(D) 2 members shall be employees of the 
National Park Service, of whom— 
(i) one shall be the Director of the 
National Park Service (or a designee); and 
(ii) one shall be an employee of the 
National Park Service having experience 
relevant to the commemoration, who shall 
be appointed by the Secretary; 
(E) 3 members shall be appointed by the 
Secretary from among individuals who have an 
interest in, support for, and expertise appro-
priate to, the commemoration, of whom— 
(i) one shall be knowledgeable of the 
Hudson River Valley National Heritage 
Area; 
(ii) one shall be knowledgeable of the 
Champlain Valley; and 
(iii) one shall be knowledgeable of 
New York City as it relates to the com-
memoration; 
(F) one member shall be the chairperson of 
any commemorative commission formed by New 
York, or the designee of the chairperson; 
(G) one member shall be the chairperson 
of any commemorative commission formed by
Vermont, or the designee of the chairperson; 
and 
(H) two members shall be appointed by the 
Secretary, after consideration of the rec-
ommendation of the mayor of the City of New 
York and after consultation with Members of 
the House of Representatives whose districts 
encompass the City of New York. 
(2) TERM; VACANCIES.— 
(A) TERM.—Each member of the Commis-
sion shall be appointed for the life of the Com-
mission. 
(B) VACANCIES.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—A vacancy on the 
Commission shall be filled in the same 
manner in which the original appointment 
was made. 
(ii) PARTIAL TERM.—A member ap-
pointed to fill a vacancy on the Commis-
sion shall serve for the remainder of the 
term for which the predecessor of the 
member was appointed. 
(3) MEETINGS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
meet—
(i) at least twice each year; or 
(ii) at the call of the Chairperson or 
the majority of the members of the Com-
mission. 
(B) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 
days after the date on which all members of the 
Commission have been appointed, the Commis-
sion shall hold the initial meeting of the Com-
mission. 
(4) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 
(A) The Commission shall elect the chair-
person and the vice chairperson of the Commis-
sion on an annual basis. 
(B) The vice chairperson shall serve as the 
chairperson in the absence of the chairperson. 
(5) QUORUM.—A majority of voting members 
shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may 
hold meetings. 
(6) VOTING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
act only on an affirmative vote of a majority of 
the voting members of the Commission. 
(B) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The individ-
uals appointed under subparagraphs (F) and 
(G) of paragraph (1) shall be nonvoting mem-
bers, and shall serve only in an advisory capac-
ity. 
(c) DUTIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall— 
(A) plan, develop, and execute programs 
and activities appropriate to commemorate the 
400th anniversary of the voyage of Henry Hud-
son, the first European to sail up the Hudson 
River, the 200th anniversary of the voyage of 
Robert Fulton, the first person to use steam 
navigation on a commercial basis, the 400th an-
niversary of the voyage of Samuel de Cham-
plain, the first European to discover and ex-
plore Lake Champlain; 
(B) facilitate Hudson-Fulton-Champlain- 
related activities throughout the United States; 
(C) coordinate its activities with State 
commemoration commissions and appropriate 
Federal Government agencies, including the De-
partments of Agriculture, Defense, State, and 
Transportation, the National Park Service with 
respect to the Hudson River Valley National 
Heritage Area, and the American Heritage Riv-
ers Initiative Interagency Committee estab-
lished by Executive Order 13061, dated Sep-
tember 11, 1997, the Lake Champlain Basin 
Program, and the National Endowment for the 
Humanities and the National Endowment for 
the Arts; 
(D) encourage civic, patriotic, historical, 
educational, artistic, religious, economic, and 
other organizations throughout the United 
States to organize and participate in anniver-
sary activities to expand the understanding and 
appreciation of the significance of the voyages 
of Henry Hudson, Robert Fulton, and Samuel 
de Champlain; 
(E) provide technical assistance to States, 
localities, and nonprofit organizations to further 
the commemoration; 
(F) coordinate and facilitate for the public 
scholarly research on, publication about, and in-
terpretation of, the voyages of Henry Hudson, 
Robert Fulton, and Samuel de Champlain; 
(G) ensure that the Hudson-Fulton-Cham-
plain 2009 anniversaries provide a lasting leg-
acy and long-term public benefit by assisting in 
the development of appropriate programs and 
facilities;
(H) assist in ensuring that the observances 
of the voyages of Samuel de Champlain and 
Henry Hudson are inclusive and appropriately 
recognize the experiences and heritage of all 
people present when Samuel de Champlain ar-
rived in the Champlain Valley and Henry Hud-
son sailed the Hudson River; and 
(I) consult and coordinate with the Lake 
Champlain Basin Program and other relevant 
organizations in the planning and development 
of programs and activities for the commemora-
tion of the voyage of Samuel de Champlain. 
