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Guidance from the Board of Regents would be useful as the Secretary prepares to undertake this examination.

[[underlined]] LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS AND ISSUES [[/underlined]]

The Secretary introduced the report which follows, and the following motion was adopted as suggested:

VOTED that the Board of Regents requests its Congressional members to introduce and support legislation to amend Sections 5315 and 5316 of Title 5, United States Code. 

Discussions ensued about the status of legislation to establish a National African American Museum. The Secretary pointed out that movement on the legislation appears to be awaiting the emergence of a consensus among the Congressional Black Caucus. The Secretary indicated that at a hearing scheduled for September 21, 1989, in the House Administration Committee's Subcommitee on Libraries and Memorials, he is prepared to say that in the absence of such a consensus the Regents have not yet developed a position on the form and organizational relationships which the museum should take. The Secretary added that he and his staff will continue to enhance African-American programming in Smithsonian bureaus and offices. At the same time they will do what they can to facilitate the development of a widely-shared consensus. With that purpose in mind, a conference with many of the nation's leading Black scholars had been planned for October at the Johnson Foundation's Wingspread Center in Racine, Wisconsin, but, seeing the need for the preparation of agendas and background papers, the Secretary concluded that it would be preferable to hold a planning meeting at the Smithsonian in October, with a goal of culminating discussions at Wingspread in the Spring.

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