COVID-19 Memorial Quilt Act of 2020
This bill directs the Smithsonian Institution and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to jointly carry out a project to be known as the "COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project" to honor and remember Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
The bill establishes the Congressional Advisory Panel on Honoring Victims of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The panel shall develop and submit a plan to carry out the memorial quilt project.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7161 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7161
To direct the Smithsonian Institution and the American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress to jointly carry out the COVID-19 Pandemic
Memorial Quilt Project to honor and remember Americans who have lost
their lives to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 11, 2020
Mr. Carson of Indiana (for himself, Mr. Rush, Ms. Moore, Ms. Kaptur,
Ms. Blunt Rochester, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York,
Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Visclosky, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. Lee of
California, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Lewis, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Mr.
Kennedy) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on
Education and Labor, 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 direct the Smithsonian Institution and the American Folklife Center
at the Library of Congress to jointly carry out the COVID-19 Pandemic
Memorial Quilt Project to honor and remember Americans who have lost
their lives to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and for other purposes.
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 ``COVID-19 Memorial Quilt Act of
2020''.
SEC. 2. COVID-19 PANDEMIC MEMORIAL QUILT PROJECT.
(a) Establishment and Operation.--The Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution and the Director of the American Folklife Center at the
Library of Congress shall jointly carry out a project to be known as
the ``COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project'' to honor and remember
Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
(b) Scope of Project.--Under the Project, the Secretary and the
Director shall--
(1) provide for the design, creation, and display of a
memorial quilt consisting of individual panels in memory of
those who have lost their lives to the COVID-19 Pandemic; and
(2) carry out other commemorative programming and exhibits
to honor the victims of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
(c) Specifics of Memorial Quilt.--
(1) Specifics.--In providing for the design, creation, and
display of the memorial quilt described in subsection (b)(1),
the Secretary and Director shall provide for the following:
(A) The design and creation of the quilt.
(B) Agreements with the Architect of the Capitol
for the first display of the quilt to be held on the
United States Capitol Grounds.
(C) Agreements with the National Park Service for
the second display of the quilt to be held on the
National Mall.
(D) Agreements with museums, institutions of higher
education, and other appropriate persons to display
portions of the quilt, and to provide such museums,
institutions, and other persons with educational
materials relating to the creation of the quilt and the
history of the Pandemic.
(E) Making information on the quilt available on
the official public website of the Smithsonian
Institution and the American Folklife Center at the
Library of Congress.
(F) The provision for the appropriate storage and
preservation of the quilt.
(2) Assistance to artists from national endowment for the
arts.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the National
Endowment for the Arts such sums as may be necessary for the
Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts to make
grants-in-aid to individual artists under section 5(c) of the
National Foundation of the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 954(c)) to assist such artists with the design and
preparation of panels for the quilt described in subsection
(b)(1).
(d) Plan of Congressional Advisory Panel.--The Secretary and the
Director shall carry out the Project in accordance with the plan
submitted by the Congressional Advisory Panel on Honoring Victims of
the COVID-19 Pandemic under section 3.
(e) Ensuring Participation of Native Americans and Residents of
Territories.--In carrying out the Project, the Secretary and the
Director shall take steps to ensure the participation of Native
Americans, tribal nations, and residents of territories and possessions
of the United States.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL ADVISORY PANEL ON HONORING VICTIMS OF COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
(a) Establishment.--There is established the Congressional Advisory
Panel on Honoring Victims of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
(b) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Advisory Panel shall be composed of--
(A) 25 members appointed by the chair of the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the
House of Representatives in consultation with the
ranking minority member of the Committee and the chair
and ranking minority member of the Committee on House
Administration of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
and the Director of the American Folklife Center at the
Library of Congress, who shall each serve as an ex
officio member.
(2) Qualifications.--The members of the Advisory Panel who
are appointed under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) shall
include public health experts, public health advocates,
educators, researchers, families and individuals affected by
the COVID-19 Pandemic, public health workers including
physicians and nurses, elected leaders of local governments,
representatives of communities that are heavily affected by the
Pandemic, and front-line personnel.
(3) Deadline.--The members of the Advisory Panel shall be
appointed not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(4) Compensation.--Members of the Advisory Panel shall
serve without pay, but shall receive travel expenses, including
per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable
provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United
States Code.
(5) Vacancy.--A vacancy in the Advisory Panel shall be
filled in the same manner as the original appointment was made.
(c) Staff.--
(1) Appointment.--The Advisory Panel shall appoint and fix
the pay of such personnel as it considers appropriate.
(2) Nonapplicability of certain civil service laws.--The
staff of the Advisory Panel 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, except that an individual so
appointed may not receive pay in excess of the annual rate of
basic pay for GS-15 of the General Schedule.
(3) Experts and consultants.--The Advisory Panel may
procure temporary and intermittent services under section
3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
(4) Staff of federal agencies.--Upon request of the
Advisory Panel, the head of any Federal department or agency
may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the personnel of
that department or agency to the Advisory Panel to assist it in
carrying out its duties under this Act
(d) Plan for Carrying Out Project.--
(1) Plan.--The Advisory Panel shall develop and submit to
the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the Director
of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress a
plan for the Secretary and Director to carry out the COVID-19
Pandemic Memorial Quilt Project under section 2.
(2) Deadline.--The Advisory Panel shall submit the plan
under this subsection to the Secretary and the Director not
later than 1 year after the appointment of all of its members.
(e) Administrative Support Services.--Upon the request of the
Advisory Panel, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to
the Advisory Panel, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support
services necessary for the Advisory Panel to carry out its
responsibilities under this Act.
(f) Termination.--The Advisory Panel shall terminate 6 months after
submitting the plan under this section.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
In addition to the sums authorized to be appropriated to the
National Endowment for the Arts under section 2(c)(2), there are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry
out this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E532-533)
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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.
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, 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.
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