Should the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission Be Reorganized to Exclude Private Members From Planning Celebrations of America’s 250th Birthday? (S. 3989)

What is S. 3989?

(Updated December 27, 2020)

This bill would modify certain requirements of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, which was established to plan commemoration activities for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

Specifically, this bill would:

• Modify the commission’s membership requirements to include the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Chief Justice of the United States (or an Associate Justice or former Associate Justice appointed by them), and no private citizen members;
  
• Change the deadline for the commission to report to the president with specific recommendations for semiquincentennial celebrations to March 31, 2020;
  
• Grant the commission the sole power to authorize, license, and derive income from the use of official marks, imprimaturs, products, and logos of the commission and the official semiquincentennial activities sponsored or cosponsored by the commission; and
  
• Establish penalties for knowingly manufacturing, reproducing, or using any logo, symbol, or mark originated under the commission’s authority in connection with the commemoration of the semiquincentennial.

This bill’s full title is the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Amendments Act of 2020.

Argument in favor

The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission is an important planning body tasked with the weighty responsibility of ensuring appropriate celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding. As such, it is important to ensure that it has the appropriate membership and necessary authority to carry out its mission. This legislation helps ensure that is the case.

Argument opposed

The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission’s work is already well underway, and removing its private citizens — who have been members since the commission’s establishment in 2016 — would be disruptive to its work. While it would be reasonable to add members such as the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts, doing so does not need to come at the cost of removing existing Commission members.

Impact

Planning of celebrations relating to the U.S. semiquincentennial in 2026; U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission; private citizen membership in the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission; the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and the Chief Justice of the United States.

Cost of S. 3989

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA), who is himself a member of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, introduced this bill to streamline the commission’s operations and ensure that relevant members of the government, such as the chairpeople of national endowments for the humanities and the arts, are included in its membership.

This legislation unanimously passed the Senate with the support of one cosponsor, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).

Of Note: The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission was established by Congress to inspire Americans to participate in celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding, which will occur in 2026. The commission currently includes eight members of Congress from both political parties, 16 citizen members, and six ex-officio members from the cabinet.

In addition to federal planning efforts in anticipation of the United States’ 250th birthday, a handful of states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, have already created their own “America 250” commissions to seek federal and private funding and draw up plans for their own semiquincentennial celebrations.

Media:

• U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission (Context)
  
• Philadelphia Inquirer (Context)