(1) The United States was created and built by 
peoples from every land, and these people made this 
Nation the world’s economic, military, scientific, and 
cultural leader. 
(2) Canada and Mexico, the nations bordering 
the United States, have major museums in or near 
their capital cities telling the story of the making of 
their peoples. 
(3) Americans do not have a comprehensive and 
accurate picture of all of the peoples who created 
and continue to build this country. 
(4) Few foreigners know the story of the peo-
ples who came to be Americans, nor the story of the 
people from their own nations who came to this 
land. 
(5) A museum telling the story of the making 
of the American people belongs on or near the Na-
tional Mall in Washington, DC. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT. 
There is established a commission to be known as the 
‘‘National Commission to Study the Establishment of the 
National Museum of the American People’’ (in this Act 
referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
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SEC. 4. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall conduct a 
study regarding the feasibility and desirability of estab-
lishing a National Museum of the American People in 
Washington, DC (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Mu-
seum’’) that tells the full story of the making of the Amer-
ican people. The Museum would do the following: 
(1) Tell the story of— 
(A) who the people that migrated to Amer-
ica were before they came to this land; 
(B) where they came from; 
(C) why they left their homeland; 
(D) how they got here; 
(E) where they first settled; 
(F) where they moved after they arrived; 
(G) how they became Americans; and 
(H) how they transformed our Nation. 
(2) Through exhibits or other suitable means, 
describe— 
(A) the arrival of the first peoples thou-
sands of years ago; 
(B) important events in the history of our 
Nation associated with the period from 1607 to 
1820, including migrations from Western Eu-
rope, the near extinction of American Indians, 
the African slave trade, the creation of the Na-
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tion, and the expansion of the Nation to encom-
pass new peoples; 
(C) the great century of immigration from 
around the world to across this Nation, from 
1820 through 1924, and the further expansion 
of the Nation; and 
(D) the continuing story of immigration to 
and migration within this Nation, from 1924 to 
the present. 
(3) Include access to genealogical information. 
(4) Provide a comprehensive educational experi-
ence about the making of the American people, in-
cluding educational materials which would be made 
available to students and other interested persons 
around the Nation. 
(5) Bring together in one institution scholars 
and scholarly resources to foster comprehensive re-
search about the story of the making of the Amer-
ican people. 
(b) PUBLIC MEETINGS.—The Commission shall con-
vene at least one public meeting, and may convene addi-
tional public meetings, about the Museum starting not 
later than 6 months after the Commission’s initial meeting 
under section 5(h). In addition to the general public, the 
Commission may invite to participate in meetings under 
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this subsection individuals committed to the advancement 
of the comprehensive understanding of the immigration 
and migration of all peoples to what is now the United 
States. 
(c) REPORT.— 
(1) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The Commission 
shall transmit to the President and the Congress, in-
cluding to the appropriate congressional committees, 
a report which shall contain a detailed statement of 
the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of 
the Commission, subject to the following: 
(A) PLAN
OF
ACTION
FOR
ESTABLISH-
MENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A MUSEUM.—The 
Commission shall make recommendations with 
respect to a plan of action for the establishment 
and maintenance of the Museum. 
(B) SUMMARY OF ISSUES.—The Commis-
sion shall examine and report on the following 
issues: 
(i) Possible locations for the Museum 
in Washington, DC, on or near the Na-
tional Mall. These locations may include 
existing buildings, such as the Agriculture 
Department’s Whitten Building, as well as 
sites for a new building near the National 
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Mall, such as the Banneker Overlook site. 
In determining the suitability of these 
sites, the Commission shall consult with 
the National Capital Planning Commis-
sion, the United States Commission of 
Fine Arts, the National Park Service, and 
the General Services Administration. 
(ii) The governing and organizational 
structure in accordance with which the 
Museum should operate. 
(iii) The likely impact of the Museum 
on regional, State, local, and ethnic muse-
ums that tell a segment of the story of the 
making of the American people, including 
how those museums could be supported by 
the Museum. 
(iv) Building a coalition to advocate 
and raise funds for the Museum. 
(v) Possible components of the Mu-
seum, including the following: 
(I) The permanent exhibition, in-
cluding a proposed process for devel-
oping the Museum’s detailed storyline. 
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(II) A Center for Advanced Stud-
ies of the American People, including 
its scope. 
(III) A National Genealogical 
Center, including proposals for serv-
ing as a national repository of genea-
logical information, tie-ins with promi-
nent genealogical centers, and the ex-
ploration of using DNA to trace the 
migration patterns of individuals’ an-
cestors. 
(IV) Collections, including the 
availability and cost of collections to 
be acquired and housed by the Mu-
seum, both on-site and in a secure off- 
site facility, to store, catalog, study, 
and preserve the objects in such col-
lections for posterity. 
