13 a private vendor. 

14 (c) EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION OF SALE OR SOLIC15 ITATION ON CAPITOL GROUNDS.—Section 5104(c) of title 

16 40, United States Code, shall not apply to any activity 

17 carried out under this subsection. 

18 SEC. 203. LICENSES AND OTHER AGREEMENTS FOR OPER19 ATIONS OR OTHER FUNCTIONS. 

20 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Chief Executive Officer is au21 thorized— 

22 (1) subject to the approval of the supervising 

23 Committees, to enter into licenses and other agree24 ments to allow operations or other functions to occur 

25 within the Capitol Visitor Center; and 


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

2 as may be appropriate under such licenses and 

3 agreements, including the recoupment of costs asso4 ciated with the operation or function being held. 

5 (b) EXCEPTION TO PROHIBITION OF SALE OR SOLIC6 ITATION ON CAPITOL GROUNDS.—To the extent that a li7 cense or agreement entered into by the Chief Executive 

8 Officer under this section permits any person to sell or 

9 solicit the sale of goods or services within the Capitol Vis10 itor Center, section 5104(c) of title 40, United States 

11 Code, shall not apply to the sale or solicitation of sales 

12 of such goods or services. 

13 (c) APPROVAL OF CONGRESS REQUIRED FOR CER14 TAIN EVENTS.—No event intended for purposes other 

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

16 central hall of the Capitol Visitor Center unless authorized 

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

18 Subtitle B—Capitol Visitor Center 

19 Revolving Fund 

20 SEC. 211. ESTABLISHMENT; ACCOUNTS. 

21 There is established in the Treasury of the United 

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

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

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

25 (1) The Gift Shop Account. 


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1 (2) The Miscellaneous Receipts Account. 

2 SEC. 212. DEPOSITS IN THE FUND. 

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

4 in the Gift Shop Account all monies received from sales 

5 and other services by the gift shop established under sec6 tion 201, together with any interest accrued on balances 

7 in the Account. 

8 (b) MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS ACCOUNT.—There 

9 shall be deposited in the Miscellaneous Receipts Account 

10 each of the following (together with any interest accrued 

11 on balances in the Account): 

12 (1) Any gifts of money accepted under section 

13 114(a). 

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

15 Capitol Visitor Center under any contract for food 

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

17 (3) Any charges or fees collected from the oper18 ations or other functions within the Capitol Visitor 

19 Center under licenses or other arrangements entered 

20 into under section 203(a). 

21 (4) Any other receipts received from the oper22 ation of the Capitol Visitor Center 

23 SEC. 213. USE OF MONIES. 

24 (a) GIFT SHOP ACCOUNT.— 


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

2 Account shall be available without fiscal year limita3 tion for obligation by the Chief Executive Officer in 

4 connection with the operation of the gift shops under 

5 section 201(a), including supplies, inventories, equip6 ment, and other expenses. In addition, such monies 

7 may be used by the Chief Executive Officer to reim8 burse any applicable appropriations account for 

9 amounts used from such appropriations account to 

10 pay the salaries of employees of the gift shops. 

11 (2) OBLIGATION OF FUNDS REMAINING AFTER

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

13 monies in the Gift Shop Account are available after 

14 disbursements and reimbursements are made under 

15 subparagraph (A), the Chief Executive Officer may 

16 obligate such monies for the operation of the Capitol 

17 Visitor Center, after consultation with— 

18 (A) the supervising Committees; and 

19 (B) the Committees on Appropriations of 

20 the House of Representatives and Senate. 

21 (b) MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS ACCOUNT.—All mon22 ies in the Miscellaneous Receipts Account shall be avail23 able without fiscal year limitation for obligation by the 

24 Chief Executive Officer for the operations of the Capitol 

25 Visitor Center, after consultation with— 


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1 (1) the supervising Committees; and 

2 (2) the Committees on Appropriations of the 

3 House of Representatives and Senate. 

4 SEC. 214. ADMINISTRATION OF FUND. 

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

6 be made by the Chief Executive Officer. 

