[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2989 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.2989
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and seventeen
An Act
To establish the Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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This Act may be cited as the ``Frederick Douglass Bicentennial
Commission Act''.

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Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Born into slavery on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1818
and given the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey after his
mother Harriet Bailey, Frederick Douglass has been called the
father of the civil rights movement.
(2) Douglass rose through determination, brilliance, 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 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 African-American troops for the Union Army,
including two of his sons, Charles and Lewis Douglass. His personal
relationship with Abraham Lincoln helped persuade 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 political and economic life of the
United States. Committed to freedom, Douglass dedicated his life to
achieving justice for all Americans, in particular African-
Americans, women, and minority groups. He envisioned America as an
inclusive Nation strengthened by diversity and free of
discrimination.
(7) Douglass served as an advisor to Presidents. Abraham
Lincoln referred to him as the most meritorious 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 James Garfield
appointed Douglass the District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds. In
1889, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Frederick Douglass to
be the United States minister to Haiti. He was also appointed by
President Grant to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Commission
of Inquiry to Santo Domingo.
(8) Douglass lived in the District of Columbia for 23 of his 57
years as a free man, and in recognition 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 future generations of Americans. This
Nation should ensure that his tireless struggle, transformative
words, and inclusive vision of humanity continue to inspire and
sustain us.
(11) The year 2018 marks the bicentennial anniversary of the
birth of Frederick Douglass, and a commission 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.

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There is established a commission to be known as the Frederick
Douglass Bicentennial Commission (referred to in this Act as the
``Commission'').

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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 activities 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.

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(a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission shall be composed of 16
members appointed as follows:
(1) Two members, each of whom shall be a qualified 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 President on the recommendation of
the Governor of Maryland.
(3) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described in
subsection (b), appointed by the President on the recommendation of
the Governor of Massachusetts.
(4) One member, who shall be a qualified citizen described in
subsection (b), appointed by the President 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 President on the recommendation of
the Mayor of the District 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.
(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 Representatives.
(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 others about the
importance of historical figures and events; and
(2) substantial knowledge and appreciation of Frederick
Douglass.
(c) Time of Appointment.--Each initial appointment 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.
(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 Commission 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.

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(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.--
(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 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.

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(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 member or agent of the
Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action that
the Commission is authorized to take by this Act.
(c) Obtaining Official Data.--The Commission may secure directly
from any department or agency of the United States information
necessary to enable the Commission 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 conditions 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 the purpose
of carrying out its duties.
(g) Volunteer and Uncompensated Services.--Notwithstanding section
1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Commission may accept and use
voluntary and uncompensated services as the Commission determines
necessary.

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(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--
(1) a summary of its activities and programs;
(2) a final accounting of the funds the Commission received and
expended; and
(3) any other information that the Commission considers to be
appropriate.

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The Commission shall terminate 30 days after submitting the final
report pursuant to section 8(b).

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No Federal funds are authorized or may be obligated to carry out
this Act.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.

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Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission Act

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