20 U.S.C. § 80n — Commission for the Museum of African Art

submitted 48 years ago by Pub. L. 95-414 to r/title-20-EDUCATION · 347 words · no verdicts yet

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This law creates a Commission to advise the Board on running the Museum of African Art. The Commission has 15 appointed members plus two Smithsonian officials, serving three-year terms. It elects its own officers and can make its own bylaws.

(a) Establishment and duties: The law creates a Commission for the Museum of African Art. It gives the Board advice and help about running and developing the Museum, its collections, and its programs. (b) Membership: The Commission has 15 members appointed by the Board, plus the Secretary and an Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, who serve automatically because of their jobs ("ex officio"). For the Commission's first term, the Board had to appoint at least 10 members from people who were already serving on the Museum of African Art's Board of Trustees as of October 5, 1978. Each of those first members served a three-year term. After that, the Board must keep including people of African descent living in the U.S., collectors of African art, and scholars of African art and culture. (c) Terms: Members normally serve three-year terms. But right after the first term described in (b), the Board staggered the next group of members' terms: one-third serve one year, one-third serve two years, and one-third serve three years, as the Board decides when appointing them. If someone is appointed to fill a vacancy that opened before a term ended, they only serve the rest of that term. Members can be reappointed. (d) Quorum and vacancies: A majority of the Commission's appointed members makes a quorum. A vacant seat does not stop the Commission from doing its work. (e) Expenses: Members are paid back for their travel, food and lodging, and other necessary costs from doing Commission work. (f) Officers and bylaws: Every two years, the Commission picks officers from among its own members. It also makes its own bylaws to carry out its work under this subchapter.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a) Establishment; duties

There is established a Commission for the Museum of African Art (hereinafter the “Commission”) which shall provide advice and assistance to the Board concerning the operation and development of the Museum, its collections and programs.

(b) Membership

The Commission shall consist of fifteen members to be appointed by the Board. In addition, the Secretary and an Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution shall serve as ex officio members. The Board shall appoint to the first term on the Commission no less than ten members of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of African Art who are serving on October 5, 1978. Each initial member so appointed shall serve for a three-year term. Thereafter, in appointing members of the Commission the Board shall continue to include representatives of African descendants in the United States, collectors of African Art, and scholars in the fields of African art and culture.

Members of the Commission shall be appointed to serve for a three-year term, except that after the appointment of the first term of the Commission as specified in subsection (b), the terms of office of members next appointed shall expire, as designated by the Board at the time of appointment, one-third at the end of one year, one-third at the end of two years, and one-third at the end of three years. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder of such term. Members may be reappointed.

(d) Quorum; vacancies

A majority of the appointed members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum and any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its power to function.

(e) Travel, subsistence, and other expenses

Members of the Commission shall be reimbursed for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of their duties.

(f) Selection of officers; bylaws

The Commission shall select officers, from among its members biennially and shall make bylaws to carry out its functions under this subchapter.

Source credit: (Pub. L. 95–414, § 4, Oct. 5, 1978, 92 Stat. 911.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1978Enacted · Pub. L. 95-414 · 92 Stat. 911

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 95-414 on 1978-10-05.

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