Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 97.djvu/751

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PUBLIC LAW 98-101—SEPT. 29, 1983 97 STAT. 719 Public Law 98-101 98th Congress An Act To provide for the establishment of a Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is established a Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution, hereinafter referred to as the "Commission". FINDINGS SEC. 2. The Congress finds that— (1) the bicentennial of the Constitutional Convention's adop- tion of the Constitution occurs on September 17, 1987; (2) the Constitution enunciates the limitations on govern- ment, the inalienable rights, and the timeless principles of individual liberty and responsibility, and equality before law, for the people of the United States of America; (3) this document has set an enduring example of representa- tive democracy for the world; and (4) the maintenance of the common principles that animate our Republic depend upon a knowledge and understanding of their roots and origins. PURPOSE SEC. 3. It is the purpose of this Act to establish a Commission to promote and coordinate activities to commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution. MEMBERSHIP SEC. 4. (a) The Commission shall be composed of twenty-three members as follows: (1) twenty members appointed by the President, four of whom shall be appointed from among the recommendations made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (in consultation with the minority leader of the House of Representatives), four of whom shall be appointed from among the recommendations made by the President pro tempore of the Senate, in consulta- tion with the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate, and four of whom shall be appointed from among the recom- mendations made by the Chief Justice of the United States; (2) the Chief Justice of the United States, or his designee; (3) the President pro tempore of the Senate, or his designee; and (4) the Speaker of the House of Representatives, or his designee. (b) Each of the individuals making recommendations to the Presi- dent regarding appointments shall seek to achieve a balanced mem- bership representing, to the maximum extent practicable, the Nation as a whole. The Commission members shall be chosen from Sept. 29, 1983 [S. 118] Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. Establishment.