IB 
Union Calendar No. 370 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2615 
[Report No. 114–486] 
To establish the Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 2, 2015 
Ms. PLASKETT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
APRIL 12, 2016 
Additional sponsors: Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, 
Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. PIERLUISI, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. MOORE, Mrs. 
RADEWAGEN, Mr. CLAY, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. CLAWSON of 
Florida, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. 
VEASEY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. DANNY K. 
DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON 
of Texas, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. RUSH, Mr. 
JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. KELLY of 
Illinois, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Ms. LEE, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, 
Mr. LYNCH, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. GABBARD, Ms. BASS, Mr. PAYNE, Mrs. 
BEATTY, Mr. JEFFRIES, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. AL 
GREEN of Texas, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. CROWLEY, 
Ms. NORTON, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, 
Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. WELCH, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BECERRA, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Mr. SCOTT of 
Virginia, Mr. DAVID
SCOTT
of Georgia, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. 
O’ROURKE, Mr. SABLAN, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mex-
ico, Ms. MENG, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. MAXINE WATERS of 
California, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New 
York, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. YOUNG of Alas-
ka, and Ms. PINGREE 
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APRIL 12, 2016 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 2, 2015] 
A BILL 
To establish the Virgin Islands of the United States 
Centennial Commission. 
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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 ‘‘Virgin Islands of the 
United States Centennial Commission Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 
There is established a commission to be known as the 
‘‘Virgin Islands of the United States Centennial Commis-
sion’’ (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION. 
The Commission shall— 
(1) plan, develop, and carry out such activities 
as the Commission determines to be appropriate to 
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Is-
lands of the United States becoming an unincor-
porated territory of the United States; 
(2) provide advice and assistance to Federal, 
State, and local governmental agencies, as well as 
civic groups to carry out activities to commemorate 
the 100th anniversary of the Virgin Islands of the 
United States becoming an unincorporated territory 
of the United States; and 
(3) submit to the President and Congress the re-
ports required pursuant to section 7. 
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SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission 
shall be composed of 8 members as follows: 
(1) The Assistant Secretary of the Interior for 
Insular Affairs or a designee of the Assistant Sec-
retary. 
(2) One member appointed by the Governor of 
the Virgin Islands of the United States or a designee 
of the Governor. 
(3) Two Members of the House of Representatives 
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives. 
(4) One Member of the House of Representatives 
appointed by the minority leader of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
(5) Two Members of the Senate appointed by the 
majority leader of the Senate. 
(6) One Member of the Senate appointed by the 
minority leader of the Senate. 
(b) TERMS.—Each member of the Commission shall be 
appointed for the life of the Commission. 
(c) DEADLINE FOR APPOINTMENT.—All members of the 
Commission shall be appointed not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Commission 
shall— 
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(1) not affect the powers of the Commission; and 
(2) be filled in the manner in which the original 
appointment was made. 
(e) RATES OF PAY.—Members shall not receive com-
pensation for the performance of duties on behalf of the 
Commission. 
(f) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member of the Commis-
sion shall be reimbursed for travel and per diem in lieu 
of subsistence expenses during the performance of duties of 
the Commission while away from home or regular place of 
business of the member, in accordance with applicable pro-
visions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(g) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the Com-
mission shall constitute a quorum to conduct business, but 
two or more members may hold hearings. 
(h) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson of the Commis-
sion shall be selected by a majority vote of the members of 
the Commission. 
SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF COMMISSION. 
(a) DIRECTOR AND STAFF.—The Commission shall ap-
point an executive director and such other additional per-
sonnel as are necessary to enable the Commission to perform 
the duties of the Commission. 
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(b) APPLICABILITY
OF
CERTAIN
CIVIL
SERVICE 
LAWS.—The executive director and staff of the Commission 
may be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 
5, United States Code, governing appointments in the com-
petitive service, and may be paid without regard to the pro-
visions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of 
such title relating to classification and General Schedule 
pay rates, except that the rate of pay for the executive direc-
tor and other staff may not exceed the rate payable for level 
III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of such 
title. 
(c) DETAIL OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Upon request 
of the Commission, the Secretary of the Interior or the Ar-
chivist of the United States may detail, on a reimbursable 
basis, any of the personnel of the Department of the Interior 
or the National Archives and Records Administration, re-
spectively to the Commission to assist the Commission to 
perform the duties of the Commission. 
(d) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Commission 
may procure such temporary and intermittent services from 
experts and consultants as are necessary to enable the Com-
mission to perform the duties of the Commission. 
(e) VOLUNTEER AND UNCOMPENSATED SERVICES.— 
Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States 
Code, the Commission may accept and use voluntary and 
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uncompensated services as the Commission determines nec-
essary. 
SEC. 6. POWERS OF COMMISSION. 
(a) HEARINGS.—The Commission may, for the pur-
pose of carrying out this Act, hold hearings, sit and act 
at times and places, take testimony, and receive evidence 
as the Commission considers appropriate. 
(b) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United 
States mails in the same manner and under the same condi-
tions as other Federal agencies. 
(c) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The Commission 
may secure directly from any Federal agency information 
necessary to enable the Commission to perform the duties 
of the Commission. Upon request of the chairperson of the 
Commission, the head of that Federal agency shall furnish 
that information to the Commission. 
(d) GIFTS, BEQUESTS, DEVISES.—The Commission 
may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or 
devises of money, services, or property, both real and per-
sonal, for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of 
the Commission. 
(e) AVAILABLE SPACE.—Upon the request of the Com-
mission, the Administrator of General Services shall make 
available to the Commission, at a normal rental rate for 
Federal agencies, such assistance and facilities as may be 
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necessary for the Commission to perform the duties of the 
Commission. 
(f) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—The Commission may 
enter into contracts with and compensate the Federal Gov-
ernment, State and local governments, private entities, or 
individuals to enable the Commission to perform the duties 
of the Commission. 
SEC. 7. REPORTS. 
(a) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than January 31 of 
each year, and annually thereafter until the final report 
is submitted pursuant to subsection (b), the Commission 
shall submit to the President and the Congress a report 
on— 
(1) the activities of the Commission; and 
(2) the revenue and expenditures of the Commis-
sion, including a list of each gift, bequest, or devise 
to the Commission with a value of more than $250, 
including the identity of the donor of each gift, be-
quest, or devise. 
(b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than January 31, 
2018, the Commission shall submit a final report to the 
President and the Congress containing— 
(1) a summary of the activities of the Commis-
sion; and 
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(2) a final accounting of funds received and ex-
pended by the Commission. 
SEC. 8. ANNUAL AUDIT. 
The Inspector General of the Department of the Inte-
rior— 
(1) may perform an audit of the Commission; 
(2) shall make the results of any such audit 
available to the public; and 
(3) shall transmit such results to the Committee 
on Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Se-
curity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 
SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal agen-
cy’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘agency’’ in sec-
tion 551 of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the 
several States, the District of Columbia, each territory 
or possession of the United States, and each federally 
recognized Indian tribe. 
SEC. 10. TERMINATION. 
The Commission shall terminate on September 30, 
2018, or may terminate at an earlier date determined by 
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the Commission after the final report is submitted pursuant 
to section 7(b). 
SEC. 11. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No Federal funds are authorized or may be obligated 
to carry out this Act. 
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Union Calendar No. 370 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2615 
[Report No. 114–486] 
A BILL 
To establish the Virgin Islands of the United States 
Centennial Commission. 
APRIL 12, 2016 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:14 Apr 13, 2016
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