A bill to authorize the Administrator of General Services to transfer to the Smithsonian Institution without reimbursement the General Post Office Building and the site thereof located in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
PL 98-523 (H.R.4025), enacted 10/19/1984

PUBLIC LAW 98-523—OCT. 19, 1984 
98 STAT. 2433 
Public Law 98-523 
98th Congress 
An Act 
To authorize the Administrator of General Services to transfer to the Smithsonian 
Institution without reimbursement the General Post Office Building and the site 
thereof located in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That at such time 
as it is declared to be excess property pursuant to section 2(d) of this 
Act, the Administrator of General Services (hereinafter in this Act 
referred to as the "Administrator") is authorized to transfer to the 
Smithsonian Institution, in accordance with section 202 of the Fed-
eral Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 
483), without reimbursement, and for use by the Smithsonian Insti-
tution for certain art galleries and related functions, the General 
Post Office Building with any attached underground structures and 
the site of such building, located between Seventh and Eighth 
Streets Northwest and E and F Streets Northwest, in the District of 
Columbia. 
SEC. 2. (a) The Administrator, at the earliest practicable date, 
shall relocate all operations of the United States International 
Trade Commission (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the "Com-
mission") to a building in downtown Washington, District of Colum-
bia. The Administrator's determination as to such relocation shall 
be based on studies and investigations in which the Chairman of the 
Commission shall have full opportunity to consult and cooperate 
with the Administrator. Such consultation shall include opportunity 
for the Chairman to participate jointly with the Administrator in 
surveys of available buildings and to submit views and recommenda-
tions to the Administrator with respect to space suitable for the 
Commission's operations. The Administrator shall advise the Chair-
man in writing of the building to which the operations of the 
Commission are to be relocated. The Administrator's determination 
of such relocation shall not take effect for a period of at least sixty 
days after the date such determination is made and the Chairman is 
advised of the building to which the operations of the Commission 
are to be relocated. In the event the Chairman disagrees with the 
Administrator's determination of such relocation, the Chairman, 
within thirty days after the Chairman is advised of the building to 
which the operations of the Commission are to be relocated, may 
make a written request for review of such determination to the 
Administrator, and the Administrator shall conduct a formal review 
of such determination. 
(b) The Administrator and the Chairman shall each report sepa-
rately in writing to the Committees on Environment and Public 
Works, Finance, Rules and Administration, and Governmental Af-
fairs of the Senate and to the Committees on Public Works and 
Transportation, Ways and Means, House Administration, and Gov-
ernment Operations of the House of Representatives not later than 
sixty days after the date of enactment of this Act and every thirty 
Oct. 19, 1984 
[H.R. 4025] 
Public buildings 
and grounds. 
Real property. 
20 u s e 71 note. 
20 u s e 71 note. 
Study. 
Effective date. 
Study. 
Report. 
98 STAT. 2434 
PUBLIC LAW 98-523—OCT. 19, 1984 
Safety. 
Historic 
preservation. 
Appropriation 
authorization. 
20 u s e 71 note. 
Contracts with 
U.S. 
days thereafter on the status of the relocation required by this 
section. 
(c) During the period in which the Commission and the United 
States Postal Service continue to occupy the General Post Office 
Building referred to in the first section of this Act, the Administra-
tor shall maintain such building in order to prevent its deterioration 
and to assure that conditions therein are safe and the building is 
presentable and suitable to the normal operations of the Commis-
sion and such Service. 
(d) Upon accomplishment of the relocation required by subsection 
(a) of this section, the Administrator shall declare the property 
referred to in the first section of this Act to be excess property as 
defined in section 3 of the Federal Property and Administrative 
Services Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 472). 
SEC. 3. There is authorized to be appropriated to the Board of 
Regents of the Smithsonian Institution $40,000,000 for fiscal years 
beginning after September 30, 1984, for renovation and repair, after 
the transfer made under the first section of this Act, of the General 
Post Office Building referred to in such section. Any portion of the 
sums appropriated under this section may be transferred to the 
General Services Administration which, in consultation with the 
Smithsonian Institution, is authorized to enter into contracts and 
take such other action, to the extent of the sums so transferred to it, 
as may be necessary to carry out such renovation and repair. No 
contract for such renovation or repair shall be advertised or entered 
into before the end of the period of thirty days of continuous session 
of Congress beginning on the date the Smithsonian Institution 
submits to the Committees on Public Works and Transportation and 
House Administration of the House of Representatives and the 
Committees on Environment and Public Works and Rules and 
Administration of the Senate the plans and advanced engineering 
and design for such renovation and repair. For purposes of this 
section, continuity of session is broken only by an adjournment of 
Congress sine die, and the days on which either House is not in 
session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a day 
certain are excluded in the computation of any period of time in 
which Congress is in continuous session. 
Approved October 19, 1984. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 4025: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 98-778, Pt. 1 (Comm. on Public Works and Transportation). 
SENATE REPORT No. 98-651 (Comm. on Environment and Pubhc Works and Comm. 
on Rules and Administration). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 130 (1984): 
Sept. 18, considered and passed House. 
Oct. 5, considered and passed Senate.