Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2019

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1063) to amend title 44, United States Code, to require information on contributors to Presidential library fundraising organizations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cummings and Representative Meadows for sponsoring this legislation.

Former Representative John Duncan from Tennessee first sponsored a bill to improve Presidential libraries 19 years ago. A bill identical to the one before us passed the House in the last Congress with bipartisan support. I hope we now can finally get this important reform enacted.

The Presidential Library Donation Reform Act would make the process for building Presidential libraries more transparent. Presidential libraries have become increasingly expensive as they have evolved into multipurpose centers.

The costs for building a Presidential library must come from private funding, and modern libraries cost millions--in some cases, hundreds of millions--of dollars to build.

The George W. Bush Presidential Center, for example, cost an estimated $250 million to build, and President Bush raised approximately $500 million for the building and an endowment for his library, museum, and institute.

Although President Obama has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for his Presidential library, he has voluntarily disclosed the names of those who have donated $200 or more.

We should not, however, rely on such voluntary disclosures. Under current law, there is no requirement to disclose the identities of those who donate to a Presidential library, and a President, while still in office, is able to raise an unlimited amount from private donations.

There is no limitation on who can donate to a sitting President for a Presidential library, or how much they can donate, and their identities remain secret.

This bill would require organizations that raise money to build Presidential libraries to disclose the identity of any individual who donates more than $200. The National Archives and Records Administration would then be required to post the donation information online.

The bill would also create criminal penalties for individuals who report false information on donations and for fundraising organizations that omit donation information.

A group of 15 good government organizations, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Sunlight Foundation, sent a letter last Congress urging the House to support this bill.

Here is what they wrote: ``Under the current opaque system, Presidents raise funds privately to establish their Presidential libraries. These efforts, which often begin long before they leave office, are unregulated and undisclosed, creating opportunities for, and/or the appearance of, influence peddling. Improved transparency would help reduce the appearance of impropriety and help deter inappropriate behavior.''

This bill had bipartisan support and passed the House last Congress without opposition.

Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member of this body to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1063, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2019 to make the process of raising money to build presidential libraries more transparent. I thank Representative Mark Meadows for joining me in sponsoring this legislation.

Right now, a president--while still in office--can raise an unlimited amount of money for a presidential library from private donations, and the identities of all the donors can remain secret. It is time to enact this bipartisan legislation to require the disclosure of donor information.

Presidential libraries are built using private funds accepted through a private, non-profit organization. The costs of building modern presidential libraries can be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The George W. Bush Presidential Center, for example, cost an estimated $250 million to build, and President Bush raised several hundred million dollars to build the facility.

President Obama has also raised hundreds of millions of dollars for his presidential library. President Obama has voluntarily disclosed the names of donors who have given $200 or more. While I applaud President Obama's efforts at transparency, we cannot rely on every president to voluntarily disclose donor information.

This bipartisan legislation would require the disclosure of information about every donor who gives $200 or more for a presidential library and establish penalties for false reporting and non-compliance. This bill would make these vital changes to the law to deter inappropriate behavior.

Former Republican Representative John Duncan of Tennessee first sponsored a bill to improve the process for building presidential libraries 19 years ago. Representative Duncan also sponsored the same legislation we are considering today with me last Congress. The bill had bipartisan support and passed the House last Congress without opposition. It is past time for us to enact this bipartisan reform and shed light on an otherwise opaque system.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1063. I appreciate the gentlewoman's remarks as it relates to this particular bill. The bipartisan Presidential Library Donation Reform Act, which was introduced by the gentleman from Maryland, my good friend, Mr. Cummings, is certainly one worthy of our support, Mr. Speaker.

Under current law, Presidents can fundraise for their Presidential libraries through private, unlimited donations while they are still in office. There are no current requirements for any Presidential library fundraising organization to disclose the source or size of the donation it receives. Donations can be from individuals, companies, associations, and foreign governments, with no transparency.

Presidential libraries have become more expensive throughout the years. President Clinton's library cost $165 million. President Bush's cost $250 million. President Obama's is projected to cost more than $500 million.

This bill requires Presidential library fundraising organizations to disclose to the National Archives information about contributors who have donated $200 or more in any quarter. The National Archives would then be tasked with making the data available on its website in a downloadable format.

H.R. 1063 also sunsets the disclosure requirement to when the management of the actual library is transferred to the National Archives.

Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan piece of legislation. It is a pro- transparency bill that has already passed the House, as my colleague mentioned, not once but three different times, with overwhelming support under both Democratic and Republican majorities.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.