Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§2735b National Museum of American Diplomacy

Title 22 › Chapter 38— DEPARTMENT OF STATE › § 2735b

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of State can hire people, sign contracts, or give grants to run visitor and education programs, conferences, exhibits, the museum shop, and food services for the National Museum of American Diplomacy. Money from fees for using museum spaces, renting the venue, shop sales, and food service can be kept. That money goes into a special State Department account to pay for the museum and its programs and stays available until spent. Historic documents, artifacts, and other items the Department adds to the museum belong to the U.S. government. The Secretary of State may sell, trade, or transfer items if they no longer fit the museum’s mission, doing so at fair market value based on an independent appraisal, and if the action would help the museum and be in the nation’s best interest. Sale proceeds can only be used to buy and care for the museum’s collections. The Secretary can also loan items to or borrow items from other institutions for repair, study, or display.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2735b

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary is authorized to provide, by contract, grant, or otherwise, for the performance of appropriate museum visitor and educational outreach services and related events, including—

(A)organizing programs and conference activities;

(B)creating, designing, and installing exhibits; and

(C)conducting museum shop services and food services in the public exhibition and related physical and virtual space utilized by the National Museum of American Diplomacy.

(2)The Secretary of State is authorized to retain the proceeds obtained from customary and appropriate fees charged for the use of facilities, including venue rental for events consistent with the activities described in subsection (a)(1) and museum shop services and food services at the National Museum of American Diplomacy. Such proceeds shall be retained as a recovery of the costs of operating the Museum, credited to a designated Department account that exists for the purpose of funding the Museum and its programs and activities, and shall remain available until expended.

(b)(1)All historic documents, artifacts, or other articles acquired by the Department of State for the permanent museum collection and determined by the Secretary of State to be suitable for display by the National Museum of American Diplomacy shall be considered to be the property of the United States Government and shall be subject to disposition solely in accordance with this subsection.

(2)Whenever the Secretary of State makes a determination described in paragraph (3) with respect to a document, artifact, or other article described in paragraph (1), taking into account considerations such as the Museum’s collections management policy and best professional museum practice, the Secretary may sell at fair market value, trade, or transfer such document, artifact, or other article without regard to the requirements of subtitle I of title 40. The proceeds of any such sale may be used solely for the advancement of the activities described in subsection (a)(1) of the National Museum of American Diplomacy and may not be used for any purpose other than the acquisition and direct care of the collections of the Museum.

(3)The determination described in this paragraph with respect to a document, artifact, or other article described in paragraph (1) is a determination that—

(A)the document, artifact, or other article no longer serves to further the mission of the National Museum of American Diplomacy as set forth in the collections management policy of the Museum;

(B)the sale at a fair market price based on an independent appraisal or trade or transfer of the document, artifact, or other article would serve to maintain or enhance the Museum collection; and

(C)the sale, trade, or transfer of the document, artifact, or other article would be in the best interests of the United States.

(4)In addition to the authorization under paragraph (2) relating to the sale, trade, or transfer of documents, artifacts, or other articles described in paragraph (1), the Secretary of State may—

(A)loan the documents, artifacts, or other articles to other institutions, both foreign and domestic, for repair, study, or exhibition when not needed for use or display by the National Museum of American Diplomacy; and

(B)borrow documents, artifacts, or other articles from other institutions or individuals, both foreign and domestic, for activities consistent with subsection (a)(1).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2735b

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60