20 U.S.C. § 2141 — Findings; purpose

Page 1048 TITLE 20—EDUCATION § 2107 point and fix the compensation of a reasonable number of personnel without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5 relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates; (5) obtain the services of experts and con- sultants in accordance with the provisions of section 3109 of title 5; (6) accept and utilize the services of vol- untary and noncompensated personnel and re- imburse them for travel expenses, including per diem, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5; (7) enter into contracts to carry out the pro- visions of this subchapter, and such contracts may, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of the Board, be entered into without performance or other bonds and in conformity with section 6101 of title 41; and (8) make advances, progress, and other pay- ments which the Board deems necessary under this subchapter in conformity with the provi- sions of section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31. (b) Annual report to Congress The Director shall submit to the Librarian for inclusion in the annual report of the Library of Congress to the Congress an annual report of the operations of the Center under this subchapter, which shall include a detailed statement of all private and public funds received and expended by it, and such recommendations as the Center deems appropriate. (Pub. L. 94–201, § 7, Jan. 2, 1976, 89 Stat. 1133; Pub. L. 105–275, § 312(b)(2), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2459.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION In subsec. (a)(7), ‘‘section 6101 of title 41’’ substituted for ‘‘section 3709 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (41 U.S.C. 5)’’ on authority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts. In subsec. (a)(8), ‘‘section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31’’ substituted for ‘‘section 3648 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U.S.C. 529)’’ on authority of Pub. L. 97–258, § 4(b), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1067, the first section of which enacted Title 31, Money and Finance. AMENDMENTS 1998—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 105–275 struck out before semicolon at end ‘‘, but no individual so appointed shall receive compensation in excess of the rate re- ceived by the Deputy Director of the Center’’. § 2107. Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to the Center to carry out this subchapter such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year. (Pub. L. 94–201, § 8, Jan. 2, 1976, 89 Stat. 1134; Pub. L. 95–259, § 1, Apr. 17, 1978, 92 Stat. 196; Pub. L. 96–522, Dec. 12, 1980, 94 Stat. 3038; Pub. L. 98–392, §§ 1, 2, Aug. 21, 1984, 98 Stat. 1362; Pub. L. 99–473, Oct. 16, 1986, 100 Stat. 1212; Pub. L. 101–99, Sept. 26, 1989, 103 Stat. 637; Pub. L. 102–399, Oct. 7, 1992, 106 Stat. 1954; Pub. L. 103–101, § 1, Oct. 8, 1993, 107 Stat. 1020; Pub. L. 104–197, title II, § 209, Sept. 16, 1996, 110 Stat. 2410; Pub. L. 105–275, title III, § 312(c), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2459.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 1998—Pub. L. 105–275 reenacted section catchline without change and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Center to carry out this sub- chapter such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1997 and 1998.’’ 1996—Pub. L. 104–197 substituted ‘‘Authorization of appropriations’’ for ‘‘Authorization’’ in section catch- line and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘There are authorized to be appro- priated to the Center to carry out the provisions of this subchapter $133,500 for the fiscal year 1976 and for the period from July 1 through September 30, 1976, $295,000 for the fiscal year 1977, $349,000 for the fiscal year 1978, $685,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1979, $1,065,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1980, $1,355,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1981, $740,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1982, $890,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1983, $990,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1984, $838,549 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1985, $867,898 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1986, $867,900 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1987, $919,974 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1988, $975,172 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1989, $998,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1990, $1,050,100 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1991, $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1992, $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1993, $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1994, and $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1995.’’ 1993—Pub. L. 103–101 struck out ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘Sep- tember 30, 1992,’’ and inserted before period at end ‘‘, $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1994, and $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1995’’. 1992—Pub. L. 102–399 substituted ‘‘1991,’’ for ‘‘1991, and’’ and inserted ‘‘, and $1,120,000 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1993’’ after ‘‘September 30, 1992’’. 1989—Pub. L. 101–99 inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1990, Sept. 30, 1991, and Sept. 30, 1992, of $998,000, $1,050,100, and $1,120,000, respectively. Direction to strike out ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘1988’’ was executed by striking ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘1988,’’ to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1986—Pub. L. 99–473 struck out subsec. designation ‘‘(a)’’ before ‘‘There are authorized’’ and ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘1985,’’, inserted ‘‘, $867,900 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1987, $919,974 for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1988, and $975,172 for the fiscal year end- ing September 30, 1989’’, and struck out subsec. (b) which provided that no amount authorized by subsec. (a) of this section for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1985, or Sept. 30, 1986, be used for pay, benefits, or other ex- penses of any personnel position established after Aug. 21, 1984. 