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

8 Treasury shall invest any portion of the Fund that, as de9 termined by the Chief Executive Officer, is not required 

10 to meet current expenses. Each investment shall be made 

11 in an interest-bearing obligation of the United States or 

12 an obligation guaranteed both as to principal and interest 

13 by the United States that, as determined by the Chief Ex14 ecutive Officer, has a maturity date suitable for the pur15 poses of the Fund. The Secretary of the Treasury shall 

16 credit interest earned on the obligations to the Fund. 

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

18 the Comptroller General at the discretion of the Comp19 troller General. 


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1 TITLE III—TREATMENT OF 

2 CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE 

3 Subtitle A—Transfer to Office of 

4 the Capitol Visitor Center 

5 SEC. 301. TRANSFER OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE. 

6 (a) TRANSFER OF AUTHORITIES AND PERSONNEL TO

7 OFFICE OF THE CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER.—Except as 

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

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

10 and other assets and interests of the Capitol Guide 

11 Service, established pursuant to section 441 of the 

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

13 2166), and the employees of the Capitol Guide Serv14 ice, are transferred to the Office, except that the 

15 transfer of any amounts appropriated to the Capitol 

16 Guide Service that remain available as of the trans17 fer date shall occur only upon the approval of the 

18 Committees on Appropriations of the House of Rep19 resentatives and Senate; and 

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

21 the direction, supervision, and control of the Chief 

22 Executive Officer in accordance with this subtitle. 

23 (b) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES OF CAPITOL GUIDE

24 SERVICE AT TIME OF TRANSFER.— 


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

2 employee of the Capitol Guide Service on a perma3 nent basis on the transfer date who is transferred to 

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

5 authority of the Chief Executive Officer under sec6 tion 302(b), except that the individual shall not be 

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

8 other benefits that apply with respect to the indi9 vidual at the time of transfer while such individual 

10 remains continuously so employed as a Capitol 

11 Guide within the Office, other than for cause. 

12 (2) ELIGIBILITY FOR IMMEDIATE RETIREMENT

13 ON BASIS OF INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION.—For pur14 poses of section 8336(d) and section 8414(b) of title 

15 5, United States Code, an individual described in 

16 paragraph (1) who is separated from service with 

17 the Office shall be considered to have separated from 

18 the service involuntarily if, at the time the individual 

19 is separated from service— 

20 (A) the individual has completed 25 years 

21 of service under such title; or 

22 (B) the individual has completed 20 years 

23 of service under such title and is 50 years of 

24 age or older. 


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1 (3) CONTINUATION OF PARTICIPATION IN STU2 DENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.—Notwith3 standing any other provision of law, if an individual 

4 described in paragraph (1) has a written service 

5 agreement in effect under section 102 of the Legis6 lative Branch Appropriations Act, 2002 (2 U.S.C. 

7 60c–5) at the time the individual is transferred to 

8 the Office, the agreement shall remain in effect in 

9 accordance with the terms and conditions applicable 

10 to the agreement at the time the individual is trans11 ferred (including the provisions of such section per12 mitting the individual to enter into additional service 

13 agreements for successive 1-year periods of employ14 ment), except that in applying such section to the in15 dividual, the following shall apply: 

16 (A) The Office shall serve as the employing 

17 office, and the Chief Executive Officer shall 

18 serve as the head of the employing office. 

19 (B) The Architect of the Capitol shall 

20 carry out the responsibilities of the Secretary of 

21 the Senate. 

22 (C) Any reference to the Committee on 

23 Rules and Administration of the Senate and the 

24 Committee on Appropriations of the Senate 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 shall be treated as a reference to the super2 vising Committees. 

3 (D) If the individual is required to make 

4 any reimbursement under such section with re5 spect to payments made after the individual is 

6 transferred, the individual shall reimburse the 

7 Office of the Architect of the Capitol. 

8 (4) PROHIBITING IMPOSITION OF PROBA9 TIONARY PERIOD.—The Chief Executive Officer may 

10 not impose a period of probation with respect to the 

11 transfer of any individual who is transferred to the 

12 Office under subsection (a). 

13 (c) EXCEPTION FOR CONGRESSIONAL SPECIAL SERV14 ICES OFFICE.—This section does not apply with respect 

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

16 and other assets and interests of the Congressional Special 

17 Services Office of the Capitol Guide Service that are trans18 ferred to the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 

19 under subtitle B. 

