H.R. 2121 — Commission to Study the Creation of a National Museum of Irish American History

This section defines the terms "Commission" (i.e., the Commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of Irish American History established by section 3(a)) and "Museum" (i.e., the National Museum of Irish American History).

This section establishes the Commission to study the potential creation of an Irish American Museum, to consist of 23 members appointed not later than 6 months after enactment: (1) 7 voting members appointed by the President; and (2) appointed by the Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader, 3 voting members and 1 nonvoting member each. Commission members must possess expertise in Irish-American history, culture, art, or related fields (i.e., museum administration, fundraising, teaching, Smithsonian representation issues, or public service) or experience in administering or planning ethnic, racial, or cultural museums. Vacancies do not affect Commission powers and are filled in the same manner as initial appointments; the Commission selects its chairperson by majority vote.

This section directs the commission to submit two reports to the President and Congress within 24 months of its first meeting: (1) recommendations for a plan of action to establish and maintain an Irish-American Museum in Washington, DC; and (2) an examination, in consultation with the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, of the availability and cost of collections; the museum's impact on regional Irish-American museums; possible locations in consultation with the National Capital Planning Commission, Commission of Fine Arts, Department of the Interior, and Smithsonian Institution; whether the museum should be located within the Smithsonian Institution; governance and organizational structure; Irish-American community engagement; and costs of construction, operation, and maintenance. This section further requires the commission to develop a fundraising plan relying on public contributions for perpetual museum funding without federal appropriations, obtain an independent review of its viability, and submit both to specified House and Senate committees (Transportation and Infrastructure, House Administration, Natural Resources, and Appropriations in the House; Rules and Administration, Energy and Natural Resources, and Appropriations in the Senate). This section requires the commission, based on the initial reports, to submit legislative recommendations to those committees within 12 months after the reports' submission and authorizes it to host a national conference on the museum within 18 months of member selection.

This section authorizes the commission to employ and compensate an executive director and other necessary personnel at rates consistent with those for employees of temporary organizations under 5 U.S.C. 3161 (i.e., up to the maximum Senior Executive Service rate for executive positions such as chairman or executive director and up to GS-15 or the SES maximum for senior staff in exceptional cases). It specifies that such personnel are not considered federal employees for purposes of federal employment law and allows federal agencies to provide technical assistance upon request while prohibiting the detailing of federal employees to the commission.

This section establishes administrative provisions for the Commission, specifying that (1) members are not considered federal employees, serve without pay, and receive travel per diem allowances consistent with those under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code; (2) the Commission may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of money, services, or property to aid its work; and (3) the Commission is exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

This section authorizes appropriations for the Commission of $2,100,000 for the first fiscal year beginning after the date of enactment and $1,100,000 for the second fiscal year beginning after such date.