Considered and Passed Senate

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3705 Considered and Passed Senate (CPS)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3705

    To provide for the creation of a congressional time capsule in
 commemoration of the semiquincentennial of the United States, and for
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 27, 2026

 Mr. Tillis (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Padilla)
  introduced the following bill; which was considered, read the third
                            time, and passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To provide for the creation of a congressional time capsule in
 commemoration of the semiquincentennial of the United States, and for
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Semiquincentennial Congressional
Time Capsule Act''.

SEC. 2. SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL CONGRESSIONAL TIME CAPSULE.

SEC. 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.
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