COVID–19 Memorial Quilt Act of 2021

To direct the Smithsonian Institution and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to jointly carry out the COVID–19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project to honor and remember Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID–19 Pandemic, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the COVID–19 Memorial Quilt Act of 2021 2. COVID–19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project (a) Establishment and operation The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress shall jointly carry out a project to be known as the COVID–19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project (b) Scope of Project Under the Project, the Secretary and the Director shall— (1) provide for the design, creation, and display of a memorial quilt consisting of individual panels in memory of those who have lost their lives to the COVID–19 Pandemic; and (2) carry out other commemorative programming and exhibits to honor the victims of the COVID–19 Pandemic. (c) Specifics of memorial quilt (1) Specifics In providing for the design, creation, and display of the memorial quilt described in subsection (b)(1), the Secretary and Director shall provide for the following: (A) The design and creation of the quilt. (B) Agreements with the Architect of the Capitol for the first display of the quilt to be held on the United States Capitol Grounds. (C) Agreements with the National Park Service for the second display of the quilt to be held on the National Mall. (D) Agreements with museums, institutions of higher education, and other appropriate persons to display portions of the quilt, and to provide such museums, institutions, and other persons with educational materials relating to the creation of the quilt and the history of the Pandemic. (E) Making information on the quilt available on the official public website of the Smithsonian Institution and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. (F) The provision for the appropriate storage and preservation of the quilt. (2) Assistance to artists from National Endowment for the Arts There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Endowment for the Arts such sums as may be necessary for the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts to make grants-in-aid to individual artists under section 5(c) of the National Foundation of the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 954(c) (d) Plan of Congressional Advisory Panel The Secretary and the Director shall carry out the Project in accordance with the plan submitted by the Congressional Advisory Panel on Honoring Victims of the COVID–19 Pandemic under section 3. (e) Ensuring participation of Native Americans and residents of territories In carrying out the Project, the Secretary and the Director shall take steps to ensure the participation of Native Americans, tribal nations, and residents of territories and possessions of the United States. 3. Congressional Advisory Panel on Honoring Victims of COVID–19 Pandemic (a) Establishment There is established the Congressional Advisory Panel on Honoring Victims of the COVID–19 Pandemic. (b) Membership (1) In general The Advisory Panel shall be composed of— (A) 25 members appointed by the chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives in consultation with the ranking minority member of the Committee and the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives; and (B) the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, who shall each serve as an ex officio member. (2) Qualifications The members of the Advisory Panel who are appointed under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) shall include public health experts, public health advocates, educators, researchers, families and individuals affected by the COVID–19 Pandemic, public health workers including physicians and nurses, elected leaders of local governments, representatives of communities that are heavily affected by the Pandemic, and front-line personnel. (3) Deadline The members of the Advisory Panel shall be appointed not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. (4) Compensation Members of the Advisory Panel shall serve without pay, but shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 (5) Vacancy A vacancy in the Advisory Panel shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made. (c) Staff (1) Appointment The Advisory Panel shall appoint and fix the pay of such personnel as it considers appropriate. (2) Nonapplicability of certain civil service laws The staff of the Advisory Panel may be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that an individual so appointed may not receive pay in excess of the annual rate of basic pay for GS–15 of the General Schedule. (3) Experts and consultants The Advisory Panel may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code. (4) Staff of Federal agencies Upon request of the Advisory Panel, the head of any Federal department or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that department or agency to the Advisory Panel to assist it in carrying out its duties under this Act (d) Plan for carrying out Project (1) Plan The Advisory Panel shall develop and submit to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress a plan for the Secretary and Director to carry out the COVID–19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project under section 2. (2) Deadline The Advisory Panel shall submit the plan under this subsection to the Secretary and the Director not later than 1 year after the appointment of all of its members. (e) Administrative support services Upon the request of the Advisory Panel, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Advisory Panel, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services necessary for the Advisory Panel to carry out its responsibilities under this Act. (f) Termination The Advisory Panel shall terminate 6 months after submitting the plan under this section. 4. Authorization of appropriations In addition to the sums authorized to be appropriated to the National Endowment for the Arts under section 2(c)(2), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

Summary: COVID-19 Memorial Quilt Act of 2021 This bill directs the Smithsonian Institution and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to jointly carry out a project to be known as the "COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project" to honor and remember Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The bill establishes the Congressional Advisory Panel on Honoring Victims of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The panel shall develop and submit a plan to carry out the memorial quilt project.