20 SEC. 302. DUTIES OF EMPLOYEES OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERV21 ICE. 

22 (a) PROVISION OF GUIDED TOURS.— 

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

24 the Capitol Guide Service shall provide guided tours 

25 of the interior of the United States Capitol without 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 charge, including the Capitol Visitor Center, for the 

2 education and enlightenment of the general public. 

3 (2) ACCEPTANCE OF FEES PROHIBITED.—An 

4 employee of the Capitol Guide Service shall not 

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

6 or on account of his official services. 

7 (3) REGULATIONS OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFI8 CER.—All such tours shall be conducted in compli9 ance with regulations approved by the Chief Execu10 tive Officer. 

11 (b) AUTHORITY OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.— 

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

13 the Capitol Guide Service, the Chief Executive Officer is 

14 authorized— 

15 (1) subject to the availability of appropriations, 

16 to establish and revise such number of positions of 

17 Guide in the Capitol Guide Service as the Chief Ex18 ecutive Officer considers necessary to carry out ef19 fectively the activities of the Capitol Guide Service; 

20 (2) to appoint, on a permanent basis without 

21 regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis 

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

23 such deputies as the Chief Executive Officer con24 siders appropriate for the effective administration of 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 the Capitol Guide Service and, in addition, such 

2 number of Guides as may be authorized; 

3 (3) with the approval of the supervising Com4 mittees, with respect to the individuals appointed 

5 pursuant to paragraph (2)— 

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

7 responsibilities, 

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

9 respective rates of pay at single per annum 

10 (gross) rates, and 

11 (C) to take appropriate disciplinary action, 

12 including, when circumstances warrant, suspen13 sion from duty without pay, reduction in pay, 

14 demotion, or termination of employment with 

15 the Capitol Guide Service, against any employee 

16 who violates any provision of this section or any 

17 regulation prescribed by the Chief Executive 

18 Officer pursuant to paragraph (7); 

19 (4) to prescribe a uniform dress, including ap20 propriate insignia, which shall be worn by personnel 

21 of the Capitol Guide Service; 

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

23 to procure and furnish such uniforms to such per24 sonnel without charge to such personnel; 


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1 (6) to receive and consider advice and informa2 tion from any private historical or educational orga3 nization, association, or society with respect to those 

4 operations of the Capitol Guide Service which involve 

5 the furnishing of historical and educational informa6 tion to the general public; and 

7 (7) with the approval of the supervising Com8 mittees, to prescribe such regulations as the Chief 

9 Executive Officer considers necessary and appro10 priate for the operation of the Capitol Guide Service, 

11 including regulations with respect to tour routes and 

12 hours of operation, number of visitors per guide, 

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

14 and special event related support. 

15 (c) PROVISION OF ACCESSIBLE TOURS IN COORDINA16 TION WITH OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL ACCESSIBILITY

17 SERVICES.—The Chief Executive Officer shall coordinate 

18 the provision of accessible tours for individuals with dis19 abilities with the Office of Congressional Accessibility 

20 Services established under subtitle B. 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 Subtitle B—Office of Congressional 

2 Accessibility Services 

3 SEC. 311. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF CONGRESSIONAL 

4 ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES. 

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

6 legislative branch the Office of Congressional Accessibility 

7 Services, to be headed by the Director of Accessibility 

8 Services. 

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

10 Congressional Accessibility Services shall be subject to the 

11 direction, supervision, and control of the Capitol Police 

12 Board. 

13 (c) MISSION AND FUNCTIONS.— 

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

15 Accessibility Services shall— 

16 (A) in consultation with the Office of 

17 House Employment Counsel and the Senate 

18 Chief Counsel for Employment, provide and co19 ordinate accessibility services for individuals 

20 with disabilities, including Members of Con21 gress, employees of the House of Representa22 tives and the Senate, and visitors, in the United 

23 States Capitol Complex; and 

24 (B) provide information regarding accessi25 bility for individuals with disabilities, as well as 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 related training and staff development, to Mem2 bers of Congress and employees of the House of 

3 Representatives and Senate. 

4 (2) SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS.—The Director of Ac5 cessibility Services shall submit to the supervising 

6 Committees a list of the specific functions that the 

7 Office of Congressional Accessibility Services will 

8 perform in carrying out this subtitle with the ap9 proval of the supervising committees. The Director 

10 of Accessibility Services shall submit the list not 

11 later than 30 days after the transfer date. 

