I
106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 962
To authorize the Architect of the Capitol to establish a Capitol Visitor
Center under the East Plaza of the United States Capitol, and for
other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 3, 1999
Ms. NORTON (for herself, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. WISE, and Mr. TRAFICANT) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on
House Administration, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To authorize the Architect of the Capitol to establish a
Capitol Visitor Center under the East Plaza of the
United States Capitol, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Jacob Joseph Chest-
nut-John Michael Gibson United States Capitol Visitor
Center Act of 1999’’.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPITOL VISITOR CENTER.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Architect of the Capitol is
authorized—
(1) to plan, construct, equip, administer, and
maintain a Capitol Visitor Center under the East
Plaza of the United States Capitol with associated
improvements to the Capitol to provide access there-
to; and
(2) to reconstruct the East Plaza of the United
States Capitol and its environs to enhance its
attractiveness, safety, and security.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the activities au-
thorized under this section shall be primarily—
(1) to enhance security at the perimeter of the
Capitol Grounds; and
(2) to ensure the health and comfort of visitors
to the Capitol.
(c) GIFTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of carrying
out this section, the Architect of the Capitol is au-
thorized to solicit, accept, receive, and hold gifts or
donations of money, services, and property and to
expend or otherwise utilize such gifts or donations.
(2) TREATMENT UNDER TAX LAWS.—Any gift
or donation made under paragraph (1) shall be con-
sidered a gift to the United States for the purposes
of income, estate, and gift tax laws of the United
States.
(d) PLANS AND DESIGNS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Architect of the Capitol
shall develop plans and designs for carrying out the
activities authorized under this section.
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing plans and
designs under paragraph (1), the Architect of the
Capitol shall—
(A) give due consideration to the Final De-
sign Report of the Architect, dated November
10, 1995, relating to construction of the Capitol
Visitor Center; and
(B) identify alternatives for construction of
the Capitol Visitor Center that will reduce the
costs of construction of the Center.
(3) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 120 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Architect
of the Capitol shall transmit a report containing the
plans and designs developed under paragraph (1) to
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
of the House of Representatives and to each of the
Committees specified under the heading of Public
Law 105–277 referred to in subsection (e).
(e) APPLICABILITY OF REQUIREMENTS TO APPRO-
PRIATED FUNDS.—Amounts appropriated under the head-
ing ‘‘ARCHITECT
OF
THE CAPITOL—CAPITOL
VISITOR
CENTER’’ under chapter 5 of title II of division B of Public
Law 105–277 may be expended only in accordance with
the requirements of this Act.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF JACOB JOSEPH CHESTNUT-JOHN
MICHAEL GIBSON UNITED STATES CAPITOL
VISITOR CENTER.
(a) DESIGNATION.—To honor the memory of Private
First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John
Michael Gibson of the United States Capitol Police for the
selfless acts of heroism they displayed on July 24, 1998,
in sacrificing their lives in the line of duty so that others
might live, the Capitol Visitor Center authorized to be con-
structed under section 2 shall be known and designated
as the ‘‘Jacob Joseph Chestnut-John Michael Gibson
United States Capitol Visitor Center’’.
(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, map, reg-
ulation, document, paper, or other record of the United
States to the Capitol Visitor Center referred to in sub-
section (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ‘‘Jacob
Joseph Chestnut-John Michael Gibson United States Cap-
itol Visitor Center’’.
Æ