In the Senate of the United States, 

May 4, 2017. 

Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 534) entitled ‘‘An Act to require the Secretary of 

State to take such actions as may be necessary for the 

United States to rejoin the Bureau of International Expositions, and for other purposes.’’, do pass with the following 

AMENDMENT: 

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert: 

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘U.S. Wants to Compete 

3 for a World Expo Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The Bureau of International Expositions 

7 (BIE) is the organization responsible for governing 

8 World Fairs and International Expositions. 

9 (2) Section 1(a) of Public Law 91–269 (22 

10 U.S.C. 2801(a)) found that ‘‘international expositions 
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1 . . . have a significant impact on the economic growth 

2 of the region surrounding the exposition and . . . are 

3 important instruments of national policy’’. 

4 (3) The United States has not been an active 

5 member of the BIE since 2001. 

6 (4) State and local governments and private en7 tities in the United States have continued to partici8 pate in international expositions held in foreign 

9 countries as a means of promoting United States ex10 ports and creating jobs, but face significantly higher 

11 costs for such participation because the United States 

12 is not an active member. 

13 (5) State and local governments and private en14 tities in the United States have expressed interest in 

15 an international exposition being hosted in the 

16 United States, but the bid of a United States city, re17 gion, or State to host an international exposition is 

18 unlikely to be successful if the United States is not a 

19 member of the BIE. 

20 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that— 

22 (1) the United States should rejoin the BIE im23 mediately to promote domestic job creation, global 

24 branding, and tourism to the United States; and 
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1 (2) the Secretary of State, in partnership with 

2 the Secretary of Commerce, State and local govern3 ments, and private and non-profit entities, should 

4 take all necessary steps to facilitate the timely sub5 mission of a request to rejoin the BIE. 

6 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State is author8 ized to take such actions as the Secretary determines nec9 essary for the United States to rejoin and maintain mem10 bership in the BIE. 

11 (b) AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT PRIVATE CONTRIBU12 TIONS.—In addition to funds otherwise available to the Sec13 retary to carry out this section, the Secretary is authorized 

14 to accept contributions for such purpose. 

15 (c) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary of State shall notify 

16 the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of 

17 the House of Representatives and the Committees on For18 eign Relations and Appropriations of the Senate upon tak19 ing any action under subsection (a). 

20 SEC. 5. CONTINUATION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FED21 ERAL FUNDS FOR WORLD’S FAIR PAVILIONS 

22 AND EXHIBITS. 

23 (a) CONTINUATION OF PROHIBITION.—Nothing in this 

24 Act may be construed to authorize any obligation or ex25 penditure prohibited by section 204 of the Admiral James 
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1 W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authoriza2 tion Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b) 

3 (relating to limitations on the obligation or expenditure of 

4 funds by the Department of State for a United States pavil5 ion or exhibit at an international exposition or world’s fair 

6 registered by the BIE). 

7 (b) PROHIBITION ON SOLICITATION OF FUNDS.—Sec8 tion 204(b)(1)(C) of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg 

9 Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 

10 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b(b)(1)(C)) is amended by 

11 inserting after ‘‘expositions’’ the following: ‘‘, except that 

12 no employees of the Department of State may, in their offi13 cial capacity, solicit funds to pay expenses for a United 

14 States pavilion or other major exhibit at any international 

15 exposition or world’s fair registered by the Bureau of Inter16 national Expositions’’. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H.R. 534 

AMENDMENT