IIB 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3432 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
OCTOBER 3, 2007 
Received 
OCTOBER 4, 2007 
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
AN ACT 
To establish the Commission on the Abolition of the 
Transatlantic Slave Trade. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commission on the 
Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) On March 2, 1807, President Thomas Jef-
ferson signed into law a bill approved by the Con-
gress ‘‘An Act to prohibit the importation of slaves 
into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the 
United States’’ (hereinafter in this Act referred to 
as the ‘‘1808 Transatlantic Slave Trade Act’’) and 
made it unlawful ‘‘to import or bring into the United 
States or territories thereof from any foreign king-
dom, place or country, any negro, mulatto, or person 
of colour, with intent to hold, sell, or dispose of 
such. . .as a slave, or to be held to service or 
labour’’. 
(2) Article I, Section 9 of the United States 
Constitution clearly spelled out that the inter-
national slave trade could not be banned before 
1808, and it is only on January 1, 1808, that the 
1808 Transatlantic Slave Trade Act went into effect. 
(3) An Act entitled ‘‘An Act to continue in 
force ‘An act to protect the commerce of the United 
States, and punish the crime of piracy,’ and also to 
make further provisions for punishing the crime of 
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piracy’’, enacted May 15, 1820, made it unlawful for 
any citizen of the United States to engage ‘‘in the 
slave trade, or. . ., being of the crew or ship’s com-
pany of any foreign ship. . ., seize any negro or mu-
latto. . .with the intent to make. . .a slave. . .or forcibly 
bring . . .on board any such ship....’’. 
(4) The transatlantic slave trade entailed the 
kidnapping, purchase, and commercial export of Af-
ricans, mostly from West and Central Africa, to the 
European colonies and new nations in the Americas, 
including the United States, where they were 
enslaved in forced labor between the 15th and mid- 
19th centuries. 
(5) The term ‘‘Middle Passage’’ refers to the 
horrific part of the transatlantic slave trade when 
millions of Africans were chained together and 
stowed by the hundreds in overcrowded ships where 
they were forced into small spaces for months with-
out relief as they were transported across the Atlan-
tic Ocean to the Americas. 
(6) During the Middle Passage, enslaved Afri-
cans resisted their enslavement through non-violent 
and violent means, including hunger strikes, suicide, 
and shipboard revolts, the most historically-recog-
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nized events taking place on board the Don Carlos 
in 1732 and on board the Amistad in 1839. 
(7) Scholars estimate that, at a minimum, be-
tween 10,000,000 and 15,000,000 Africans survived 
the Middle Passage, were imported as chattel 
through customs houses and ports across the Amer-
icas, and were sold into slavery. 
(8) The thirteenth amendment to the Constitu-
tion of the United States recognizes that ‘‘Neither 
slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a pun-
ishment for crime whereof the party shall have been 
duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, 
or any place subject to their jurisdiction.’’. 
(9) The slave trade and the legacy of slavery 
continue to have a profound impact on social and 
economic disparity, hatred, bias, racism, and dis-
crimination, and continue to affect people in the 
Americas, particularly those of African descent. 
(10) In 2007, the British Parliament marked 
the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave 
trade in the former British Empire with plans 
launched by the Department for Education and 
Skills which provided joint funding of £910,000 
($1,800,000) for the Understanding Slavery Initia-
tive, and the Heritage Lottery Fund announced 
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awards of over £20,000,000 ($40,000,000) for 
projects to commemorate the anniversary. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to estab-
lish the Commission on the Abolition of the Transatlantic 
Slave Trade to— 
(1) ensure a suitable national observance of the 
bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the 
transatlantic slave trade by sponsoring and sup-
porting commemorative programs; 
(2) cooperate with and assist programs and ac-
tivities throughout the United States in observance 
of the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of 
the transatlantic slave trade; 
(3) assist in ensuring that the observations of 
the bicentennial anniversary of the abolition of the 
transatlantic slave trade are inclusive and appro-
priately recognize the experiences of all people dur-
ing this period in history; 
(4) support and facilitate international involve-
ment in observances of the bicentennial anniversary 
of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade; and 
(5) study the impact of the transatlantic slave 
trade on the United States and the Americas. 
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SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
There is established a commission to be known as the 
‘‘Commission on the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave 
Trade’’ (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP, DUTIES, AND RELATED MATTERS. 
(a) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) The Commission shall be composed of 
9 members, of whom— 
(i) 3 shall be appointed by the Speak-
er of the House of Representatives; 
(ii) 2 shall be appointed by the major-
ity leader of the Senate; 
(iii) 2 shall be appointed by the mi-
nority leader of the House of Representa-
tives; and 
(iv) 2 shall be appointed by the minor-
ity leader of the Senate. 