(2) STRATEGIC PLAN AND ANNUAL PERFORM-
ANCE
PLANS.—The Commission shall prepare a 
strategic plan in accordance with section 306 of title 
5, United States Code, and annual performance 
plans in accordance with section 1115 of title 31, 
United States Code, for the activities of the Com-
mission carried out under this Act. 
(3) REPORTS.— 
(A) ANNUAL
REPORT.—The Commission 
shall submit to Congress an annual report that 
contains a list of each gift, bequest, or devise 
with a value of more than $250, together with
the identity of the donor of each such gift, be-
quest, or devise. 
(B) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than Sep-
tember 30, 2010, the Commission shall submit 
to the Secretary a final report that contains— 
(i) a summary of the activities of the 
Commission; 
(ii) a final accounting of funds re-
ceived and expended by the Commission; 
and 
(iii) the findings and recommenda-
tions of the Commission. 
(d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission may— 
(A) solicit, accept, use, and dispose of 
gifts, bequests, or devises of money or other 
real or personal property for the purpose of aid-
ing or facilitating the work of the Commission; 
(B) appoint such advisory committees as 
the Commission determines to be necessary to 
carry out this Act; 
(C) authorize any member or employee of 
the Commission to take any action that the 
Commission is authorized to take by this Act;
(D) procure supplies, services, and prop-
erty, and make or enter into contracts, leases, 
or other legal agreements, to carry out this Act 
(except that any contracts, leases, or other legal 
agreements made or entered into by the Com-
mission directly or with administrative assist-
ance from the Lake Champlain Basin Program 
shall not extend beyond the date of the termi-
nation of the Commission); 
(E) use the United States mails in the 
same manner and under the same conditions as 
other Federal agencies; 
(F) subject to approval by the Commission, 
make grants in amounts not to exceed $20,000 
to communities, nonprofit organizations, com-
memorative commissions formed by the States 
to develop programs to assist in the commemo-
ration; 
(G) make grants in amounts not to exceed 
$20,000 to research and scholarly organizations 
to research, publish, or distribute information 
relating to the early history of the voyages of 
Hudson, Fulton, and Champlain; and 
(H) provide technical assistance to the 
States, localities, and nonprofit organizations to
develop programs and facilities to further the 
commemoration. 
(2) COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION WITH 
LAKE CHAMPLAIN BASIN PROGRAM.—The Commis-
sion shall coordinate and consult with the Lake 
Champlain Basin Program in providing grants and 
technical assistance under subparagraphs (F), (G), 
and (H) of paragraph (1) for the conduct of activi-
ties relating to the commemoration of the voyage of 
Samuel de Champlain. 
(e) COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 
(1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE COM-
MISSION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), a member of the Commis-
sion shall serve without compensation. 
(B) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—A member of 
the Commission who is an officer or employee 
of the Federal Government shall serve without 
compensation in addition to the compensation 
received for the services of the member as an 
officer or employee of the Federal Government. 
(C) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—A member of the 
Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, in-
cluding per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates
authorized for an employee of an agency under 
subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
States Code, while away from the home or reg-
ular place of business of the member in the per-
formance of the duties of the Commission. 
(2) STAFF.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the 
Commission may, without regard to the civil 
service laws (including regulations), appoint 
and terminate an executive director and such 
other additional personnel as are necessary to 
enable the Commission to perform the duties of 
the Commission. 
(B) CONFIRMATION OF EXECUTIVE DIREC-
TOR.—The employment of an executive director 
shall be subject to confirmation by the Commis-
sion. 
(3) COMPENSATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the Chairperson of the Com-
mission may fix the compensation of the execu-
tive director and other personnel without regard 
to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 
III of chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code,
relating to classification of positions and Gen-
eral Schedule pay rates. 
(B) MAXIMUM RATE OF PAY.—The rate of 
pay for the executive director and other per-
sonnel shall not exceed the rate payable for 
level V of the Executive Schedule under section 
5316 of title 5, United States Code. 
(4) DETAIL OF GOVERNMENT AND LAKE CHAM-
PLAIN BASIN PROGRAM EMPLOYEES.— 
(A) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—At the request of 
the Commission, the head of any Federal 
agency may detail, on a reimbursable or 
nonreimbursable basis, any of the per-
sonnel of the agency to the Commission to 
assist the Commission in carrying out the 
duties of the Commission under this Act. 
(ii) CIVIL SERVICE STATUS.—The de-
tail of an employee under clause (i) shall 
be without interruption or loss of civil serv-
ice status or privilege. 
(B) STATE EMPLOYEES.—The Commission 
may—