Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110
§76k Powers of Board
Title 20 › CHAPTER 3 — SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, NATIONAL MUSEUMS AND ART GALLERIES › SUBCHAPTER V — JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS › § 76k
Summary
The Board can ask for and take gifts, money, securities, or other property for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Board must hold, manage, sell, invest, and spend those funds as allowed by each gift. The Board will pick a Chairperson (the Center’s chief executive) and a Secretary and set their pay and duties. The Chairperson may hire a senior executive for facilities and other needed staff. That senior executive can be paid from appropriated funds and may be paid up to the maximum for Executive Schedule level IV under section 5315 of title 5. By October 1, 1995, property, contracts, records, liabilities, and unspent funds tied to functions moved from the Secretary of the Interior must be transferred to the Board, subject to section 1531 of title 31, and those unspent funds can only be used for their original purposes. National Park Service employees doing those jobs must move to the Board by October 1, 1995, keep their federal competitive service status and benefits, and for at least 3 years keep priority for Interior vacancies. Park Police assigned to the Center stay with the National Park Service. The Board’s performing-arts decisions and trust-fund payments can only be reviewed by a court. “Theatrical employee” means a nonappropriated fund worker in box office, performing, or theater trades covered by a collective bargaining agreement on January 1, 1994. Under labor law, those theatrical employees are treated as employees and the Board as their employer. The Board may plan and do projects to improve pedestrian and vehicle access to the Center, with the Secretary of the Interior’s approval under section 76j(a)(2)(F).
Full Legal Text
Title 20, §76k
Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Solicitation and acceptance of gifts
The Board is authorized to solicit and accept for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution, and to hold and administer gifts, bequests, or devises of money, securities, or other property of whatsoever character for the benefit of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Unless otherwise restricted by the terms of the gift, bequest, or devise, the Board is authorized to sell or exchange and to invest or reinvest in such investments as it may determine from time to time the moneys, securities, or other property composing trust funds given, bequeathed, or devised to or for the benefit of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The income as and when collected shall be placed in such depositaries as the Board shall determine and shall be subject to expenditure by the Board.
(b)Appointment of officers and employees
(1)Chairperson and Secretary
The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation and duties of a Chairperson of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, who shall serve as the chief executive officer of the Center, and a Secretary of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Chairperson and Secretary shall be well qualified by experience and training to perform the duties of their respective offices.
(2)Senior level executive and other employees
The Chairperson of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts may appoint—
(A)a senior level executive who, by virtue of the background of the individual, shall be well suited to be responsible for facilities management and services and who may, without regard to the provisions of title 5, be appointed and compensated with appropriated funds, except that the compensation may not exceed the maximum rate of pay prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5; and
(B)such other officers and employees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as may be necessary for the efficient administration of the functions of the Board.
(c)Transfer of property
Not later than October 1, 1995, the property, liabilities, contracts, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, authorizations, allocations, and other funds employed, held, used, arising from, available to, or to be made available in connection with the functions transferred from the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the amendments made by the John F. Kennedy Center Act Amendments of 1994 shall be transferred, subject to section 1531 of title 31, to the Board as the Board and the Secretary of the Interior may determine appropriate. Unexpended funds transferred pursuant to this subsection shall be used only for the purposes for which, and subject to the terms under which, the funds were originally authorized and appropriated.
(d)Transfer of personnel
(1)In general
Employees of the National Park Service assigned to duties related to the functions being undertaken by the Board shall be transferred with their functions to the Board not later than October 1, 1995.
(2)Rights and benefits
Transferred employees shall remain in the Federal competitive service and retain all rights and benefits provided under title 5. For a period of not less than 3 years after the date of transfer of an employee under paragraph (1), the transferred employee shall retain the right of priority consideration under merit promotion procedures or lateral reassignment for all vacancies within the Department of the Interior.
(3)Park Police
All United States Park Police and Park Police guard force employees assigned to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts shall remain employees of the National Park Service.
(4)Costs
All usual and customary costs associated with any adverse action or grievance proceeding resulting from the transfer of functions under this section that are incurred before October 1, 1995, shall be paid from funds appropriated to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
(5)Reorganization authority
Nothing contained in this section shall prohibit the Board from reorganizing functions at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in accordance with laws governing reorganizations.
(e)Review of Board actions
The actions of the Board relating to performing arts and to payments made or directed to be made by the Board from any trust funds shall not be subject to review by any officer or agency other than a court of law.
(f)Collective bargaining
(1)“Theatrical employee” defined
As used in this subsection, the term “theatrical employee” means a nonappropriated fund employee of the Board, who is engaged in a box office, performing, or theatrical trade that is the subject of a collective bargaining agreement as of January 1, 1994, including any change in the trade as a result of a technological advance.
(2)Collective bargaining
(A)In general
For the purposes of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) and the Labor-Management Relations Act, 1947 (29 U.S.C. 141 et seq.)—
(i)each theatrical employee shall be considered to be an “employee” within the meaning of section 2(3) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(3)); and
(ii)with respect to a theatrical employee, the Board shall be considered to be an “employer” within the meaning of section 2(2) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 152(2)).
(B)Rights and obligations
With respect to each theatrical employee, the theatrical employee and the Board shall have all of the rights and obligations specified in such Acts.
(g)Pedestrian and vehicular access
Subject to approval of the Secretary of the Interior under section 76j(a)(2)(F) of this title, the Board shall develop plans and carry out projects to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The John F. Kennedy Center Act
Amendments
of 1994, referred to in subsec. (c), is Pub. L. 103–279, July 21, 1994, 108 Stat. 1409, which enacted section 76r and 76s of this title, amended this section, section 76h, 76j, 76l, and 76p of this title, and section 193r, 193u, and 193v of former Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works, and enacted and amended provisions set out as notes under section 76h of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
of 1994 Amendment note set out under section 76h of this title and Tables. The National Labor Relations Act, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), is act
July 5, 1935, ch. 372, 49 Stat. 449, which is classified generally to subchapter II (§ 151 et seq.) of chapter 7 of Title 29, Labor. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 167 of Title 29 and Tables. The Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), is act
June 23, 1947, ch. 120, 61 Stat. 136, which is classified principally to chapter 7 (§ 141 et seq.) of Title 29. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 141 of Title 29 and Tables.
Amendments
1997—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 105–95 added subsec. (g). 1994—Pub. L. 103–279, § 4(a)(1), substituted section catchline for former section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–279, § 4(a)(1), inserted heading and substituted “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution,” for “Smithsonian Institution”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–279, § 4(b), inserted heading and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Board shall appoint and fix the compensation and duties of a director, an assistant director, and a secretary of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and of such other officers and employees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as may be necessary for the efficient administration of the functions of the Board. The director, assistant director, and secretary shall be well qualified by experience and training to perform the duties of their office.” Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–279, § 4(c), added heading and text of subsec. (c) and struck out text of former subsec. (c). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The actions of the Board, including any payment made or directed to be made by it from any trust funds, shall not be subject to review by any officer or agency other than a court of law.” Subsecs. (d) to (f). Pub. L. 103–279, § 4(c), added subsecs. (d) to (f). 1964—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 88–260 substituted “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” for “National Cultural Center” wherever appearing.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
20 U.S.C. § 76k
Title 20, Education
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110