Center for American Cultural Heritage Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Center for American Cultural 
Heritage Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The history of the United States is in large measure 
        the history of how the United States was populated.
            (2) The evolution of the American population is broadly 
        termed the ``peopling of America'' and is characterized by the 
        movement of groups of people across external and internal 
        boundaries of the United States as well as by the interactions 
        of such groups with each other.
            (3) Each of these groups has made unique, important 
        contributions to American history, culture, art, and life.
            (4) The spiritual, intellectual, cultural, political, and 
        economic vitality of the United States is a result of the 
        pluralism and diversity of the population.
            (5) The Smithsonian Institution operates 16 museums and 
        galleries, a zoological park, and 5 major research facilities. 
        None of these public entities is a national institution 
        dedicated to presenting the history of the peopling of the 
        United States as described in paragraph (2).
            (6) The respective missions of the National Museum of 
        American History of the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis 
        Island Immigration Museum of the National Park Service limit 
        the ability of such museums to present fully and adequately the 
        history of the diverse population and rich cultures of the 
        United States.
            (7) The absence of a national facility dedicated solely to 
        presenting the history of the peopling of the United States 
        restricts the ability of the citizens of the United States to 
        fully understand the rich and varied heritage of the United 
        States derived from the unique histories of many peoples from 
        many lands.
            (8) The establishment of a Center for American Cultural 
        Heritage to conduct educational and interpretive programs on 
        the history of the United States' multiethnic, multiracial 
        character will help to inspire and better inform the citizens 
        of the United States about the rich and diverse cultural 
        heritage of the citizens of the United States.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established within the National Museum 
of American History of the Smithsonian Institution a facility that 
shall be known as the ``Center for American Cultural Heritage''.
    (b) Purposes of the Center.--The purposes of the Center are to--
            (1) promote knowledge of the life, art, culture, and 
        history of the many groups of people who comprise the United 
        States;
            (2) illustrate how such groups cooperated, competed, or 
        otherwise interacted with each other; and
            (3) explain how the diverse, individual experiences of each 
        group collectively helped forge a unified national experience.
    (c) Components of the Center.--The Center shall include--
            (1) a location for permanent and temporary exhibits 
        depicting the historical process by which the United States was 
        populated;
            (2) a center for research and scholarship relating to the 
        life, art, culture, and history of the groups of people of the 
        United States;
            (3) a repository for the collection, study, and 
        preservation of artifacts, artworks, and documents relating to 
        the diverse population of the United States;
            (4) a venue for public education programs designed to 
        explicate the multicultural past and present of the United 
        States;
            (5) a location for the development of a standardized index 
        of documents, artifacts, and artworks in collections that are 
        held by the Smithsonian Institution and classified in a manner 
        consistent with the purposes of the Center;
            (6) a clearinghouse for information on documents, 
        artifacts, and artworks on the groups of people of the United 
        States that may be available to researchers, scholars, or the 
        general public through non-Smithsonian collections, such as 
        documents, artifacts, and artworks of such groups held by other 
        Federal agencies, museums, universities, individuals, and 
        foreign institutions;
            (7) a folklife center committed to highlighting the 
        cultural expressions of various peoples within the United 
        States;
            (8) a center to promote mutual understanding and tolerance 
        among the groups of people of the United States through 
        exhibits, films, brochures, and other appropriate means;
            (9) an oral history library developed through interviews 
        with volunteers, including visitors;
            (10) a location for a visitor center that shall provide 
        individually tailored orientation guides for visitors to all 
        Smithsonian Institution facilities;
            (11) a location for the training of museum professionals 
        and others in the arts, humanities, and sciences with respect 
        to museum practices relating to the life, art, history, and 
        culture of the various groups of people of the United States; 
        and
            (12) a location for developing, testing, demonstrating, 
        evaluating, and implementing new museum-related technologies 
        that assist to fulfill the purposes of the Center, enhance the 
        operation of the Center, and improve accessibility of the 
        Center.

SEC. 4. LOCATION AND CONSTRUCTION.

    (a) Location.--The Center shall be located in new or existing 
Smithsonian Institution facilities on or near the National Mall located 
in the District of Columbia.
    (b) Construction.--The Board of Regents is authorized to plan, 
design, reconstruct, or construct appropriate facilities to house the 
Center.

