Library of Congress Modernization Act of 2016

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Library of Congress Modernization Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill authorizes the Library of Congress to purchase, maintain, or replace reproducers for books published either in raised characters, on sound-reproduction recordings, or in any other form (currently limited to reproducers of sound-reproduction recordings) for the use of the blind and for other physically disabled U.S. residents.

(Sec. 3) The bill establishes the Library of Congress National Collection Stewardship Fund, whose amounts may be used for:

• preparing collection materials for long-term storage; and
• transferring amounts to the Architect of the Capitol for designing, constructing, altering, upgrading, and equipping collections preservation and storage facilities for the Library of Congress, or for acquiring real property by lease for the preservation and storage of Library of Congress collections.

The Library of Congress shall report a plan for expenditures from the fund in its first five fiscal years of operation.

(Sec. 4) The bill requires continued service on the Joint Committee on the Library in a new Congress, until new committee members are appointed, of Members of Congress who served on such Committee in the previous Congress.

The bill also sets forth requirements for determining who shall serve as Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library before its first organizational meeting in a new Congress.

[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5227 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5227

To authorize the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically 
Handicapped to provide playback equipment in all forms, to establish a 
National Collection Stewardship Fund for the processing and storage of 
collection materials of the Library of Congress, and to provide for the 
continuation of service of returning members of Joint Committee on the 
                  Library at beginning of a Congress.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2016

 Mrs. Miller of Michigan (for herself, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, and 
 Mr. Harper) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on 
  Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically 
Handicapped to provide playback equipment in all forms, to establish a 
National Collection Stewardship Fund for the processing and storage of 
collection materials of the Library of Congress, and to provide for the 
continuation of service of returning members of Joint Committee on the 
                  Library at beginning of a Congress.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Library of Congress Modernization 
Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZING NATIONAL LIBRARY SERVICE FOR THE BLIND AND 
              PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED TO PROVIDE PLAYBACK EQUIPMENT IN 
              ALL FORMATS.

    (a) In General.--The first sentence of the Act entitled ``An Act to 
provide books for the adult blind'', approved March 3, 1931 (2 U.S.C. 
135a), is amended by striking ``and for purchase, maintenance, and 
replacement of reproducers for such sound-reproduction recordings'' and 
inserting ``and for purchase, maintenance, and replacement of 
reproducers for any such forms''.
    (b) Effective Date.--This amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to fiscal year 2017 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 3. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS NATIONAL COLLECTION STEWARDSHIP FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Treasury of 
the United States, as an account for the Librarian of Congress, the 
``Library of Congress National Collection Stewardship Fund'' (hereafter 
in this section referred to as the ``Fund'').
    (b) Use of Amounts.--Amounts in the Fund may be used by the 
Librarian as follows:
            (1) The Librarian may use amounts directly for the purpose 
        of preparing collection materials of the Library of Congress 
        for long-term storage.
            (2) The Librarian may transfer amounts to the Architect of 
        the Capitol for the purpose of designing, constructing, 
        altering, upgrading, and equipping collections preservation and 
        storage facilities for the Library of Congress, or for the 
        purpose of acquiring real property by lease for the 
        preservation and storage of Library of Congress collections in 
        accordance with section 1102 of the Legislative Branch 
        Appropriations Act, 2009 (2 U.S.C. 1823a).
    (c) Contents of Fund.--The Fund shall consist of the following 
amounts:
            (1) Such amounts as may be transferred by the Librarian 
        from amounts appropriated for any fiscal year for the Library 
        of Congress under the heading ``Salaries and Expenses''.
            (2) Such amounts as may be transferred by the Architect of 
        the Capitol from amounts appropriated for any fiscal year for 
        the Office of the Architect of the Capitol under the heading 
        ``Library of Congress Buildings and Grounds''.
            (3) Such amounts as may be appropriated to the Fund under 
        law.
    (d) Continuing Availability of Funds.--Any amounts in the Fund 
shall remain available until expended.
    (e) Annual Report.--Not later than 180 days after the end of each 
fiscal year, the Librarian and the Architect of the Capitol shall 
submit a joint report on the Fund to the Joint Committee on the Library 
and the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate.
    (f) Initial 5-Year Plan.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Librarian shall submit to the Joint 
Committee on the Library and the Committees on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate a report providing a plan for 
expenditures from the Fund for the first 5 fiscal years of the Fund's 
operation.
    (g) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
fiscal year 2017 and each succeeding fiscal year.

SEC. 4. CONTINUATION OF SERVICE OF RETURNING MEMBERS OF JOINT COMMITTEE 
              ON THE LIBRARY AT BEGINNING OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Continuation of Service.--
            (1) In general.--During the period beginning on the first 
        day of a Congress and ending on the date described in paragraph 
        (2), any Member of Congress who served as a member of the Joint 
        Committee on the Library during the previous Congress shall 
        continue to serve as a member of the Joint Committee.
            (2) Date described.--The date described in this paragraph 
        is, with respect to a Congress--
                    (A) in the case of a Member of Congress who is a 
                Member of the House of Representatives, the date on 
                which Members of the House are appointed to serve on 
                the Joint Committee for the Congress; and
                    (B) in the case of a Member of Congress who is a 
                Senator, the date on which Senators are appointed to 
                serve on the Joint Committee for the Congress.
            (3) Conforming amendment.--The final undesignated paragraph 
        under the heading ``Senate.'' in section 2 of the Act of March 
        3, 1883 (chapter 141; 22 Stat. 592) (2 U.S.C. 133), is hereby 
        repealed.
    (b) Transitional Chairmanship Prior to First Organizational 
Meeting.--During the period beginning on the first day of a Congress 
and ending on the date of the first organizational meeting of the Joint 
Committee on the Library, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on the 
Library shall be determined as follows:
            (1) If the member who served as Chairman during the 
        previous Congress is appointed to serve on the Joint Committee 
        for such Congress, such member shall serve as Chairman during 
        such period.
            (2) If the member who served as Chairman during the 
        previous Congress is not appointed to serve on the Joint 
        Committee for such Congress but the member who served as Vice 
        Chairman during the previous Congress is appointed to serve on 
        the Joint Committee for such Congress, the member who served as 
        Vice Chairman shall serve as Chairman during such period.
            (3) If neither the member who served as Chairman nor the 
        member who served as Vice Chairman during the previous Congress 
        is appointed to serve on the Joint Committee for such 
        Congress--
                    (A) the member who is the Chairman of the Committee 
                on House Administration of the House of Representatives 
                shall serve as Chairman during such period if the 
                Chairman during the previous Congress was a Member of 
                the House of Representatives; or
                    (B) the member who is the Chairman of the Committee 
                on Rules and Administration of the Senate shall serve 
                as Chairman during such period if the Chairman during 
                the previous Congress was a Senator.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section and the amendment made by this 
section shall apply with respect to the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress 
and each succeeding Congress.
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