H.R. 2195: Smithsonian Facilities Authorization Act

108th Congress · introduced 2003-05-21 · Arts, Culture, Religion · Latest: Became Public Law No: 108-72.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2003-05-21 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Regula, Ralph [R-OH-16] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Became Public Law No: 108-72. (final step reached)
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Smithsonian Facilities Authorization Act

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.) Smithsonian Facilities Authorization Act - (Sec. 2) Amends Federal law to authorize the Board of Regents (Board) of the Smithsonian Institution to plan, design, construct, and equip additional special use storage and laboratory space (Pod 5) at the Museum Support Facility in Suitland, Maryland, to accommodate the care, preservation, conservation, deposit, and study of national collections held in trust by the Institution. Authorize appropriations for FY 2003 through 2008. (Sec. 3) Authorizes the Board to plan, design, and construct improvements to the interior and exterior of the Patent Office Building (including the construction of a roof covering for the courtyard), using funds available to the Institution from nonappropriated sources. Requires the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to submit the design and specifications for any Patent Office Building exterior alterations to the Commission of Fine Arts for comments and recommendations, subject to the review and approval of the National Capital Planning Commission. Requires the Secretary to: (1) take into account the effect of such improvements on the historic character of the Patent Office Building; and (2) provide the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation a reasonable opportunity to comment on them. Deems the Smithsonian Institution to be an agency for purposes of compliance with regulations promulgated by the Advisory Council under the National Historic Preservation Act. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary, under the authority of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, to enter into: (1) multi-year contracts for the acquisition of property and services; and (2) contracts for the acquisition of severable services for a period that begins in one fiscal year and ends in the next fiscal year. (Sec. 5) Authorizes the Secretary to establish a program for making voluntary separation incentive payments for Smithsonian employees which is substantially similar to a specified program established under the Homeland Security Act of 2002. (Sec. 6) Declares the sense of Congress that: (1) the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History should be commended for establishing a Jazz Appreciation Month; and (2) musicians, schools, colleges, libraries, concert halls, museums, radio and television stations, and other organizations should develop programs to explore, perpetuate, and honor jazz as a national and world treasure.

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Smithsonian Facilities Authorization Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Regula, Ralph [R-OH-16] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 2195, Smithsonian Facilities Authorization Act (2003-08-06); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 2195, Smithsonian Facilities Authorization Act (2003-08-06)

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108hr2195.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/hr>

Record fed-us-cong108-hr2195 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108