To prohibit the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.

Bill: 113-hr-2621
Sponsor: full_name: Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
Introduced: 2013-07-08
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers

Smithsonian Institution

User charges and fees
Latest action: action_date: 2013-07-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.

Summaries:
action_date: 2013-07-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p> Prohibits the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to an exhibit that is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility that is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, including the National Gallery of Art. </p> <p>Allows the charging of a fee for admission to an exhibit, however, if: (1) charging a fee is necessary and unavoidable, (2) the Secretary submits a statement explaining the determination to Congress, and (3) the charging of such fee does not become effective until after the expiration of a 45-day period beginning on the date the statement is submitted. </p> <p>Makes such prohibition non-applicable to the exhibit &quot;Butterfly Pavilion&quot; at the National Museum of Natural History. Requires the Secretary to submit a plan for eliminating the admission fee for such exhibit, including steps to cover the expenses incurred in carrying out the exhibit. </p>

tv_txt: I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2621 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 8, 2013 Ms. Norton introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on House Administration A BILL To prohibit the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from charging a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, and for other purposes.

1. Prohibiting Charging of Fees for Admission to Permanent Collections of Smithsonian Museums or Facilities (a) Prohibition Except as provided in subsections (a) and (b), the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution may not charge a fee for admission to any exhibit which is part of the permanent collection of any museum or facility which is part of any bureau established in or under the Smithsonian Institution, including the National Gallery of Art. (b) Exception for necessary and unavoidable fees The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution may charge a fee for admission to an exhibit described in subsection (a) if— (1) the Secretary determines that charging a fee for admission to the exhibit is necessary and unavoidable; (2) the Secretary submits a statement explaining the determination to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate; and (3) the charging of the fee does not take effect until after the expiration of the 45-day period which begins on the date the Secretary submits the statement under paragraph (1). (c) Exception for Certain Current Exhibit This section does not apply to the exhibit entitled Butterfly Pavilion at the National Museum of Natural History. 2. Plan for Elimination of Fee for Current Exhibit Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution shall submit to the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate a plan for eliminating the admission fee for the exhibit entitled Butterfly Pavilion at the National Museum of Natural History, and shall include in the plan such steps as the Secretary considers appropriate to cover the expenses incurred in carrying out the exhibit.