1984—Pub. L. 98–392 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), in subsec. (a), as so designated, inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1985, and Sept. 30, 1986, of $838,549 and $867,898, respectively, and added subsec. (b). 1980—Pub. L. 96–522 inserted provisions authorizing appropriations for fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1982, Sept. 30, 1983, and Sept. 30, 1984, of $740,000, $890,000, and $990,000, respectively. 1978—Pub. L. 95–259 inserted provisions for the appro- priation of $685,000, $1,065,000 and $1,355,000 for the fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 1979, 1980 and 1981, respectively. SUBCHAPTER II—VETERANS’ ORAL HISTORY § 2141. Findings; purpose (a) Findings Congress finds as follows: Page 1049 TITLE 20—EDUCATION § 2142 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by a comma. 1 So in original. Probably should be ‘‘complementary’’. (1) Military service during a time of war is the highest sacrifice a citizen may make for his or her country. (2) 4,700,000 Americans served in World War I, 16,500,000 Americans served in World War II, 6,800,000 Americans served in the Korean Con- flict, 9,200,000 Americans served in the Viet- nam Conflict, 3,800,000 Americans served in the Persian Gulf War, and countless other Ameri- cans served in military engagements overseas throughout the 20th century. (3) The Department of Veterans Affairs re- ports that there are almost 19,000,000 war vet- erans living in this Nation today. (4) Today there are only approximately 3,400 living veterans of World War I, and of the some 6,000,000 veterans of World War II alive today, almost 1,500 die each day. (5) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians, researchers, authors, journal- ists, film makers, scholars, students, and citi- zens of all walks of life. (6) War veterans possess an invaluable re- source in their memories of the conflicts in which they served, and can provide a rich his- tory of our Nation and its people through the retelling of those memories, yet frequently those who served during times of conflict are reticent to family and friends about their ex- periences. (7) It is in the Nation’s best interest to col- lect and catalog oral histories of American war veterans so that future generations will have original sources of information regarding the lives and times of those who served in war and the conditions under which they endured, so that Americans will always remember those who served in war and may learn first-hand of the heroics, tediousness, horrors, and tri- umphs of war. (8) The Library of Congress, as the Nation’s oldest Federal cultural institution and largest and most inclusive library in human history (with nearly 119,000,000 items in its multi- media collection) 1 is an appropriate repository to collect, preserve, and make available to the public an archive of these oral histories. The Library’s American Folklife Center has exper- tise in the management of documentation projects and experience in the development of cultural and educational programs for the public. (b) Purpose It is the purpose of this subchapter to create a new federally sponsored, authorized, and fund- ed program that will coordinate at a national level the collection of video and audio record- ings of personal histories and testimonials of American war veterans, and to assist and en- courage local efforts to preserve the memories of this Nation’s war veterans so that Americans of all current and future generations may hear directly from veterans and better appreciate the realities of war and the sacrifices made by those who served in uniform during wartime. (Pub. L. 106–380, § 2, Oct. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 1447.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries SHORT TITLE For short title of this subchapter as the ‘‘Veterans’ Oral History Project Act’’, see section 1 of Pub. L. 106–380, set out as a note under section 2101 of this title. § 2142. Establishment of program at American Folklife Center to collect video and audio re- cordings of histories of veterans (a) In general The Director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress shall establish an oral history program— (1) to collect video and audio recordings of— (A) personal histories and testimonials of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war; and (B) biographical histories by immediate family members of members of the Armed Forces who became missing in action or died as a result of their service during a period of war; (2) to create a collection of the recordings obtained (including a catalog and index) which will be available for public use through the National Digital Library of the Library of Congress and such other methods as the Direc- tor considers appropriate to the extent fea- sible subject to available resources; and (3) to solicit, reproduce, and collect written materials (such as letters and diaries) relevant to the personal histories of veterans of the Armed Forces who served during a period of war and to catalog such materials in a manner the Director considers appropriate, consistent with and complimentary 1 to the efforts de- scribed in paragraphs (1) and (2). (b) Use of and consultation with other entities The Director may carry out the activities de- scribed in paragraphs (1) and (3) of subsection (a) through agreements and partnerships entered into with other government and private entities, and may otherwise consult with interested per- sons (within the limits of available resources) and develop appropriate guidelines and arrange- ments for soliciting, acquiring, and making available recordings under the program under this subchapter. (c) Timing As soon as practicable after October 27, 2000, the Director shall begin collecting video and audio recordings under subsection (a)(1), and shall attempt to collect the first such recordings from the oldest veterans. (d) Definition of immediate family member For purposes of subsection (a), the term ‘‘im- mediate family member’’ means a parent, spouse, sibling, or child. (Pub. L. 106–380, § 3, Oct. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 1448; Pub. L. 114–246, § 2, Nov. 28, 2016, 130 Stat. 995.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2016—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 114–246, § 2(a), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as