IB 
Union Calendar No. 245 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2989 
[Report No. 115–340] 
To establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2017 
Ms. NORTON (for herself and Mr. HARRIS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
OCTOBER 5, 2017 
Additional sponsors: Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. GOSAR, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. RUSSELL, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. SMUCKER, Mr. 
BISHOP of Michigan, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. RUSH, Mr. DENT, Mrs. 
COMSTOCK, Ms. MOORE, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, and Mr. MEE-
HAN 
OCTOBER 5, 2017 
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 21, 2017] 
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A BILL 
To establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial 
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 ‘‘Frederick Douglass Bi-
centennial Commission Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of 
Maryland in 1818 and given the name Frederick Au-
gustus Washington Bailey after his mother Harriet 
Bailey, Frederick Douglass has been called the father 
of the civil rights movement. 
(2) Douglass rose through determination, bril-
liance, and eloquence to shape the American Nation. 
He was an abolitionist, human rights and women’s 
rights activist, orator, author, journalist, publisher, 
and social reformer. 
(3) Taught basic reading skills by his mistress 
until she was forced to stop, Douglass continued to 
teach himself to read and write and taught other 
slaves to read despite risks including death. 
(4) During the course of his remarkable life 
Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery, became 
internationally renowned for his eloquence in the 
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cause of liberty, and went on to serve the national 
government in several official capacities. 
(5) Forced to leave the country to avoid arrest 
as an escaped slave, he returned to become a staunch 
advocate of the Union cause and helped recruit Afri-
can-American troops for the Union Army, including 
two of his sons, Charles and Lewis Douglass. His per-
sonal relationship with Abraham Lincoln helped per-
suade the President to make emancipation a cause of 
the Civil War. 
(6) With the abolition of slavery at the close of 
the Civil War, Douglass then turned his attention to 
the full integration of African-Americans into the po-
litical and economic life of the United States. Com-
mitted to freedom, Douglass dedicated his life to 
achieving justice for all Americans, in particular Af-
rican-Americans, women, and minority groups. He 
envisioned America as an inclusive Nation strength-
ened by diversity and free of discrimination. 
(7) Douglass served as an advisor to Presidents. 
Abraham Lincoln referred to him as the most meri-
torious man of the nineteenth century. Douglass was 
appointed to several offices. He served as the United 
States Marshal of the District of Columbia under 
Rutherford B. Hayes’ administration; President 
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James Garfield appointed Douglass the District of 
Columbia Recorder of Deeds. In 1889, President Ben-
jamin Harrison appointed Frederick Douglass to be 
the United States minister to Haiti. He was also ap-
pointed by President Grant to serve as Assistant Sec-
retary of the Commission of Inquiry to Santo Do-
mingo. 
(8) Douglass lived in the District of Columbia 
for 23 of his 57 years as a free man, and in recogni-
tion of his leadership and continuous fight for justice 
and freedom, his home, Cedar Hill, was established as 
a National Historic Site in Anacostia, in Southeast 
Washington, DC. 
(9) The statue of Frederick Douglass in the 
United States Capitol is a gift from the almost 
700,000 residents of the District of Columbia. 
(10) All Americans could benefit from studying 
the life of Frederick Douglass, for Douglass dedicated 
his own life to ensuring freedom and equality for fu-
ture generations of Americans. This Nation should en-
sure that his tireless struggle, transformative words, 
and inclusive vision of humanity continue to inspire 
and sustain us. 
(11) The year 2018 marks the bicentennial anni-
versary of the birth of Frederick Douglass, and a com-
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mission should be established to plan, develop, and 
carry out, and to recommend to Congress, programs 
and activities that are fitting and proper to celebrate 
that anniversary in a manner that appropriately 
honors Frederick Douglass. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT. 
There is established a commission to be known as the 
Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission (referred to 
in this Act as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
SEC. 4. DUTIES. 
The Commission shall have the following duties: 
(1) To plan, develop, and carry out programs 
and activities that are fitting and proper to honor 
Frederick Douglass on the occasion of the bicentennial 
anniversary of Douglass’ birth. 
(2) To recommend to Congress programs and ac-
tivities that the Commission considers fitting and 
proper to honor Frederick Douglass on such occasion, 
and the entity or entities in the Federal Government 
that the Commission considers most appropriate to 
carry out such programs and activities. 
SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission 
shall be composed of 16 members appointed as follows: 
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(1) Two members, each of whom shall be a quali-
fied citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by 
the President. 
(2) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen 
described in subsection (b), appointed by the Presi-
dent on the recommendation of the Governor of Mary-
land. 
(3) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen 
described in subsection (b), appointed by the Presi-
dent on the recommendation of the Governor of Mas-
sachusetts. 
