Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act
Officially: “Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act” Read the full text
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1Short Title
This section would let the Act be called the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act.
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1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act .
2Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule
This section would direct the Architect of the Capitol to create a congressional time capsule called the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule. The Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Office of the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the Office of the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Office of the Minority Leader of the Senate would jointly decide what goes inside it. The contents would have to include a single joint letter from those four offices, plus any other item the four offices jointly agree to include. Any item placed in the Time Capsule would have to be made of a material with a low risk of degrading, such as metal or archival paper, and could not be made of any organic or inorganic material with a high risk of degrading. The Time Capsule itself could be no more than 50 inches wide, 32 inches deep, and 48 inches high. In deciding what to include, the four offices could consult with the Architect of the Capitol, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and any other federal entities they consider appropriate. The Architect of the Capitol would have to prepare the Time Capsule to be sealed and buried at the Capitol Visitor Center, at a location the Architect chooses, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives. The burial would have to happen on or before July 4, 2026, timed so that people attending it could also attend the burial of a separate time capsule in Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, held under section 7(f)(1) of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 (36 U.S.C. 101 note prec.). The Architect would also have to install a plaque giving information about the Time Capsule, with content the Architect chooses subject to approval from the same two committees. The Time Capsule would stay sealed until July 4, 2276. On that date, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Majority Leader of the Senate would present it to the 244th Congress, and that Congress would decide how to preserve or use what is inside.
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2. Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule (a) Creation by Architect of the Capitol The Architect of the Capitol shall create a congressional time capsule, to be known as the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule (in this Act referred to as the Time Capsule ). (b) Contents (1) Determination by congressional leadership The Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Office of the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Office of the Majority Leader of the Senate, and Office of the Minority Leader of the Senate shall jointly determine the contents of the Time Capsule, taking into account the requirements of paragraph (2). (2) Contents (A) In general The contents of the Time Capsule shall include— (i) a single, joint letter from the offices described in paragraph (1); and (ii) any other item that the offices described in paragraph (1) jointly determine appropriate. (B) Limitations Any item included in the Time Capsule under subparagraph (A)— (i) shall be made of materials that pose a low risk of degrading, such as metal or archival paper; and (ii) shall not be made of any organic or inorganic material that poses a high risk of degrading. (3) Size The Time Capsule shall be not more than 50 inches wide, 32 inches deep, and 48 inches high. (4) Consultation In carrying out this subsection, the offices described in paragraph (1) may consult with the Architect of the Capitol, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and such other entities of the Federal Government as the offices consider appropriate. (c) Duties of Architect The Architect of the Capitol shall— (1) prepare the Time Capsule to be sealed and buried in the Capitol Visitor Center, at a location specified by the Architect, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, on or before July 4th, 2026, at a time which would permit individuals attending this event to also attend the burial of a time capsule in Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under section 7(f)(1) of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 ( 36 U.S.C. 101 note prec.); and (2) install a plaque to provide such information about the Time Capsule as the Architect, with the approval of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, considers appropriate. (d) Unsealing The Time Capsule shall be sealed until July 4th, 2276, on which date the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Majority Leader of the Senate shall present the Time Capsule to the 244th Congress, and such Congress shall determine how the contents within should be preserved or used. Passed the Senate January 27, 2026. Secretary
Where it is
In the Senate.