(B) Each appointing authority described in 
subparagraph (A) shall appoint the initial mem-
bers of the Commission not later than 30 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Members of the Com-
mission shall be individuals with demonstrated ex-
pertise or experience in the study and program fa-
cilitation on the transatlantic slave trade and the in-
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stitution of slavery as it relates to the United States 
and the Americas. 
(3) TERM; VACANCIES.— 
(A) TERM.—A member of the Commission 
shall be appointed for the life of the Commis-
sion. 
(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. 
(4) MEETINGS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
meet— 
(i) as many times as necessary; 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 
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Commission have been appointed, the Commis-
sion shall hold its initial meeting. 
(C) NOTICE OF MEETINGS.—All Commis-
sion members shall be given reasonable advance 
notice of all Commission meetings. 
(D) APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRPERSON AND 
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—Not later than 60 days 
after the date on which all members of the 
Commission have been appointed, the Commis-
sion shall— 
(i) designate 1 of the members as 
Chairperson; and 
(ii) select an executive director as de-
scribed under subsection (d)(2). 
(5) VOTING.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall 
act only on an affirmative vote of a majority of 
the members of the Commission. 
(B) QUORUM.—A majority of the members 
of the Commission, which includes at least 1 
member appointed pursuant to clause (iii) or 
(iv) of paragraph (1)(A), shall constitute a 
quorum for conducting business but fewer 
members may meet or hold hearings. 
(b) DUTIES.— 
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atrocities do not go unnoticed by the people of 
the United States. 
(2) INITIAL
REPORT.—Not later than March 
31, 2009, the Commission shall submit to the Con-
gress a report containing a summary of the activities 
of the Commission for 2008. 
(c) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.—The Commission 
may— 
(1) accept donations and gift items related to 
the transatlantic slave trade, the institution of slav-
ery, and the significance of slavery to the history of 
the United States; 
(2) appoint such advisory committees as the 
Commission determines necessary to carry out this 
Act; 
(3) authorize any member or employee of the 
Commission to take any action that the Commission 
is authorized to take under this Act; 
(4) procure supplies, services, and property, 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 Commission shall not extend be-
yond the date of the termination of the Commis-
sion); and 
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(5) use the United States mails in the same 
manner and under the same conditions as other 
Federal agencies. 
(d) PERSONNEL MATTERS.— 
(1) COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE COM-
MISSION.— 
(A) BASIC PAY.—Members of the Commis-
sion shall not receive compensation for the per-
formance of their duties on behalf of the Com-
mission. 
(B) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—Upon approval 
of the Chairperson, a member of the Commis-
sion shall be allowed travel expenses, including 
per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates author-
ized for an employee of an agency under sub-
chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
Code, while away from their homes or regular 
place of business in the performance of their 
duties on behalf of the Commission. 
(2) STAFF.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson of the 
Commission shall, without regard to the civil 
service laws (including regulations), appoint 
and terminate an executive director and such 
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other additional personnel as are necessary to 
enable the Commission to perform its duties. 
(B) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 
(i) QUALIFICATIONS.—The person ap-
pointed executive director shall have dem-
onstrated expertise or experience in the 
study and program facilitation on the 
transatlantic slave trade and the institu-
tion of slavery, particularly as it relates to 
the United States. 
(ii) 
CONFIRMATION.—The 
employ-
ment of an executive director shall be sub-
ject to confirmation by the members of the 
Commission. 
(C) COMPENSATION.—The Chairperson of 
the Commission may fix the compensation of 
the executive director and other personnel with-
out regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and 
subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United 
States Code, relating to classification of posi-
tions and General Schedule pay rates, except 
that the rate of pay for the executive director 
and other personnel may not exceed the rate 
payable for level V of the Executive Schedule 
under section 5316 of such title. 
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(D) VOLUNTEER
AND
UNCOMPENSATED 
SERVICES.—Notwithstanding section 1342 of 
title 31, United States Code, the Commission 
may accept and use voluntary and uncompen-
sated services as the Commission determines 
necessary. 
(e) PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT-
TENT SERVICES.—The Chairperson of the Commission 
may procure temporary and intermittent services in ac-
cordance with section 3109(b) of title 5, United States 
Code, at rates for individuals that do not exceed the daily 
equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of 
that title. 
(f) NON-APPLICABILITY OF FACA.—Section 14(b) of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall 
not apply to the Commission. 
SEC. 5. TERMINATION. 
(a) DATE OF TERMINATION.—The Commission shall 
terminate on December 31, 2009. 
(b) FINAL REPORT.—Upon termination, the Com-
mission shall submit to the Congress a report con-
taining— 
(1) a detailed statement of the activities of the 
Commission; and 
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(2) a final accounting of the funds received and 
expended by the Commission. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives October 2, 
2007. 
Attest: 
LORRAINE C. MILLER, 
Clerk. 
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