12 (3) NO EFFECT ON AUTHORITY OF EMPLOY13 MENT COUNSELS.—Nothing in this subtitle shall be 

14 construed to limit any authority or function of the 

15 Office of House Employment Counsel or the Senate 

16 Chief Counsel for Employment that such Office or 

17 Counsel carries out prior to the transfer date. 

18 (4) UNITED STATES CAPITOL COMPLEX DE19 FINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘United States 

20 Capitol Complex’’ means the Capitol buildings (as 

21 defined in section 5101 of title 40, United States 

22 Code) and the United States Capitol Grounds (as 

23 described in section 5102 of such title). 


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

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

3 130e) is repealed. 

4 SEC. 312. DIRECTOR OF ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES. 

5 (a) APPOINTMENT AND REMOVAL; COMPENSA6 TION.— 

7 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The Director of Accessi8 bility Services shall be appointed by the Capitol Po9 lice Board. 

10 (2) REMOVAL.—The Director of Accessibility 

11 Services may be removed by the Capitol Police 

12 Board, upon notification to the supervising Commit13 tees. 

14 (3) COMPENSATION.—The Director of Accessi15 bility Services shall be paid at an annual rate of pay 

16 determined by the Capitol Police Board, except that 

17 such rate may not exceed the maximum rate payable 

18 for level 15 of the General Schedule. 

19 (4) TRANSITION FOR CURRENT HEAD OF CON20 GRESSIONAL SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICE OF CAPITOL

21 GUIDE SERVICE.—The individual serving as the head 

22 of the Congressional Special Services Office of the 

23 Capitol Guide Service as of the transfer date shall 

24 be appointed by the Capitol Police Board as the first 

25 Director of Accessibility Services under this subtitle. 


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1 (b) PERSONNEL AND OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE

2 FUNCTIONS.— 

3 (1) PERSONNEL, DISBURSEMENTS, AND CON4 TRACTS.—In carrying out the functions of the Office 

5 of Congressional Accessibility Services under section 

6 311, the Director of Accessibility Services shall have 

7 the authority— 

8 (A) to appoint, hire, and fix the compensa9 tion of such personnel as may be necessary for 

10 operations of the Office of Congressional Acces11 sibility Services, except that no employee may 

12 be paid at an annual rate in excess of the an13 nual rate of pay for the Director of Accessibility 

14 Services; 

15 (B) to disburse funds as may be necessary 

16 and available for the needs of the Office of Con17 gressional Accessibility Services; and 

18 (C) to serve as contracting officer for the 

19 Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. 

20 (2) AGREEMENTS WITH THE OFFICE OF THE

21 ARCHITECT OF THE CAPITOL, WITH OTHER LEGISLA22 TIVE BRANCH AGENCIES, AND WITH OFFICES OF

23 THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

24 Subject to the approval of the supervising Commit25 tees, the Director of Accessibility Services may place 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 orders and enter into agreements with the Office of 

2 the Architect of the Capitol, with other legislative 

3 branch agencies, and with any office or other entity 

4 of the Senate or House of Representatives for pro5 curing goods and providing financial and administra6 tive services on behalf of the Office of Accessibility 

7 Services, or to otherwise assist the Director in the 

8 administration and management of the Office of Ac9 cessibility Services. 

10 (c) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—The Director of Acces11 sibility Services shall submit a report to the supervising 

12 Committees not later than 45 days following the close of 

13 each semiannual period ending on June 30 or December 

14 31 of each year on the financial and operational status 

15 during the period of each function under the jurisdiction 

16 of the Director. Each such report shall include financial 

17 statements and a description or explanation of current op18 erations, the implementation of new policies and proce19 dures, and future plans for each function. 

