Pub. L. 105-100, tit. I, sec. 147

Sec. 147. (a) Short Title; Findings; Purpose.— (1) Short title.—This section may be cited as the “Nation’s Capital Bicentennial Designation Act”. (2) Findings.—The Senate finds that— (A) the year 2000 will mark the 200th anniversary of Washington, D.C. as the Nation’s permanent capital, commencing when the Government moved from Philadelphia to the Federal City; (B) the framers of the Constitution provided for the establishment of a special district to serve as “the seat of Government of the United States”; (C) the site for the city was selected under the direction of President George Washington, with construction initiated in 1791; (D) in submitting his design to Congress, Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant included numerous parks, fountains, and sweeping avenues designed to reflect a vision as grand and as ambitious as the American experience itself; (E) the capital city was named after President George Washington to commemorate and celebrate his triumph in building the Nation; (F) as the seat of Government of the United States for almost 200 years, the Nation’s capital has been a center of American culture and a world symbol of freedom and democracy; (G) from Washington, D.C., President Abraham Lincoln labored to preserve the Union and the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. led an historic march that energized the civil rights movement, reminding America of its promise of liberty and justice for all; and (H) the Government of the United States must continually work to ensure that the Nation’s capital is and remains the shining city on the hill. (3) Purpose.—The purposes of this section are to— (A) designate the year 2000 as the “Year of National Bicentennial Celebration for Washington, D.C.—the Nation’s Capital”; and (B) establish the Presidents’ Day holiday in the year 2000 as a day of national celebration for the 200th anniversary of Washington, D.C. (b) Nation’s Capital National Bicentennial.— (1) In general.—The year 2000 is designated as the “Year of the National Bicentennial Celebration for Washington, D.C.—the Nation’s Capital” and the Presidents’ Day Federal holiday 111 STAT. 2181 in the year 2000 is designated as a day of national celebration for the 200th anniversary of Washington, D.C. (2) Sense of the senate.—It is the sense of the Senate that all Federal entities should coordinate with and assist the Nation’s Capital Bicentennial Celebration, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity, organized and operating pursuant to the laws of the District of Columbia, to ensure the success of events and projects undertaken to renew and celebrate the bicentennial of the establishment of Washington, D.C. as the Nation’s capital.