Part A - United States Capitol Preservation Commission

2 USC 2081 - United States Capitol Preservation Commission

(a) Establishment and purposes
There is established in the Congress the United States Capitol Preservation Commission (hereinafter in this part referred to as the Commission) for the purposes of

(1) providing for improvements in, preservation of, and acquisitions for, the United States Capitol;

(2) providing for works of fine art and other property for display in the United States Capitol and at other locations under the control of the Congress; and

(3) conducting other activities that directly facilitate, encourage, or otherwise support any purposes specified in paragraph (1) or (2).

(b) Membership
The Commission shall be composed of the following Members of Congress:

(1) The President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be co-chairmen.

(2) The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library.

(3) The Chairman and the ranking minority party member of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, and the Chairman and the ranking minority party member of the Committee on House Oversight of the House of Representatives.

(4) The majority leader and the minority leader of the Senate.

(5) The majority leader and the minority leader of the House of Representatives.

(6) The Chairman of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Senate and the Chairman of the Commission of the House of Representatives Bicentenary, to be succeeded upon expiration of such commissions, by a Senator or Member of the House of Representatives, as appropriate, appointed by the Senate or House of Representatives co-chairman of the Commission, respectively.

(7) One Senator appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate and one Senator appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.

(8) One Member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one Member of the House of Representatives appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.

(c) Designees
Each member of the Commission specified under subsection (b) of this section (other than a member under paragraph (7) or (8) of such subsection) may designate a Senator or Member of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, to serve as a member of the Commission in place of the member so specified.

(d) Architect of the Capitol
In addition to the members under subsection (b) of this section, the Architect of the Capitol shall participate in the activities of the Commission, ex officio, and without the right to vote.

(e) Staff support and assistance
The Senate Commission on Art, the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board, and the Architect of the Capitol shall provide to the Commission such staff support and assistance as the Commission may request.

2 USC 2082 - Authority of Commission to accept gifts and conduct other transactions relating to works of fine art and other property

(a) In general
In carrying out the purposes referred to in section 2081 (a) of this title the Commission is authorized

(1) to accept gifts of works of fine art, gifts of other property, and gifts of money; and

(2) to acquire property, administer property, dispose of property, and conduct other transactions related to such purposes.

(b) Transfer and disposition of works of fine art and other property
The Commission shall, with respect to works of fine art and other property received by the Commission

(1) in consultation with the Joint Committee on the Library, the Senate Commission on Art, or the House of Representatives Fine Arts Board, as the case may be, transfer such property to the entity consulted;

(2) if a transfer described in paragraph (1) is not appropriate, dispose of the work of fine art by sale or other transaction; and

(3) in the case of property that is not directly related to the purposes referred to in section 2081 (a) of this title, dispose of such property by sale or other transaction.

(1) accept money only in the form of a check or similar instrument made payable to the Treasury of the United States and shall deposit any such check or instrument in accordance with section 2083 of this title;

(2) in making sales and engaging in other property transactions, take into consideration market conditions and other relevant factors; and

(3) assure that each transaction is directly related to the purposes referred to in section 2081 (a) of this title.

2 USC 2083 - Capitol Preservation Fund

(a) In general
There is established in the Treasury a fund, to be known as the Capitol Preservation Fund (hereafter in this part referred to as the fund), which shall consist of

(1) amounts deposited, and interest and proceeds credited, under subsection (d) of this section,

(2) obligations obtained under subsection (e) of this section, and

(3) all surcharges received by the Secretary of the Treasury from the sale of coins minted under the Bicentennial of the United States Congress Commemorative Coin Act.

(b) Availability of fund
The fund shall be available to the Commission

(1) for payment of transaction costs and similar expenses incurred under section 2082 of this title;

(2) subject to the approval of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, for improvement and preservation projects for the United States Capitol;

(3) for disbursement with respect to works of fine art and other property as provided in section 2082 of this title; and

(4) for such other payments as may be required to carry out section 2081 of this title or section 2082 of this title.

(c) Transaction costs and proportionality
In carrying out this section, the Commission shall, to the extent practicable, take such action as may be necessary

(1) to minimize disbursements under subsection (b)(1) of this section; and

(2) to equalize disbursements under subsection (b) of this section between the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(d) Deposits, credits, and disbursements
The Commission shall deposit in the fund gifts of money and proceeds of transactions under section 2082 of this title. The Secretary of the Treasury shall credit to the fund the interest on, and the proceeds from sale or redemption of, obligations held in the fund. Disbursements from the fund shall be made on vouchers approved by the Commission and signed by the co-chairmen.

(e) Investments
The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest any portion of the fund that, as determined by the Commission, is not required to meet current withdrawals. Each investment shall be made in an interest bearing obligation of the United States or an obligation guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States that, as determined by the Commission has a maturity suitable for the fund. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary may make such purchases, sales, and redemptions of obligations as may be approved by the Commission.

2 USC 2084 - Audits by the Comptroller General

The Comptroller General shall conduct annual audits of the transactions of the Commission and shall report the results of each audit to the Congress.

2 USC 2085 - Advisory boards

The Commission may establish appropriate boards to provide advice and assistance to the Commission and to further the purposes of the Commission. The boards shall be composed of members (including chairmen) who shall be appointed by the Commission from public and private life and shall serve at the pleasure of the Commission and each co-chairman of the Commission may appoint one member to any such board. The members of boards under this section may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of the boards, at the discretion of the Commission.

2 USC 2086 - Definition

As used in this part, the term Member of the House of Representatives means a Representative in, or a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the Congress.