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S. 3705 · Senate bill · 119th Congress
This act requires the Architect of the Capitol to create a congressional time capsule in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence to be buried in the Capitol Visitor Center on or before July 4, 2026.
The time capsule shall contain a joint letter from congressional leadership (the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and the Majority and Minority Leaders of the Senate) and such other contents as they shall determine.
The act directs the Architect of the Capitol to also install a plaque about the time capsule, subject to the approval of the Committee on House Administration of the House and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate.
The time capsule shall be sealed until July 4, 2276. On that date, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader shall present the time capsule to the 244th Congress.
This Act may be cited as the “Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act”.
(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.