I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 480 

To establish the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 13, 2009 

Mr. MICA (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BOYD, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of 

Florida, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. BUCHANAN, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, 

Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. GRAYSON, Mr. HASTINGS of 

Florida, Mr. KLEIN of Florida, Ms. KOSMAS, Mr. MACK, Mr. MEEK of 

Florida, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. POSEY, Mr. PUTNAM, Mr. ROONEY, 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. STEARNS, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. 

WEXLER, and Mr. YOUNG of Florida) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To establish the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration 

Commission, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘St. Augustine 450th 

5 Commemoration Commission Act of 2009’’. 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
2 

•HR 480 IH

1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to establish the St. Augus3 tine 450th Commemoration Commission to— 

4 (1) ensure a suitable national observance of the 

5 450th anniversary of the city of St. Augustine by 

6 complementing the programs and activities of the 

7 State of Florida and the city of St. Augustine; 

8 (2) cooperate with and assist in the programs 

9 and activities of the State of Florida in observance 

10 of the 450th anniversary of St. Augustine; 

11 (3) assist in ensuring that the St. Augustine 

12 450th anniversary observances provide an excellent 

13 visitor experience and beneficial interaction between 

14 visitors and the natural and cultural resources of the 

15 St. Augustine sites; 

16 (4) assist in ensuring that the St. Augustine 

17 450th anniversary observances are inclusive and ap18 propriately recognize the experiences of all peoples in 

19 St. Augustine’s history; 

20 (5) provide assistance in the development of St. 

21 Augustine-related programs and activities; 

22 (6) facilitate international involvement in the 

23 St. Augustine 450th anniversary observances; 

24 (7) support and facilitate marketing efforts for 

25 a commemorative coin, stamp, and related activities 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
3 

•HR 480 IH

1 for the St. Augustine 450th anniversary observ2 ances; and 

3 (8) assist in the appropriate development of 

4 heritage tourism and economic benefits to the 

5 United States through the commemoration of the 

6 450th anniversary of the city of St. Augustine. 

7 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) COMMEMORATION.—The term ‘‘commemo10 ration’’ means the commemoration of the 450th an11 niversary of the founding of the settlement of St. 

12 Augustine, Florida. 

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

14 means the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration 

15 Commission established by section 3(a). 

16 (3) GOVERNOR.—The term ‘‘Governor’’ means 

17 the Governor of the State. 

18 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of the Interior. 

20 (5) STATE.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘State’’ 

22 means the State of Florida. 

23 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘State’’ in24 cludes agencies and entities of the State of 

25 Florida. 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
4 

•HR 480 IH

1 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a commis3 sion, to be known as the ‘‘St. Augustine 450th Commemo4 ration Commission’’. 

5 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

6 (1) COMPOSITION.—The Commission shall be 

7 composed of 14 members, of whom— 

8 (A) 3 members shall be appointed by the 

9 Secretary, after considering the recommenda10 tions of the St. Augustine City Commission; 

11 (B) 3 members shall be appointed by the 

12 Secretary, after considering the recommenda13 tions of the Governor; 

14 (C) 1 member shall be an employee of the 

15 National Park Service having experience rel16 evant to the historical resources relating to the 

17 city of St. Augustine and the commemoration, 

18 to be appointed by the Secretary; 

19 (D) 1 member shall be appointed by the 

20 Secretary, taking into consideration the rec21 ommendations of the Mayor of the city of St. 

22 Augustine; 

23 (E) 1 member shall be appointed by the 

24 Secretary, after considering the recommenda25 tions of the Chancellor of the University System 

26 of Florida; and 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
5 

•HR 480 IH

1 (F) 5 members shall be individuals who are 

2 residents of the State who have an interest in, 

3 support for, and expertise appropriate to the 

4 commemoration, to be appointed by the Sec5 retary, taking into consideration the rec6 ommendations of Members of Congress. 

7 (2) TIME OF APPOINTMENT.—Each appoint8 ment of an initial member of the Commission shall 

9 be made before the expiration of the 120-day period 

10 beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. 

11 (3) TERM; VACANCIES.— 

12 (A) TERM.—A member of the Commission 

13 shall be appointed for the life of the Commis14 sion. 

15 (B) VACANCIES.— 

16 (i) IN GENERAL.—A vacancy on the 

17 Commission shall be filled in the same 

18 manner in which the original appointment 

19 was made. 

