Title 20 — EducationRelease 119-73

§80q–4 Director and staff of National Museum

Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 3— - SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XIII— - NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN › § 80q–4

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Smithsonian Secretary must hire a Director to run the National Museum under the Board of Trustees’ policies and must hire other museum staff who work for that Director. Anyone employed by the Heye Museum the day before the Heye Foundation assets transfer must be offered a Smithsonian job with the usual terms and with a salary at least equal to what they earned the day before the transfer. The Secretary can make those hires without using the normal federal competitive hiring rules (Title 5). The Secretary can set salaries for the Director and two other hires without following the federal classification and General Schedule pay rules (chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53, Title 5). Pay for the Heye employees must follow those federal pay rules but cannot be lower than their prior pay.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §80q–4

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution shall appoint—

(1)a Director who, subject to the policies of the Board of Trustees, shall manage the National Museum; and

(2)other employees of the National Museum, to serve under the Director.

(b)Each employee of the Heye Museum on the day before the date of the transfer of the Heye Foundation assets to the Smithsonian Institution shall be offered employment with the Smithsonian Institution—

(1)under the usual terms of such employment; and

(2)at a rate of pay not less than the rate applicable to the employee on the day before the date of the transfer.

(c)The Secretary may—

(1)appoint the Director, 2 employees under subsection (a)(2), and the employees under subsection (b) without regard to the provisions of title 5, governing appointments in the competitive service;

(2)fix the pay of the Director and such 2 employees without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title, relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates; and

(3)fix the pay of the employees under subsection (b) in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title, relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, subject to subsection (b)(2).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 80q–4

Title 20 — Education

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73