(V) A National Archives and Li-
brary of American Migration and Im-
migration, including the development 
of a major archives consisting of items 
that shed light on migration and im-
migration to what is now the United 
States, such as documents, maps, 
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photographs, oral histories, film and 
video, music, art, personal papers and 
memoirs, and tie-ins to the National 
Archives and other holdings world- 
wide, and including proposals for 
making these holdings available to the 
public by various means. 
(VI) An Education Resource 
Center, including proposals for devel-
oping curricula and background mate-
rial based on the Museum’s story, to 
be made available for students, teach-
ers, teacher training programs, Mu-
seum-based educators, Museum class-
rooms, and a computer-based informa-
tion center geared towards students at 
various grade levels. 
(VII) Public programs and an 
auditorium in which to hold them, in-
cluding guidance for a variety of lec-
tures, symposia, and cultural pro-
grams fashioned after other museum 
programs. 
(VIII) Special exhibitions and 
spaces in which to hold them that 
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would allow for the exploration of a 
variety of subjects related to the pur-
poses of the Museum. 
(IX) Traveling and online exhibi-
tions, including those that could be 
tailored for a particular State or lo-
cale. 
(X) A film center, including de-
velopment of a film and video library 
of documentary and feature films 
touching on the Museum’s themes, 
and a film theater at the Museum to 
show these films to visitors. 
(XI) A world food court, includ-
ing a restaurant and cafeteria to serve 
Museum visitors and others. 
(XII) A museum bookstore and 
gift shop, which would sell items fit-
ting a range of tastes and budgets. 
(XIII) A Peopling of America 
Center which, in conjunction with the 
National Park Service, would study 
sites throughout the Nation where 
events of significant migration and 
immigration history took place and 
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would designate such sites as Peopling 
of America national historic land-
marks. 
(C) COST AND FUND-RAISING PLAN.—The 
Commission shall include in its report— 
(i) an estimate of the cost of— 
(I) constructing a new building 
and remodeling existing buildings; 
(II) fabricating the permanent 
exhibition; and 
(III) operating the Museum and 
its components, based on the experi-
ence of other museums; and 
(ii) a fund-raising plan to support— 
(I) the creation of the Museum, 
its exhibitions, and other capital costs 
through private donations, including 
donations from other national govern-
ments; and 
(II) the operation of the Museum 
and its governing body through a pub-
lic-private partnership modeled after 
other national museums in Wash-
ington, DC. 
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(D) LEGISLATION TO CARRY OUT PLAN OF 
ACTION.—Based on the recommendations con-
tained in the plan of action described in sub-
paragraph (A), the summary of issues described 
in subparagraph (B), the cost and fund-raising 
plan described in subparagraph (C), and the 
input from public meetings under subsection 
(b), the Commission shall draft a legislative 
plan of action to create and construct the Mu-
seum, including proposed legislation. 
(2) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional commit-
tees’’ means the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Nat-
ural Resources of the Senate, and the Committees 
on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate. 
(3) DEADLINE.—The Commission shall trans-
mit the report as required under this section not 
later than 18 months after the date of the Commis-
sion’s initial meeting under section 5(h). 
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SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission 
shall be composed of 17 members appointed, not later 
than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
as follows: 
(1) 5 individuals appointed by the President, 
not more than 3 of whom may be of the same polit-
ical party. 
(2) 4 individuals appointed by the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives. 
(3) 4 individuals appointed by the majority 
leader of the Senate. 
(4) 2 individuals appointed by the minority 
leader of the House of Representatives. 
(5) 2 individuals appointed by the minority 
leader of the Senate. 
(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Commission 
shall be chosen from among individuals or representatives 
of institutions or entities who possess either— 
(1) a demonstrated commitment to the research 
and study of the migration and immigration of all 
or various peoples to what is now the United States; 
(2) expertise in establishing, building, or de-
signing a museum; 
(3) expertise in creating a major story-telling 
museum exhibition; 
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(4) expertise in fund-raising for nonprofit orga-
nizations or cultural institutions; 
(5) experience in Federal or statewide public or 
elected service; or 
(6) experience as chief executive or board mem-
ber of a major museum, academic institution, or na-
tional foundation. 
(c) TERMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each member shall be ap-
pointed for the life of the Commission. 
(2) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Commission 
shall not affect its powers, and shall be filled in the 
manner in which the original appointment was 
made. 
(d) BASIC PAY.— 
(1) RATES
OF
PAY.—Except as provided in 
paragraph (2), members shall each be entitled to re-
ceive the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic 
pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule for each 
day during which they are engaged in the actual per-
formance of duties vested in the Commission. 
(2) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION OF FED-
ERAL
EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Commission 
who are full-time officers or employees of the United 
States, or Members of Congress, may not receive ad-
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