20 (ii) PARTIAL TERM.—A member ap21 pointed to fill a vacancy on the Commis22 sion shall serve for the remainder of the 

23 term for which the predecessor of the 

24 member was appointed. 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
6 

•HR 480 IH

1 (C) CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP.—If 

2 a member of the Commission was appointed to 

3 the Commission as Mayor of the city of St. Au4 gustine or as an employee of the National Park 

5 Service or the State University System of Flor6 ida, and ceases to hold such position, that mem7 ber may continue to serve on the Commission 

8 for not longer than the 30-day period beginning 

9 on the date on which that member ceases to 

10 hold the position. 

11 (c) DUTIES.—The Commission shall— 

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

13 activities appropriate for the commemoration; 

14 (2) facilitate activities relating to the com15 memoration throughout the United States; 

16 (3) encourage civic, patriotic, historical, edu17 cational, artistic, religious, economic, and other or18 ganizations throughout the United States to orga19 nize and participate in anniversary activities to ex20 pand understanding and appreciation of the signifi21 cance of the founding and continuing history of St. 

22 Augustine; 

23 (4) provide technical assistance to States, local24 ities, and nonprofit organizations to further the com25 memoration; 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
7 

•HR 480 IH

1 (5) coordinate and facilitate for the public 

2 scholarly research on, publication about, and inter3 pretation of, St. Augustine; 

4 (6) ensure that the commemoration provides a 

5 lasting legacy and long-term public benefit by assist6 ing in the development of appropriate programs; and 

7 (7) help ensure that the observances of the 

8 foundation of St. Augustine are inclusive and appro9 priately recognize the experiences and heritage of all 

10 individuals present when St. Augustine was founded. 

11 SEC. 5. COMMISSION MEETINGS. 

12 (a) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days after 

13 the date on which all members of the Commission have 

14 been appointed, the Commission shall hold the initial 

15 meeting of the Commission. 

16 (b) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet— 

17 (1) at least 3 times each year; or 

18 (2) at the call of the Chairperson or the major19 ity of the members of the Commission. 

20 (c) QUORUM.—A majority of the voting members 

21 shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold 

22 meetings. 

23 (d) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
8 

•HR 480 IH

1 (1) ELECTION.—The Commission shall elect the 

2 Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson of the Com3 mission on an annual basis. 

4 (2) ABSENCE OF THE CHAIRPERSON.—The Vice 

5 Chairperson shall serve as the Chairperson in the 

6 absence of the Chairperson. 

7 (e) VOTING.—The Commission shall act only on an 

8 affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the Com9 mission. 

10 SEC. 6. COMMISSION POWERS. 

11 (a) GIFTS.—The Commission may solicit, accept, use, 

12 and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of money or other 

13 property for aiding or facilitating the work of the Commis14 sion. 

15 (b) APPOINTMENT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—The 

16 Commission may appoint such advisory committees as the 

17 Commission determines to be necessary to carry out this 

18 Act. 

19 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF ACTION.—The Commission 

20 may authorize any member or employee of the Commission 

21 to take any action that the Commission is authorized to 

22 take under this Act. 

23 (d) PROCUREMENT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may pro25 cure supplies, services, and property, and make or 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
9 

•HR 480 IH

1 enter into contracts, leases, or other legal agree2 ments, to carry out this Act (except that a contract, 

3 lease, or other legal agreement made or entered into 

4 by the Commission shall not extend beyond the date 

5 of termination of the Commission). 

6 (2) LIMITATION.—The Commission may not 

7 purchase real property. 

8 (e) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may use 

9 the United States mails in the same manner and under 

10 the same conditions as other agencies of the Federal Gov11 ernment. 

12 (f) GRANTS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The 

13 Commission may— 

14 (1) provide grants in amounts not to exceed 

15 $20,000 per grant to communities and nonprofit or16 ganizations for use in developing programs to assist 

17 in the commemoration; 

18 (2) provide grants to research and scholarly or19 ganizations to research, publish, or distribute infor20 mation relating to the early history of St. Augustine; 

21 and 

22 (3) provide technical assistance to States, local23 ities, and nonprofit organizations to further the com24 memoration. 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
10 

•HR 480 IH

1 SEC. 7. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS. 

2 (a) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para4 graph (2), a member of the Commission shall serve 

5 without compensation. 

