,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,r4 #bihi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of 
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,october #af1  
#bjag,received  ,,an ,,act  ,to         
establish the ,frederick ,douglass      
,bicentennial ,commission  #a4 ,short   
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,frederick ,douglass ,bicentennial      
,commission ,act4  #b4 ,findings        
,congress makes the following findings3 
7#a7 ,born into slavery on the ,eastern 
,shore of ,maryland in #ahah and given  
the name ,frederick ,augustus           
,washington ,bailey after his mother    
,harriet ,bailey1 ,frederick ,douglass  
has been called the father of the civil 
rights movement4  7#b7 ,douglass rose   
through determination1 brilliance1 and  
eloquence to shape the ,american        
,nation4 ,he was an abolitionist1 human 
rights and women's rights activist1     
orator1 author1 journalist1 publisher1  
and social reformer4  7#c7 ,taught basic
 reading skills by his mistress until   
she was forced to stop1 ,douglass       

continued to teach himself to read and  
write and taught other slaves to read   
despite risks including death4  7#d7    
,during the course of his remarkable    
life ,frederick ,douglass escaped from  
slavery1 became internationally renowned
 for his eloquence in the cause of      
liberty1 and went on to serve the       
national government in several official 
capacities4  7#e7 ,forced to leave the  
country to avoid arrest as an escaped   
slave1 he returned to become a staunch  
advocate of the ,union cause and helped 
recruit ,african-,american troops for   
the ,union ,army1 including two of his  
sons1 ,charles and ,lewis ,douglass4    
,his personal relationship with ,abraham
 ,lincoln helped persuade the ,president
 to make emancipation a cause of the    
,civil ,war4  7#f7 ,with the abolition  
of slavery at the close of the ,civil   
,war1 ,douglass then turned his         
attention to the full integration of    
,african-,americans into the political  
and economic life of the ,united        

,states4 ,committed to freedom1         
,douglass dedicated his life to         
achieving justice for all ,americans1 in
 particular ,african-,americans1 women1 
and minority groups4 ,he envisioned     
,america as an inclusive ,nation        
strengthened by diversity and free of   
discrimination4  7#g7 ,douglass served  
as an advisor to ,presidents4 ,abraham  
,lincoln referred to him as the most    
meritorious man of the nineteenth       
century4 ,douglass was appointed to     
several offices4 ,he served as the      
,united ,states ,marshal of the         
,district of ,columbia under ,rutherford
 ,b4 ,hayes' administration2 ,president 
,james ,garfield appointed ,douglass the
 ,district of ,columbia ,recorder of    
,deeds4 ,in #ahhi1 ,president ,benjamin 
,harrison appointed ,frederick ,douglass
 to be the ,united ,states minister to  
,haiti4 ,he was also appointed by       
,president ,grant to serve as ,assistant
 ,secretary of the ,commission of       
,inquiry to ,santo ,domingo4  7#h7      

,douglass lived in the ,district of     
,columbia for #bc of his #eg years as a 
free man1 and in recognition of his     
leadership and continuous fight for     
justice and freedom1 his home1 ,cedar   
,hill1 was established as a ,national   
,historic ,site in ,anacostia1 in       
,southeast ,washington1 ,,dc4  7#i7 ,the
 statue of ,frederick ,douglass in the  
,united ,states ,capitol is a gift from 
the almost #gjj1jjj residents of the    
,district of ,columbia4  7#aj7 ,all     
,americans could benefit from studying  
the life of ,frederick ,douglass1 for   
,douglass dedicated his own life to     
ensuring freedom and equality for future
 generations of ,americans4 ,this       
,nation should ensure that his tireless 
struggle1 transformative words1 and     
inclusive vision of humanity continue to
 inspire and sustain us4  7#aa7 ,the    
year #bjah marks the bicentennial       
anniversary of the birth of ,frederick  
,douglass1 and a commission should be   
established to plan1 develop1 and carry 

out1 and to recommend to ,congress1     
programs and activities that are fitting
 and proper to celebrate that           
anniversary in a manner that            
appropriately honors ,frederick         
,douglass4  #c4 ,establishment ,there is
 established a commission to be known as
 the ,frederick ,douglass ,bicentennial 
,commission 7referred to in this ,act as
 the ,commission74  #d4 ,duties ,the    
,commission shall have the following    
duties3 7#a7 ,to plan1 develop1 and     
carry out programs and activities that  
are fitting and proper to honor         
,frederick ,douglass on the occasion of 
the bicentennial anniversary of         
,douglass' birth4  7#b7 ,to recommend to
 ,congress programs and activities that 
the ,commission considers fitting and   
proper to honor ,frederick ,douglass on 
such occasion1 and the entity or        
entities in the ,federal ,government    
that the ,commission considers most     
appropriate to carry out such programs  
and activities4  #e4 ,membership  7a7   

