Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the Architect of the Capitol to create the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule. House and Senate majority and minority leadership offices jointly choose the contents, which must include a joint letter, semiquincentennial coins minted by the Treasury Secretary, and other agreed items made of low-degradation materials such as metal or archival paper. The capsule may be no larger than 50 inches wide, 32 inches deep, and 48 inches high. The leadership offices may consult the Architect, the Smithsonian Secretary, and other Federal entities. The Architect must prepare the capsule to be sealed and buried in the Capitol Visitor Center by July 4, 2026, with committee approvals, install a plaque, and keep it sealed until July 4, 2276, when the Speaker presents it to the 244th Congress.
Who Benefits and How
Future members of Congress and the public benefit from a preserved congressional artifact for the 500th anniversary of the United States. Congressional leadership offices benefit from a formal role in choosing a bipartisan institutional message and contents. The Smithsonian and preservation experts can influence archival material choices if consulted.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Architect of the Capitol must design, prepare, place, plaque, and preserve the time capsule in the Capitol Visitor Center. House and Senate leadership offices must jointly agree on contents and materials. The Treasury Secretary must provide commemorative semiquincentennial coins if included as required.
Key Provisions
- Requires the Architect of the Capitol to create the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule.
- Requires House and Senate leadership offices to jointly determine contents, including a joint letter and Treasury-minted semiquincentennial coins.
- Limits capsule size and requires low-degradation materials such as metal or archival paper.
- Directs burial in the Capitol Visitor Center by July 4, 2026, and opening on July 4, 2276, by the 244th Congress.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Directs the Architect of the Capitol and congressional leadership offices to create, bury, plaque, and preserve a Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule until July 4, 2276.
Key Policy Areas
Government Administration, Culture, Congress
Primary Purpose
Directs the Architect of the Capitol and congressional leadership offices to create, bury, plaque, and preserve a Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule until July 4, 2276.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Office of the Speaker of the House
- Office of the Senate Majority Leader
- Smithsonian Institution preservation advisors
- Capitol Visitor Center visitors
Identified Costs
- Architect of the Capitol
- Office of the House Minority Leader
- Office of the Senate Minority Leader
- Department of the Treasury
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and …
Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Mr. Aderholt, Ms. Salazar, and …
Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition …
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Architect of the Capitol, Department of the Treasury, Future Congresses
Positive-direction: Future Congresses
Negative-direction: Architect of the Capitol, Department of the Treasury, House leadership offices, Senate leadership offices
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology