106TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION
H. R. 1451
AN ACT
To establish the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.
106TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION
H. R. 1451
AN ACT
To establish the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2 1 2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Abraham Lincoln Bi-
3 centennial Commission Act’’. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings: (1) Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President, was one of the Nation’s most prominent leaders, demonstrating true courage during the Civil War, one of the greatest crises in the Nation’s history. (2) Born of humble roots in Hardin County, Kentucky, on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln rose to the Presidency through a legacy of honesty, integrity, intelligence, and commitment to the United States. (3) With the belief that all men were created equal, Abraham Lincoln led the effort to free all slaves in the United States. (4) Abraham Lincoln had a generous heart, with malice toward none and with charity for all. (5) Abraham Lincoln gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved, dying from an assassin’s bullet on April 15, 1865. (6) All Americans could benefit from studying the life of Abraham Lincoln, for his life is a model for accomplishing the ‘‘American Dream’’ through
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3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 honesty, integrity, loyalty, and a lifetime of education. (7) The Year 2009 will be the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, and a commission should be established to study and recommend to the Congress activities that are fitting and proper to celebrate that anniversary in a manner that appropriately honors Abraham Lincoln.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.
There is established a commission to be known as the
11 Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (in this Act 12 referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
SEC. 4. DUTIES.
The Commission shall have the following duties: (1) To study activities that may be carried out by the Federal Government to determine whether they are fitting and proper to honor Abraham Lincoln on the occasion of the bicentennial anniversary of his birth, including— (A) the minting of an Abraham Lincoln bicentennial penny; (B) the issuance of an Abraham Lincoln bicentennial postage stamp;
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4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 (C) the convening of a joint meeting or joint session of the Congress for ceremonies and activities relating to Abraham Lincoln; (D) a redesignation of the Lincoln Memorial, or other activity with respect to the Memorial; and (E) the acquisition and preservation of artifacts associated with Abraham Lincoln. (2) To recommend to the Congress the activities that the Commission considers most fitting and proper to honor Abraham Lincoln on such occasion, and the entity or entities in the Federal Government that the Commission considers most appropriate to carry out such activities.
SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP.
(a) NUMBER
AND
APPOINTMENT.—The Commission
17 shall be composed of 15 members appointed as follows: 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 (1) Three members, each of whom shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the President. (2) Two members, each of whom shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Governor of Illinois.
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5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 (3) Two members, each of whom shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Governor of Indiana. (4) Two members, each of whom shall be a qualified citizen described in subsection (b), appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Governor of Kentucky. (5) Two members, each of whom shall be Members of the House of Representatives from the State of Illinois, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (6) One member, who shall be a Senator from the State of Illinois, appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate. (7) One member, who shall be a Senator, appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate. (8) One member, who shall be a Member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. (9) One member, who shall be a Senator, appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate. (b) QUALIFIED CITIZEN.—A qualified citizen de-
24 scribed in this subsection is a private citizen of the United 25 States with—
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6 1 2 3 4 5 6 (1) a demonstrated dedication to educating others about the importance of historical figures and events; and (2) substantial knowledge and appreciation of Abraham Lincoln. (c) TIME
OF
APPOINTMENT.—Each initial appoint-
7 ment of a member of the Commission shall be made before 8 the expiration of the 120-day period beginning on the date 9 of the enactment of this Act. 10 (d) CONTINUATION
OF
MEMBERSHIP.—If a member
11 was appointed to the Commission as a Member of Con12 gress and the member ceases to be a Member of Congress, 13 that member may continue as a member for not longer 14 than the 30-day period beginning on the date that member 15 ceases to be a Member of Congress. 16 (e) TERMS.—Each member shall be appointed for the
17 life of the Commission. 18 (f) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Commission shall
19 be filled in the manner in which the original appointment 20 was made. 21 22 (g) BASIC PAY.—Members shall serve without pay. (h) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall receive
23 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 24 in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, 25 United States Code.
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7 1 (i) QUORUM.—Five members of the Commission shall
2 constitute a quorum but a lesser number may hold hear3 ings. 4 (j) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson shall be des-
5 ignated by the President from among the members of the 6 Commission appointed under section 5(a)(1). The term of 7 office of the Chairperson shall be for the life of the Com8 mission. 9 (k) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the
10 call of the Chairperson. Periodically, the Commission shall 11 hold its meeting in Springfield, Illinois. 12 13
SEC. 6. DIRECTOR AND STAFF.
(a) DIRECTOR.—The Commission may appoint and
14 fix the pay of a Director and any additional personnel as 15 the Commission considers appropriate. 16 (b) APPLICABILITY
OF
CERTAIN CIVIL SERVICE
17 LAWS.— 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 (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.
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8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (2) STAFF.—The staff of the Commission shall be appointed subject to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates.
SEC. 7. POWERS.
(a) HEARINGS
AND
SESSIONS.—The Commission
10 may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act, hold hear11 ings, sit and act at times and places, take testimony, and 12 receive evidence as the Commission considers appropriate. 13 (b) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any mem-
14 ber or agent of the Commission may, if authorized by the 15 Commission, take any action which the Commission is au16 thorized to take by this section. 17 (c) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The Commission
18 may secure directly from any department or agency of the 19 United States information necessary to enable it to carry 20 out this Act. Upon request of the Chairperson of the Com21 mission, the head of that department or agency shall fur22 nish that information to the Commission. 23 (d) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United
24 States mails in the same manner and under the same con-
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9 1 ditions as other departments and agencies of the United 2 States. 3 (e) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.—Upon
4 the request of the Commission, the Administrator of Gen5 eral Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reim6 bursable basis, the administrative support services nec7 essary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities 8 under this Act. 9 10
SEC. 8. REPORTS.
(a) INTERIM REPORTS.—The Commission may sub-
11 mit to the Congress interim reports as the Commission 12 considers appropriate. 13 (b) FINAL REPORT.—The Commission shall transmit
14 a final report to the Congress not later than the expiration 15 of the 4-year period beginning on the date of the formation 16 of the Commission. The final report shall contain— 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 and (3) any other information the Commission considers appropriate.
SEC. 9. TERMINATION.
(1) a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Commission; (2) the recommendations of the Commission;
The Commission shall terminate 120 days after sub-
25 mitting its final report pursuant to section 8.
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10 1 2
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums
3 as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 4 5
SEC. 11. BUDGET ACT COMPLIANCE.
Any spending authority (as defined in subparagraphs
6 (A) and (C) of section 401(c)(2) of the Congressional 7 Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 651(c)(2)(A) and (C))) 8 under this Act shall be effective only to such extent and 9 in such amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts. Passed the House of Representatives October 4, 1999. Attest:
Clerk.
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