,number and appointment ,the ,commission
 shall be composed of #af members       
appointed as follows3 7#a7 ,two members1
 each of whom shall be a qualified      
citizen described in subsection 7b71    
appointed by the ,president4  7#b7 ,one 
member1 who shall be a qualified citizen
 described in subsection 7b71 appointed 
by the ,president on the recommendation 
of the ,governor of ,maryland4  7#c7    
,one member1 who shall be a qualified   
citizen described in subsection 7b71    
appointed by the ,president on the      
recommendation of the ,governor of      
,massachusetts4  7#d7 ,one member1 who  
shall be a qualified citizen described  
in subsection 7b71 appointed by the     
,president on the recommendation of the 
,governor of ,new ,york4  7#e7 ,one     
member1 who shall be a qualified citizen
 described in subsection 7b71 appointed 
by the ,president on the recommendation 
of the ,mayor of the ,district of       
,columbia4  7#f7 ,three members1 at     
least one of whom shall be a ,member of 

the ,house of ,representatives1         
appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house 
of ,representatives4  7#g7 ,three       
members1 at least one of whom shall be a
 ,senator1 appointed by the majority    
leader of the ,senate4  7#h7 ,two       
members1 at least one of whom shall be a
 ,member of the ,house of               
,representatives1 appointed by the      
minority leader of the ,house of        
,representatives4  7#i7 ,two members1 at
 least one of whom shall be a ,senator1 
appointed by the minority leader of the 
,senate4  7b7 ,qualified citizen ,a     
qualified citizen described in this     
subsection is a private citizen of the  
,united ,states with-- 7#a7 a           
demonstrated dedication to educating    
others about the importance of          
historical figures and events2 and  7#b7
 substantial knowledge and appreciation 
of ,frederick ,douglass4  7c7 ,time of  
appointment ,each initial appointment of
 a member of the ,commission shall be   
made before the expiration of the       

#fj-;day period beginning on the date of
 the enactment of this ,act4  7d7       
,continuation of membership ,if a member
 of the ,commission was appointed to the
 ,commission as a ,member of ,congress1 
and ceases to be a ,member of ,congress1
 that member may continue to serve on   
the ,commission for not longer than the 
#cj-;day period beginning on the date   
that member ceases to be a ,member of   
,congress4  7e7 ,terms ,each member     
shall be appointed for the life of the  
,commission4  7f7 ,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 made4  7g7     
,basic pay ,members shall serve on the  
,commission without pay4  7h7 ,travel   
expenses ,each member shall receive     
travel expenses1 including per diem in  
lieu of subsistence1 in accordance with 
sections #egjb and #egjc of title #e1   
,united ,states ,code4  7i7 ,quorum ,six
 members of the ,commission shall       

constitute a quorum but a lesser number 
may hold hearings4  7j7 ,chair ,the     
,commission shall select a ,chair from  
among the members of the ,commission4   
7k7 ,meetings ,the ,commission shall    
meet at the call of the ,chair4         
,periodically1 the ,commission shall    
hold a meeting in ,rochester1 ,new      
,york4  #f4 ,director and staff  7a7    
,director ,the ,commission may appoint  
and fix the pay of a ,director and such 
additional personnel as the ,commission 
considers to be appropriate4  7b7       
,applicability of certain civil service 
laws  7#a7 ,director ,the ,director of  
the ,commission may be appointed without
 regard to the provisions of title #e1  
,united ,states ,code1 governing        
appointments in the competitive service1
 and may be paid without regard to the  
provisions of chapter #ea and subchapter
 ,,iii of chapter #ec of that title     
relating to classification and ,general 
,schedule pay rates4  7#b7 ,staff ,the  
staff of the ,commission shall be       

appointed subject to the provisions of  
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1        
governing appointments in the           
competitive service1 and shall be paid  
in accordance with the provisions of    
chapter #ea and subchapter ,,iii of     
chapter #ec of that title relating to   
classification and ,general ,schedule   
pay rates4  #g4 ,powers  7a7 ,hearings  
and sessions ,the ,commission may1 for  
the purpose of carrying out this ,act1  
hold such hearings1 sit and act at such 
times and places1 take such testimony1  
and receive such evidence as the        
,commission considers to be appropriate4
  7b7 ,powers of members and agents ,any
 member or agent of the ,commission may1
 if authorized by the ,commission1 take 
any action that the ,commission is      
authorized to take by this ,act4  7c7   
,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 ,act4 

,upon request of the ,chair of the      
,commission1 the head of that department
 or agency shall furnish that           
information to the ,commission4  7d7    
,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 
,states4  7e7 ,administrative support   
services ,upon the request of the       
,commission1 the ,administrator of      
,general ,services shall provide to the 
,commission1 on a reimbursable basis1   
the administrative support services     
necessary for the ,commission to carry  
out its responsibilities under this     
,act4  7f7 ,gifts ,the ,commission may  
solicit1 accept1 use1 and dispose of    
gifts1 bequests1 or devises of money or 
other property for the purpose of       
carrying out its duties4  7g7 ,volunteer
 and uncompensated services             
,notwithstanding section #acdb of title 
#ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 the         
,commission may accept and use voluntary

 and uncompensated services as the      
,commission determines necessary4  #h4  
,reports  7a7 ,initial report ,not later
 than ,august #a1 #bjah1 the ,commission
 shall submit to ,congress an initial   
report containing its recommendations   
under section #d7b74  7b7 ,final report 
,not later than ,june #a1 #bjai1 the    
,commission shall submit a final report 
to ,congress1 and shall include in the  
final report--  7#a7 a summary of its   
activities and programs2  7#b7 a final  
accounting of the funds the ,commission 
received and expended2 and  7#c7 any    
other information that the ,commission  
considers to be appropriate4  #i4       
,termination ,the ,commission shall     
terminate #cj days after submitting the 
final report pursuant to section #h7;b74
  #aj4 ,no additional funds authorized  
,no ,federal funds are authorized or may
 be obligated to carry out this ,act4   
,passed the ,house of ,representatives  
,october #aa1 #bjag4,karen ,l4          
,haas1,clerk