SEC. 5. DIRECTOR AND STAFF.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution shall 
appoint and fix the compensation and duties of a Director, Assistant 
Director, Secretary, and Chief Curator of the Center and any other 
officers and employees necessary for the operation of the Center. The 
Director of the Center shall report to the Director of the National 
Museum of American History. The Director, Assistant Director, 
Secretary, and Chief Curator shall be qualified through experience and 
training to perform the duties of their offices.
    (b) Applicability of Certain Civil Service Laws.--The Secretary of 
the Smithsonian Institution may--
            (1) appoint the Director and 5 employees under subsection 
        (a), without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States 
        Code, governing appointments in the competitive service; and
            (2) fix the pay of the Director and such 5 employees, 
        without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 
        III of chapter 53 of such title, relating to classification and 
        General Schedule pay rates.

SEC. 6. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON AMERICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE.

    (a) Establishment of Advisory Committee.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established an advisory 
        committee to be known as the ``Advisory Committee on American 
        Cultural Heritage''.
            (2) Membership.--
                    (A) Composition.--The Committee shall be composed 
                of 15 members who shall--
                            (i) be appointed by the Secretary;
                            (ii) have expertise in immigration history, 
                        ethnic studies, museum science, or any other 
                        academic or professional field that involves 
                        matters relating to the cultural heritage of 
                        the citizens of the United States; and
                            (iii) reflect the diversity of the citizens 
                        of the United States.
                    (B) Initial appointments.--The initial appointments 
                of the members of the Committee shall be made not later 
                than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
            (3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be 
        appointed for the life of the Committee. Any vacancy in the 
        Committee shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in 
        the same manner as the original appointment.
            (4)  Initial meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the 
        date on which all members of the Committee have been appointed, 
        the Committee shall hold its first meeting.
            (5)  Meetings.--The Committee shall meet at the call of the 
        Chairperson, but shall meet not less than 2 times each fiscal 
        year.
            (6)  Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Committee 
        shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may 
        hold hearings.
            (7) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--The Committee shall 
        select a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among its 
        members.
    (b) Duties of the Committee.--The Committee shall advise the 
Secretary, the Director of the National Museum of American History, and 
the Director of the Center on policies and programs affecting the 
Center.
    (c) Committee Personnel Matters.--
            (1) Compensation of members.--Each member of the Committee 
        who is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government 
        shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of 
        the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the 
        Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 
        Code, for each day (including travel time) during which such 
        member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the 
        Committee. All members of the Committee who are officers or 
        employees of the United States shall serve without compensation 
        in addition to that received for their services as officers or 
        employees of the United States.
            (2) Travel expenses.--The members of the Committee shall be 
        allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the 
performance of services for the Committee.
            (3) Staff.--
                    (A) In general.--The Chairperson of the Committee 
                may, without regard to the civil service laws and 
                regulations, appoint and terminate an executive 
                director and such other additional personnel as may be 
                necessary to enable the Committee to perform its 
                duties. The employment of an executive director shall 
                be subject to confirmation by the Committee.
                    (B) Compensation.--The Chairperson of the Committee 
                may fix the compensation of the executive 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 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.
            (4) Detail of government employees.--Any Federal Government 
        employee may be detailed to the Committee without 
        reimbursement, and such detail shall be without interruption or 
        loss of civil service status or privilege.
            (5) Procurement of temporary and intermittent services.--
        The Chairperson of the Committee may procure temporary and 
        intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United 
        States Code, at rates for individuals which 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 such 
        title.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Board of regents.--The term ``Board of Regents'' means 
        the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution.
            (2) Center.--The term ``Center'' means the Center for 
        American Cultural Heritage established under section 3(a).
            (3) Committee.--The term ``Committee'' means the advisory 
        Committee on American Cultural Heritage established under 
        section 8(a).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Smithsonian Institution.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year.

Summary: Center for American Cultural Heritage Act - Establishes the Center for American Cultural Heritage within the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution, to be located in new or existing Smithsonian Institution facilities on or near the National Mall in the District of Columbia. 
Establishes an Advisory Committee on American Cultural Heritage, whose members are to be appointed by the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 
Authorizes appropriations.