---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 3701"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "3701"
heading: "National Afro-American History and Culture Commission"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/3701"
units:
  - "Chapter 50 — National Center for the Study of Afro-American History and Culture"
---

# §3701. National Afro-American History and Culture Commission

- (a) **Establishment and membership—** There is established a [commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) to be known as the National Afro-American History and Culture [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the “[Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2)”) which shall be composed of fifteen members, as specified in [section 3702 of this title](/usc/20/3702.md).
- (b) **Duties—** The [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) shall have the following duties:
  - (1) The [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) shall be responsible for the development of a definitive plan for the construction and operation of the [National Center](/usc/20/5602.md?p=8) for the Study of Afro-American History and Culture and shall submit the plan, together with any recommendations for additional legislation, to the President of the United States and the Congress not later than twenty-four months after October 10, 1980. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, identification of—
    - (A) the main objectives to be achieved by the establishment, development, and operation of the [National Center](/usc/20/5602.md?p=8) for the Study of Afro-American History and Culture;
    - (B) the types of uses, both public and private, to be accommodated by such a center;
    - (C) the criteria and recommendations for the design and appearance of such a center;
    - (D) the proposed ownership and operation of the center;
    - (E) the criteria and recommendations for interpretive, cultural, and educational programs and uses of the center;
    - (F) the areas where cooperative agreements might be developed between the center and Afro-American institutions, organizations, and universities to enhance their programs and projects relating to the knowledge, preservation, and presentation of the history and culture of Afro-Americans;
    - (G) the estimates of costs, both public and private, for implementing the plan; and
    - (H) the procedures to be used in implementing the plan.
  - (2)
    - (A) The [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) shall solicit subscriptions of [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3) from private and public sources to help meet the costs of carrying out its duties under this section; the costs of the construction, furnishing, and operation of the center; the costs of research programs and research staff positions, and reasonable administrative costs which may include, subject to the availability of [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3), payment to members of the [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) of travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as persons employed intermittently in the Government service are allowed expenses under [section 5703 of title 5](/usc/5/5703.md). Any [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3) so received by the [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) shall be placed in a special deposit account with the Treasurer of the United States, and may be expended by the [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) only to meet the costs specified in this subparagraph.
    - (B) The General Services Administration, the Smithsonian Institution, and other agencies of the Government may donate or loan to the [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) for the purposes of the center any works of art, artifacts, or other materials under their control.
- (c) **Acquisition and disposal of property—** For the purpose of carrying out this chapter, the [Commission](/usc/20/9701.md?p=2) may—
  - (1) acquire by gift, purchase with appropriated or donated [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3) (including [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3) from [State](/usc/20/954.md?p=g-4-E) or local sources), transfer from any Federal or [State](/usc/20/954.md?p=g-4-E) agency, exchange, or otherwise, suitable land (together with any buildings or other improvements thereon) and interest in land in the vicinity of Wilberforce, Ohio, for the location of the headquarters of the center;
  - (2) borrow or acquire by gift, purchase with appropriated or donated [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3) (including [funds](/usc/20/4702.md?p=3) from [State](/usc/20/954.md?p=g-4-E) or local sources), or otherwise, any other real or personal property necessary for the establishment and operation of the center; and
  - (3) sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any property acquired under this subsection and designate any proceeds from such disposal for the benefit of the center.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–430, title II, § 202, Oct. 10, 1980, 94 Stat. 1846.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Short Title

Pub. L. 96–430, title II, § 201, Oct. 10, 1980, 94 Stat. 1846, provided that: “This title [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘National Center for the Study of Afro-American History and Culture Act’.”