Smithsonian Modernization Act of 2022

To revise the composition of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution so that all members are individuals appointed by the President from a list of nominees submitted by the leadership of the Congress, to amend the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act to apply the requirements of such Acts to the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes. 1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Smithsonian Modernization Act of 2022 2. Appointment of Members of Smithsonian Board of Regents (a) Number of Members; Appointment of All Members From List of Nominees (1) In general Section 5580(a) of the Revised Statutes of the United States ( 20 U.S.C. 42(a) to be composed of to be composed of 21 members appointed by the President from among the list of nominees submitted under subsection (b), of whom 2 shall be residents of the District of Columbia. (2) List of Nominees Section 5580 of the Revised Statutes of the United States ( 20 U.S.C. 42(a) (A) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and (B) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsection: (b) The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Majority Leader of the Senate shall each submit to the President a list of 12 nominees for appointment as members of the Board of Regents. . (3) Revision of quorum Section 5582 of the Revised Statutes of the United States ( 20 U.S.C. 44 eight shall constitute a quorum 17 shall constitute a quorum (4) No effect on current citizen Regents Nothing in the amendments made by this subsection may be construed to affect the authority of any individual who serves as a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution as of the date of the enactment of this Act pursuant to a joint resolution of the Congress to continue to serve as a Regent after that date. (b) Uniform Term of Service Section 5581 of the Revised Statutes of the United States ( 20 U.S.C. 43 5581. (a) Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c), each Regent of the Smithsonian Institution shall be appointed for a term of 6 years, and may be reappointed for additional terms. (b) Of the Regents who are appointed after the date of the enactment of the Smithsonian Modernization Act of 2022 who were not serving as Regents prior to that date— (1) 4 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years (as designated in the joint resolution under which they are appointed) and may be reappointed for additional terms of 6 years; and (2) 4 shall be appointed for a term of 4 years (as designated in the joint resolution under which they are appointed) and may be reappointed for additional terms of 6 years. (c) Any Regent appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the Regent’s predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of that term. A Regent may serve after the expiration of that Regent’s term until a successor has taken office. . 3. Application of open government laws to Smithsonian Institution (a) Freedom of Information Act Section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (n) For purposes of this section, the Smithsonian Institution shall be considered an agency, and the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution shall be considered the head of the agency. . (b) Privacy Act Section 552a(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Privacy Act), is amended by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting , except that such term also includes the Smithsonian Institution; (c) Requiring Open Meetings Section 552b(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code (relating to open meetings) is amended by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting , except that such term also includes the Smithsonian Institution; (d) Effective date and application (1) Effective Date This section and the amendments made by this section shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act. (2) Application (A) Freedom of Information Act; Privacy Act Subsections (a) and (b) and the amendments made by such subsections shall apply to any record created before, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act. (B) Open meetings Subsection (c) and the amendments made by such subsection shall apply to any meeting held on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Summary: Smithsonian Modernization Act of 2022 This bill establishes that the Smithsonian Institution must be subject to the Freedom of Information Act, the Privacy Act, and certain provisions relating to open meetings. (The Smithsonian's policy is to respond to certain requests for information consistent with these acts, even though in 1997, a federal appeals court ruled that the Smithsonian is not subject to the Privacy Act.) The bill also modifies the procedures for selecting members of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution by having the President select the members from a list of nominees submitted by Congress.