6 (2) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of the 

7 Commission who is an officer or employee of the 

8 Federal Government shall serve without compensa9 tion other than the compensation received for the 

10 services of the member as an officer or employee of 

11 the Federal Government. 

12 (b) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the Commis13 sion shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem 

14 in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for an employee 

15 of an agency under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 

16 5, United States Code, while away from the home or reg17 ular place of business of the member in the performance 

18 of the duties of the Commission. 

19 (c) DIRECTOR AND STAFF.— 

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

21 Commission may, without regard to the civil service 

22 laws (including regulations), nominate an executive 

23 director to enable the Commission to perform the 

24 duties of the Commission. 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
11 

•HR 480 IH

1 (2) CONFIRMATION OF EXECUTIVE DIREC2 TOR.—The employment of an executive director shall 

3 be subject to confirmation by the Commission. 

4 (d) COMPENSATION.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para6 graph (2), the Commission may fix the compensation 

7 of the executive director and other personnel without 

8 regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and sub9 chapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States 

10 Code, relating to classification of positions and Gen11 eral Schedule pay rates. 

12 (2) MAXIMUM RATE OF PAY.—The rate of pay 

13 for the executive director and other personnel shall 

14 not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Execu15 tive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United 

16 States Code. 

17 (e) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.— 

18 (1) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.— 

19 (A) DETAIL.—At the request of the Com20 mission, the head of any Federal agency may 

21 detail, on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable 

22 basis, any of the personnel of the agency to the 

23 Commission to assist the Commission in car24 rying out the duties of the Commission under 

25 this Act. 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
12 

•HR 480 IH

1 (B) CIVIL SERVICE STATUS.—The detail of 

2 an employee under subparagraph (A) shall be 

3 without interruption or loss of civil service sta4 tus or privilege. 

5 (2) STATE EMPLOYEES.—The Commission 

6 may— 

7 (A) accept the services of personnel de8 tailed from the State; and 

9 (B) reimburse the State for services of de10 tailed personnel. 

11 (f) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT12 TENT SERVICES.—The Chairperson of the Commission 

13 may procure temporary and intermittent services in ac14 cordance with section 3109(b) of title 5, United States 

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

16 equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 

17 level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 

18 such title. 

19 (g) VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED SERVICES.— 

20 Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States 

21 Code, the Commission may accept and use such voluntary 

22 and uncompensated services as the Commission deter23 mines to be necessary. 

24 (h) SUPPORT SERVICES.— 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
13 

•HR 480 IH

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

2 to the Commission, on a reimbursable basis, such 

3 administrative support services as the Commission 

4 may request. 

5 (2) REIMBURSEMENT.—Any reimbursement 

6 under this paragraph shall be credited to the appro7 priation, fund, or account used for paying the 

8 amounts reimbursed. 

9 (i) FACA NONAPPLICABILITY.—Section 14(b) of the 

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

11 apply to the Commission. 

12 (j) NO EFFECT ON AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this 

13 section supersedes the authority of the State, the National 

14 Park Service, the city of St. Augustine, or any designee 

15 of those entities, with respect to the commemoration. 

16 SEC. 8. PLANS; REPORTS. 

17 (a) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Commission shall pre18 pare a strategic plan for the activities of the Commission 

19 carried out under this Act. 

20 (b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 

21 2015, the Commission shall complete and submit to Con22 gress a final report that contains— 

23 (1) a summary of the activities of the Commis24 sion; 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
14 

•HR 480 IH

1 (2) a final accounting of funds received and ex2 pended by the Commission; and 

3 (3) the findings and recommendations of the 

4 Commission. 

5 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro7 priated to the Commission to carry out this Act $500,000 

8 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2016. 

9 (b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts made available under 

10 subsection (a) shall remain available until December 31, 

11 2016. 

12 SEC. 10. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION. 

13 (a) DATE OF TERMINATION.—The Commission shall 

14 terminate on December 31, 2016. 

15 (b) TRANSFER OF DOCUMENTS AND MATERIALS.— 

16 Before the date of termination specified in subsection (a), 

17 the Commission shall transfer all documents and materials 

18 of the Commission to the National Archives or another 

19 appropriate Federal entity. 

Æ 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS