The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“U.S. WANTS TO COMPETE FOR A WORLD EXPO ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S2737-S2738 on May 4, 2017.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
U.S. WANTS TO COMPETE FOR A WORLD EXPO ACT
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 48, H.R. 534.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 534) to require the Secretary of State to take such actions as may be necessary for the United States to rejoin the Bureau of International Expositions, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``U.S. Wants to Compete for a World Expo Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) is the organization responsible for governing World Fairs and International Expositions.
(2) Section 1(a) of Public Law 91-269 (22 U.S.C. 2801(a)) found that ``international expositions . . . have a significant impact on the economic growth of the region surrounding the exposition and . . . are important instruments of national policy''.
(3) The United States has not been an active member of the BIE since 2001.
(4) State and local governments and private entities in the United States have continued to participate in international expositions held in foreign countries as a means of promoting United States exports and creating jobs, but face significantly higher costs for such participation because the United States is not an active member.
(5) State and local governments and private entities in the United States have expressed interest in an international exposition being hosted in the United States, but the bid of a United States city, region, or State to host an international exposition is unlikely to be successful if the United States is not a member of the BIE.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should rejoin the BIE immediately to promote domestic job creation, global branding, and tourism to the United States; and
(2) the Secretary of State, in partnership with the Secretary of Commerce, State and local governments, and private and non-profit entities, should take all necessary steps to facilitate the timely submission of a request to rejoin the BIE.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary determines necessary for the United States to rejoin and maintain membership in the BIE.
(b) Authorization to Accept Private Contributions.--In addition to funds otherwise available to the Secretary to carry out this section, the Secretary is authorized to accept contributions for such purpose.
(c) Notification.--The Secretary of State shall notify the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations of the Senate upon taking any action under subsection (a).
SEC. 5. CONTINUATION OF PROHIBITION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS
FOR WORLD'S FAIR PAVILIONS AND EXHIBITS.
(a) Continuation of Prohibition.--Nothing in this Act may be construed to authorize any obligation or expenditure prohibited by section 204 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b) (relating to limitations on the obligation or expenditure of funds by the Department of State for a United States pavilion or exhibit at an international exposition or world's fair registered by the BIE).
(b) Prohibition on Solicitation of Funds.--Section 204(b)(1)(C) of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b(b)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting after
``expositions'' the following: ``, except that no employees of the Department of State may, in their official capacity, solicit funds to pay expenses for a United States pavilion or other major exhibit at any international exposition or world's fair registered by the Bureau of International Expositions''.
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
The amendment was ordered to be engrossed, and the bill to be read a third time.
The bill was read the third time.
The bill (H.R. 534), as amended, was passed.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority whip.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I thank my friend and colleague from Minnesota for working with us on this piece of legislation. People sometimes say nothing ever gets done around here on a bipartisan basis, and this proves that is wrong. While that isn't one of the biggest pieces of legislation to come down the pike, it is important because of the importance of the State Department's rejoining the Bureau of International Expositions in order to preserve the possibility, in my case, for Houston's world fair bid to be considered. I know the Senator from Minnesota has a similar interest in her State. So it was a pleasure to work with her on it, and I am happy we are able to see this accomplished today.
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