20 SEC. 313. TRANSFER FROM CAPITOL GUIDE SERVICE. 

21 (a) TRANSFER OF AUTHORITIES AND PERSONNEL OF

22 CONGRESSIONAL SPECIAL SERVICES OFFICE OF CAPITOL

23 GUIDE SERVICE.—In accordance with the provisions of 

24 this subtitle, effective on the transfer date— 


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•HR 5159 IH

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

2 and other assets and interests of the Congressional 

3 Special Services Office of the Capitol Guide Service, 

4 and the employees of such Office, are transferred to 

5 the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services es6 tablished under section 311(a), except that the 

7 transfer of any amounts appropriated to the Con8 gressional Special Services Office that remain avail9 able as of the transfer date shall occur only upon the 

10 approval of the Committees on Appropriations of the 

11 House of Representatives and Senate; and 

12 (2) the employees of such Office shall be sub13 ject to the direction, supervision, and control of the 

14 Director of Accessibility Services. 

15 (b) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES AT TIME OF TRANS16 FER.— 

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

18 employee of the Congressional Special Services Of19 fice of the Capitol Guide Service on a permanent 

20 basis on the transfer date who is transferred under 

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

22 Director of Accessibility Services under section 312, 

23 except that the individual shall not be reduced in 

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

25 that apply with respect to the individual at the time 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 of transfer while such individual remains continu2 ously so employed within the Office of Congressional 

3 Accessibility Services established under section 

4 311(a), other than for cause. 

5 (2) ELIGIBILITY FOR IMMEDIATE RETIREMENT

6 ON BASIS OF INVOLUNTARY SEPARATION.—For pur7 poses of section 8336(d) and section 8414(b) of title 

8 5, United States Code, an individual described in 

9 paragraph (1) who is separated from service with 

10 the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services 

11 shall be considered to have separated from the serv12 ice involuntarily if, at the time the individual is sep13 arated from service— 

14 (A) the individual has completed 25 years 

15 of service under such title; or 

16 (B) the individual has completed 20 years 

17 of service under such title and is 50 years of 

18 age or older. 

19 (3) PROHIBITING IMPOSITION OF PROBA20 TIONARY PERIOD.—The Director of Accessibility 

21 Services may not impose a period of probation with 

22 respect to the transfer of any individual who is 

23 transferred to the Office of Congressional Accessi24 bility Services under subsection (a). 


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•HR 5159 IH

1 Subtitle C—Technical and 

2 Conforming Amendments 

3 SEC. 321. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

4 (a) EXISTING AUTHORITY OF CAPITOL GUIDE SERV5 ICE.—Section 441 of the Legislative Reorganization Act 

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

7 (b) COVERAGE UNDER CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNT8 ABILITY ACT OF 1995.— 

9 (1) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES AS COVERED

10 EMPLOYEES.—Section 101(3)(C) of the Congres11 sional Accountability of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301(3)(C)) 

12 is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘(C) the Office of Congressional Accessi14 bility Services;’’. 

15 (2) TREATMENT OF OFFICE AS EMPLOYING OF16 FICE.—Section 101(9)(D) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 

17 1301(9)(D)) is amended by striking ‘‘the Capitol 

18 Guide Board,’’ and inserting ‘‘the Office of Congres19 sional Accessibility Services,’’. 

20 (3) RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS RELATING TO

21 PUBLIC SERVICES AND ACCOMMODATIONS.—Section 

22 210(a)(4) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 1331(a)(4)) is 

23 amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(4) the Office of Congressional Accessibility 

25 Services;’’. 


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1 (4) PERIODIC INSPECTIONS FOR OCCUPATIONAL

2 SAFETY AND HEALTH COMPLIANCE.—Section 

3 215(e)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 1341(e)(1)) is 

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

5 and inserting ‘‘the Office of Congressional Accessi6 bility Services,’’. 

7 (c) TREATMENT AS CONGRESSIONAL EMPLOYEES

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

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

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

11 Accessibility Services.’’. 

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

13 this section shall take effect on the transfer date. 

14 Subtitle D—Transfer Date 

15 SEC. 331. TRANSFER DATE. 

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

17 which the Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with the 

18 Architect of the Capitol, certifies that a certificate of occu19 pancy for the Capitol Visitor Center has been issued by 

20 the appropriate authorities. 


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•HR 5159 IH

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. 

Æ 


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