(4) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen 
described in subsection (b), appointed by the Presi-
dent on the recommendation of the Governor of New 
York. 
(5) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen 
described in subsection (b), appointed by the Presi-
dent on the recommendation of the Mayor of the Dis-
trict of Columbia. 
(6) Three members, at least one of whom shall be 
a Member of the House of Representatives, appointed 
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
(7) Three members, at least one of whom shall be 
a Senator, appointed by the majority leader of the 
Senate. 
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(8) Two members, at least one of whom shall be 
a Member of the House of Representatives, appointed 
by the minority leader of the House of Representa-
tives. 
(9) Two members, at least one of whom shall be 
a Senator, appointed by the minority leader of the 
Senate. 
(b) QUALIFIED CITIZEN.—A qualified citizen described 
in this subsection is a private citizen of the United States 
with— 
(1) a demonstrated dedication to educating oth-
ers about the importance of historical figures and 
events; and 
(2) substantial knowledge and appreciation of 
Frederick Douglass. 
(c) TIME OF APPOINTMENT.—Each initial appoint-
ment of a member of the Commission shall be made before 
the expiration of the 60-day period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP.—If a member of 
the Commission was appointed to the Commission as a 
Member of Congress, and ceases to be a Member of Congress, 
that member may continue to serve on the Commission for 
not longer than the 30-day period beginning on the date 
that member ceases to be a Member of Congress. 
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(e) TERMS.—Each member shall be appointed for the 
life of the Commission. 
(f) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Commission shall 
not affect the powers of the Commission but shall be filled 
in the manner in which the original appointment was 
made. 
(g) BASIC PAY.—Members shall serve on the Commis-
sion without pay. 
(h) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall receive 
travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 
in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(i) QUORUM.—Six members of the Commission shall 
constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings. 
(j) CHAIR.—The Commission shall select a Chair from 
among the members of the Commission. 
(k) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the call 
of the Chair. Periodically, the Commission shall hold a 
meeting in Rochester, New York. 
SEC. 6. DIRECTOR AND STAFF. 
(a) DIRECTOR.—The Commission may appoint and 
fix the pay of a Director and such additional personnel as 
the Commission considers to be appropriate. 
(b) APPLICABILITY
OF
CERTAIN
CIVIL
SERVICE 
LAWS.— 
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(1) DIRECTOR.—The Director of the Commission 
may be appointed without regard to the provisions of 
title 5, United States Code, governing appointments 
in the competitive service, and may be paid without 
regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 
III of chapter 53 of that title relating to classification 
and General Schedule pay rates. 
(2) STAFF.—The staff of the Commission shall be 
appointed subject to the provisions of title 5, United 
States Code, governing appointments in the competi-
tive service, and shall be paid in accordance with the 
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chap-
ter 53 of that title relating to classification and Gen-
eral Schedule pay rates. 
SEC. 7. POWERS. 
(a) HEARINGS AND SESSIONS.—The Commission may, 
for the purpose of carrying out this Act, hold such hearings, 
sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, 
and receive such evidence as the Commission considers to 
be appropriate. 
(b) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any mem-
ber or agent of the Commission may, if authorized by the 
Commission, take any action that the Commission is au-
thorized to take by this Act. 
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(c) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The Commission 
may secure directly from any department or agency of the 
United States information necessary to enable the Commis-
sion to carry out this Act. Upon request of the Chair of 
the Commission, the head of that department or agency 
shall furnish that information to the Commission. 
(d) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United 
States mails in the same manner and under the same condi-
tions as other departments and agencies of the United 
States. 
(e) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.—Upon the 
request of the Commission, the Administrator of General 
Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reimbursable 
basis, the administrative support services necessary for the 
Commission to carry out its responsibilities under this Act. 
(f) GIFTS.—The Commission may solicit, accept, use, 
and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of money or other 
property for carrying out its duties. 
SEC. 8. REPORTS. 
(a) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than August 1, 2018, 
the Commission shall submit to Congress an initial report 
containing its recommendations under section 4(2). 
(b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than June 1, 2019, the 
Commission shall submit a final report to Congress, and 
shall include in the final report— 
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(1) a summary of its activities and programs; 
(2) a final accounting of the funds the Commis-
sion received and expended; and 
(3) any other information that the Commission 
considers to be appropriate. 
SEC. 9. TERMINATION. 
The Commission shall terminate 30 days after submit-
ting the final report pursuant to section 8(b). 
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Union Calendar No. 245 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2989 
[Report No. 115–340] 
A BILL 
To establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial 
Commission. 
OCTOBER 5, 2017 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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