Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§2735b National Museum of American Diplomacy

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

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary can hire contractors or give grants to run visitor services and education programs for the National Museum of American Diplomacy. That includes planning programs and conferences, making and installing exhibits, and running the museum shop and food services in both the physical museum and online. The Secretary may keep money from normal fees like event rentals, shop sales, and food sales to cover museum operating costs. That money goes into a special Department account for the Museum and stays available until it is spent. Historic documents, artifacts, or other items bought for the museum become U.S. Government property and can only be handled under these rules. If the Secretary finds an item no longer fits the museum’s mission, that selling or trading it (at fair market value based on an independent appraisal) would help the collection, and it is in the best interest of the United States, the item may be sold, traded, or transferred without following subtitle I of title 40. Money from such sales can only be used to support the museum’s programs or to buy and care for its collections. The Secretary may 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)Activities

(1)Support authorized

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)Recovery of costs

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)Disposition of documents, artifacts, and other articles

(1)Property

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)Sale, trade, or transfer

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)Determinations prior to sale, trade, or transfer

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)Loans

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

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110